Holy macaroni, the competition out there is fierce. It’s not enough to just have great food anymore. These days, memorable restaurant marketing is necessary to break through the noise of thousands of competing restaurants (and thousands more ghost kitchens!).
The rule of thumb is that restaurants should spend 3-6% of total sales volume on marketing, but what strategies really make sense in this high-competition era?
That’s what we’ll explore in this article: six useful restaurant marketing tactics we’ve seen work for our partners and clients at HungerRush. By the end of this article, you’ll be well-equipped to start attracting customers effectively.
Key Takeaways:
- Your Google Business Profile is key for getting discovered online — make sure it’s tight. Fill in every detail, show off your unique features, choose the right keywords, and keep on top of your reviews.
- Ditch the old punchcards for a digital loyalty program. This lets you target customers with deals they’ll love using the data you’ve collected.
- Use Limited Time Offers (LTOs) to create excitement and draw people in. Seasonal specials or unique promotions can make your restaurant the talk of the town.
1. Go Bananas on Your Google Business Profile Listing
Google Maps and Search are critical ways that people discover your business — optimizing your Google Business Profile is crucial. Your business listing is a powerful restaurant marketing tool that significantly boosts your online presence and local SEO, making it easier for potential customers to find you.
Go through the listing options with a fine-tooth comb, filling out every detail.
We suggest keeping a few things in mind:
- Show Your Strengths — Showcasing unique features like special cooking methods, diet-friendly recipes, or local ingredients can help your restaurant stand out in local searches.
- Pick Your Keywords — Using location and experience-based keywords like “rooftop bar” or “gluten-free options” in your Google Business Profile helps Google connect you with the right customers.
- Master Reviews — Responding to all customer reviews and making it easy for customers to leave them can improve your online reputation and increase your visibility in search results.
Google is your friend. Use it.
2. Get Smart with Your Loyalty Program for Retargeting
Restaurant marketing has come a long way. The days of the punchcard and other static loyalty programs are over. Digital loyalty programs unify customer data—like ordering habits and preferences—and help create personalized ads and promotions.
Getting setup for this is not too difficult.
- System Integration: Merge all customer and operational data into one system to simplify access and remove barriers.
- Data Cleanup: Regularly organize the data to remove incorrect and outdated information, categorizing it effectively for easy use.
- Win with Analytics: Use analytics and CRM tools to understand customer preferences and create personalized experiences. AI-powered tools make this even more precise.
With your customer data clean, organized, and centralized in a loyalty platform like HungerRush (which makes the whole thing super easy!), your marketing can be super targeted.
3. Automate SMS and Email Reorder Offers (Using Personalized Loyalty Data)
Text message (or SMS) marketing has a stunningly high open rate of 98% (holy moly!). But most restaurants say that still primarily use email marketing say they see a fantastic return. We suggest creating SMS and email automations that go out for a variety of situations by default, like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.
But beyond those basics, we suggest using an AI-powered tool like HungerRush Loyalty to create personalized offers based on an individual customer’s behaviors.
For instance, if a customer regularly orders a specific pizza, send them an SMS message with a coupon for that pizza or a new side dish that complements it. If data shows that a customer frequently orders on Friday nights, schedule an SMS message for Friday afternoon to maximize the likelihood of capturing that order.
You can also create a sense of exclusivity and urgency by offering special deals that are only available through SMS. This can include limited-time offers or early access to new menu items for loyal customers, incentivizing them to continue ordering directly from the restaurant.
4. Optimize Social Media Posts for Delight
Social posts featuring your food and restaurant ambiance are great—keep doing those. We’ll never tell you to stop that. But, there’s a whole world of delight-focused posts that are better at building brand affinity and standing out in the sea of Instagram and Facebook photos.
- Run a generous giveaway that doesn’t feel like a sneaky ploy to build your email list
- Invite customers to a contest, like a recipe or design contest for your brand
- Take a cue from Couplet Coffee and joke around with your audience
Social media shouldn’t just be a feed of products. It works best when it’s used socially. Shocking, right? And good socialization is way more about having fun and being welcoming than it is about marketing your food.
5. Partner with Local Organizations (Like PR, but Better)
Hooking up with local partners can turbocharge your growth faster than solo efforts. Tapping into an already engaged audience can speed up your market entry and get your restaurant noticed quickly.
Some local partnership opportunities worth considering:
- Media — Your city’s newspapers are a great place to find locally-minded people who want to support local businesses.
- Tourism — Tourism boards are always looking for ways to make the local area more appealing to potential travelers. If your business offers something uniquely local, there’s a strong chance they’ll want to help promote it.
- Coupon Books — You know those coupon books sold as fundraisers by school choirs and football teams? They’re cheesy, sure. But they work.
- Nonprofits — This is a pretty common one. Beloved nonprofits are always looking for creative ways to raise money and also give back to other local organizations and small businesses.
Look for potential partners who vibe with your brand. Make the most of your combined strengths and team up for joint promotions or exclusive co-branded goodies.
6. Create Promotions, Limited Edition Items, and Experiences
There’s nothing like a well-executed Limited Time Offer (LTO) to drive demand. The promotion itself may not last forever, but there is a long tail effect as people see you as communally engaged, energetic, and innovative.
- Starbucks’s LTOs drive insane business through seasonal drinks
- El Pollo Loco drove an 8.5% increase in sales with one particular LTO
- Wendy’s attracted a new customer base through a Rick and Morty cross-promo
No matter which restaurant marketing tactics you choose to implement, a strong understanding of your customers through data is critical to setting yourself up for future success (and making all your marketing efforts higher-ROI!).
We’d love show you how HungerRush connects all your customer data to unlock smarter, AI-powered loyalty and marketing. Let’s schedule a time to chat.
