Increase footfall with these marketing strategies for restaurants

The phrase ‘marketing for restaurants’ has around 1,000 Google searches a month. This leads us to believe that there is quite an appetite (pardon the pun) for marketing support in this industry.

With a thirst for knowledge about marketing for restaurants, you may have already seen a few tips and tricks. When researching, you’ve probably seen the phrase CONTENT IS KING crop up a lot. It’s true but producing reams of content isn’t that easy when you’ve got a restaurant business to run.

This is where we come in. In this blog, you’ll find four marketing strategies to help boost your sales and increase your restaurant’s brand awareness. Without further ado, let’s begin!

1.  The power of food bloggers

Picture this…You’re searching for a restaurant in the local area for a gorgeous evening, and you’re scrolling through Google’s list. What’s one of the first things you take into consideration? The reviews.

When marketing for restaurants, this is where food bloggers come into play. Simply put, engaging with influencers can present an incredible boon for your restaurant. These local reviewers hold a certain trust with the people…They’re valued for their opinions. Their presence on social media will only help to increase your website’s reach, so it’s a win-win.

It’s can also be a cheaper, more effective alternative to hiring a celebrity to endorse your restaurant. However, that’s not to say that influencer marketing isn’t pricey. But of course, it depends on who you’re approaching.

Instead of spending dearly on a campaign, you could approach 3-4 bloggers, covering a broader audience base in the process. The best thing about bloggers is their authenticity, as they approach your business from an experienced position.

Some points to consider when choosing your food influencers are:

• Their location
• Their following and reach
• The potential impact of online platforms
• Their relevance to your business and values (e.g. are you a Vegan restaurant?)
• Their target audience.

2.  Developing your brand identity

A serious component in marketing for restaurants should be your brand identity. In essence, it makes your visibility that much easier.

Take, for instance, Nando’s. Its brand holds to its South African/Portuguese roots, remaining vibrant in the process.

It presents something fresh, bold, and welcoming to people of all ages. Due to the decision to uniquely decorate each restaurant, no two restaurants feel the same, leading to a unique experience.

Compare this with Pizza Hut which holds more traditional values of family meals and inviting evenings.

3.  Websites, apps & Google Business profiles

In this day and age, if you don’t have a website, you’re practically burying your head in the sand! A website creates a digital baseline for your restaurant, helping direct customers to your location, alongside your menu.

In essence, it’s a core component in marketing for restaurants. Ensure that your online menu is sleek and functional, with accessible writing and attractive images of your products.

Creating a reviews page will provide further confirmation of your brand’s integrity, with a photo gallery, perhaps an FAQ page. Keep your website fresh with new content such as blogs. Most customers are happy to leave a review but prompting them can have that added effect of building your brand. A common method is asking via engaging social media posts and emails. Another would be subtly including QR codes on your menus. You could also incentivise customers by offering discounts for future meals by leaving reviews.

As well, if you have the resources, invest in an app for delivery, payment, and ordering. If you don’t have those kinds of resources just yet, you can post your restaurant on dining and restaurant apps. These marketing tools can increase your website’s reach to no end.

Another important aspect of your digital strategy should be getting your Google Business profile sorted ASAP. This will most likely be the first interaction between you and your customers in your early days as a business. So, making sure that it’s properly completed, up to date and relevant is super important.

Your Google Business profile will also allow users to reserve tables, straight from the search page. Making bookings more convenient for your customers will undoubtedly help to increase footfall. Ease is the aim of the game!

4.  Upgrading your local SEO

You might have heard of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) before, but for those who haven’t let’s go into it. Based on your online location, Google can infer your business location. However, this won’t mean that you’ll rank highly in local search results. So, what can you do to improve your local SEO?

• Get yourself listed on local food websites, apps and business directories
• Organise and collect your online reviews
• Embed a Google map on your contact us page
• Publish content relating to the local area.

Ultimately, your SEO strategy supports marketing for restaurants greatly, as it literally puts your business on the map!

In summary

So, we’re finished with this blog on marketing for restaurants. We’re sure that you’re now more prepared to tackle the intricacies of marketing when your business. We covered quite a lot, so let’s have a short recap…

1. The power of food bloggers – Engaging with food influencers for positive reviews, reaching a bigger audience and furthering your brand’s popularity.
2. Developing your brand’s identity – Generating a recognisable feel for your business through your logo, decorations and colour scheme etc.
3. Websites, apps, & Google Business profiles –Ensuring a functional, relevant, and up to date website to aid your business’ growth.
4. Upgrading your local SEO – Putting your business on the map with embedded Google maps on your contact us page. Improving your ranking in the search results with listings on food websites, locally focused content and organising your online reviews etc.

What if you’re still feeling unsure when it comes to marketing or copywriting? Read below to see what Vocal can offer you…

What can Vocal do for you?

Are you looking for help with copywriting for marketing? Why not contact us? We can brainstorm how we can produce the best content for you. From this, we can use our experience to make recommendations. We pride ourselves on delivering results.

Our team operates within six areas of content creation:

• Copywriting
• Websites
• Illustration
• Design
• Branding
• Digital Marketing.

After an initial consultation, we will provide you with a quote. Our team will then get to work on creating your customised content!

See something you like? Let’s get started!

Get started with Vocal in four easy steps:

Step 1 – Tell us about yourselves and don’t hold back! We want to hear about your company’s goals and ambitions, and tell us, what is your USP? What do you want your copywriting to achieve?

Step 2 – Now it’s our time to shine and create a proposal of ideas – just for you! This includes recommendations drawn from our extensive experience. Are you ready to hear our ideas?

Step 3 – There’s no point in investing in your content if you don’t know what it will do for your business. So, based on our knowledge and experience, we’ll make predictions about the likely outcomes of the content. That way, you can see how our services are going to benefit you.

Step 4 – Finally, we’ll provide a quote for our services. Once that’s out of the way, then the real fun can begin! We’ll get started on the content of your dreams!

Let’s get Vocal! Get in touch with a member of the team and get ready to watch your business grow.