As exciting as the restaurant industry is, it’s also extremely competitive. With more restaurants coming up by the day, it’s important for restaurants to truly stand out. Restaurant marketing strategies are vital to the success of an establishment, considering how they allow one to efficiently and effectively promote their brand.
A new year brings new trends and new ideas!
Here are some restaurant marketing ideas for you to try in 2022
1. Customer Loyalty Programs
Old or young, everyone likes rewards. It’s a fantastic way to get your customers to retain customers and to keep them coming back. Offering special rewards and unique promotional offers that would usually not be available is a great way to feel customers feel valued and special. Loyalty programs not only help with old customers but also incentivize new customers to visit and then eventually keep coming back. While there are multiple ways to approach loyalty programs, different things work for different restaurants. Confused about what approach is best for you? Here’s your comprehensive guide to loyalty programs to choose the best one for your establishment.
2. Events and Gatherings
After a long hiatus of two years, people are ready to go out again. What better way to get people together than hosting events at your establishment! An open mic, a live music event, or sports screening, you can take your pick. Hosting events is a great way to keep your diners entertained and to deliver experiences to remember.
3. Influencer Marketing
As you might have observed, it’s not about the food anymore. Apart from the food, people look for a fun and memorable dining experience that they can document and brag about. Associating with local bloggers helps restaurants get noticed by local audiences and is also a great way to reach your target audiences. Influencers and bloggers can document the dining experiences that the restaurants wish to deliver and be known for! It also gives bloggers a chance to experiment and create new content.
4. Email/WhatsApp Marketing
Another idea is to use your POS system to maintain a database of diners and to send weekly or monthly updates via email or Whatsapp to promote sales and increase customer engagement. It’s a great way to reach customers at any point in time and to keep them updated about offers, promotions, events, or new menu additions! Restaurants can work on creating content suited to their target market to make it less spammy and more engaging.
5. Go Contact-less
In a post COVID world, consumers are more aware and mindful than ever. Fortunately, technology and automation have made it possible to have a completely contactless dining experience. Right from making reservations online, diners can access a menu online via a QR code and place their orders. They can also make payments and leave reviews virtually to allow them to have a safe and completely contact-less experience. Creating a contact-less experience can streamline the dining experience and save time.
6. Get Topical
Celebrating occasions and holidays, both big and small is never a bad idea. From Diwali to Christmas to Mother’s Day and National Pizza Day, every day is an occasion if we want it to be. Crafting special menus or offering special discounts are a great way to drum up excitement and engage with customers. You can leverage your social media channels to promote these offers, menus, giveaways, etc.
Running a restaurant is as challenging as it is fun!
Good marketing strategies can not only help promote sales but also establish a concrete brand name for your establishment. One thing’s for sure though, social media, technology, and automation are the way forward! Tell us what ideas worked best for you and if there’s any we missed!
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