7 Online Marketing Tips for Food and Drinks Business
Gastronomy thrives on customers. Customers like hospitality, a nice ambiance, good food, and last but not least the restaurant should be easy to reach. How do customers look for a restaurant today?
About recommendations and about search engines. Search engines now also include social media. You read the comments and look for it, what is the menu? If I like it, would I like to reserve a table right away? How easy is it? Can I call right away?
Online marketing for restaurants can be fun because there is a lot that can be done, especially if you can have experts that can help you out with your SEO efforts.
Regular guests speak for the quality
Many good restaurants, which are well managed, are well visited even without advertising. Above all, it is the regular guests who are there regularly. The reviews of the regular guests, whether on the search engines or in the restaurant guides, should not be underestimated. Many customers search for opinions on the net and read the rating. The walk-in customers who accidentally find their way to the restaurant also contribute to sales. Under normal circumstances, I usually call and ask if there is a table in the next half hour. Because I already know the city too well to just go out without having reserved beforehand.
Dining room too, terraces too. And further?
Right now, we are in a situation that is difficult for restaurateurs. No more guests are allowed to sit down. But there is one way to keep the business going – to have the food delivered or picked up. Can online marketing for restaurants be helpful for this?
Customers can order and pick up the food. Some restaurants may also be able to deliver the food. But, how do guests know that these possibilities exist? This is where online marketing for restaurants comes into play. Keep Your Google My Business entry up-to-date, and use social media and your own website. Let’s get to that, first of all, I want to get rid of something and praise the use of social media.
Social Media for Gastronomy
I noticed that many Asian, vegan, and vegetarian restaurants but also new restaurants with upscale gastronomy sell well online. Some focus on the restaurant and some on the chef. That’s up to you. Nothing speaks against shooting small how-to videos of the boss. The live function can also be used for this. Yes, it takes time. But it can be very conducive to the reputation of the restaurant and to the emergence of a community. A little tip on the side. Online marketing for restaurants, can also arise in this way, with video content.
Instagram is a possibility as online marketing for restaurants
There have long been separate pages of restaurants and chefs on Instagram, which are created and well managed. With really nice pictures, which I like to give a heart and feel like eating. When I’m around, I like to eat there. Many users mark the place on Instagram, me too. I post a picture with relevant hashtags. I act as a visitor and as a multiplier. It is a means of communication for new creations on the menu, competitions, and communication with the guests. It can be used as a newsroom.
Social media for gastronomy, and marketing skilfully used.
I have many restaurants on my personal list, which I have picked up on Instagram but also on Facebook. Of course, the restaurants can also advertise delivery or order and pick up via your Instagram account on Facebook. You can either advertise with normal posts or run a paid targeted local advertisement. The target group already exists and can be addressed directly. With advertising, the reach can be extended. Instagram is also an advantage in the sense that users can search via hashtags. As a customer, I can recommend the service as a multiplier. Online marketing for restaurants has been correctly understood in this sense and is used skilfully. On Facebook, there is the possibility to present the menu in detail and both on Instagram and on Facebook, the link to the website can be actively used. Especially if the food can be booked and paid for through the website for pickup.
Social media works sustainably
Of course, the restaurateur should not expect to get thousands of followers and physical visitors immediately, social media works and grows sustainably, as well as SEO for websites. We create high-quality content with added value that must first be noticed. A restaurant also gradually builds its reputation, through good cuisine and nice staff. This is also the case on the web. In this way, online marketing for restaurants can work sustainably and effectively.
Digitization does not have to be mandatory for everyone. Online marketing for restaurants may not even have been on the to-do list until recently, but breaking new marketing ground can be beneficial.
There are other ways to successfully conduct online marketing for restaurants. Do you have a website that is also mobile-optimized? Is there a simple order form or maybe a way that your guest can chat with you and place an order via chat? That would be the right way or the right moment to initiate it. Is the phone number present? Of course, it requires a lot more effort and spending, but this would make it easier for your customers to search and order. Later it can be used for reservations but also for food orders to continue to be there and be used. Lunch offers for surrounding offices, etc.
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Website simple and with purpose
All information at a glance and an easy ordering process. You want to sell your service, so you need to make it as easy as possible for the customer. Online marketing for the restaurant can work in addition to print advertising and even reach new target groups who are online. Even if we are traveling by car in a city unknown to us, we search for restaurants via search engines. I look at the opening hours and the menu. Reviews also and if I like it I call there and reserve a table. Today I would book the food to pick up.
Ads and menu on your landing page
Online marketing for restaurants is not limited to social media. The ads as advertising in the search engines can also be a means to an end. The campaigns, if well adjusted, can reach the right target group and bring conversion (purchases), in this case, orders for the food. But be careful when creating the campaigns. Because not only the ad must be formulated correctly, but also the right keywords must be used. The ads must also lead to the right page. That’s where a landing page comes in.
Communicate digitally with your guests
A landing page is a page in this case with the current menu and the order option, a contact form, or a phone number. The purpose is that the customer contacts you. The content on a landing page can be exchanged, so a landing page is always up-to-date. A landing page should be as simple as possible. The most important information at a glance is your menu and how the customer can order it, what payment options are available, and pick-up or delivery service. Newsletters can also be used for customer loyalty. Give a discount of 5 or 10% for newsletter registration, collect leads and send newsletters as soon as something changes on your menu or drink menu. Online marketing for restaurants is not rocket science, it just has to be done.
