As a restaurant owner or manager, you know that time is always of the essence. There are always a million and one things to do and not nearly enough time to do them all. This is especially true when it comes to marketing.
We created this guide to help you! I know it's a long article, but we broke it up into small sections so you can read it in while running your restaurant.
With so many different channels and strategies to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to even begin. And on top of that, you’re also trying to run a business! The good news is that there are a number of time-saving marketing strategies for restaurants that actually work.
In this article, we’ll share 15 of the best time-saving marketing strategies for restaurants that you can implement today. These strategies work and will help you save time, money, and energy.
Automate your restaurant's social media postings.
Are you tired of manually posting to your restaurant's social media accounts? If so, then it's time to Automate your restaurant's social media postings!
There are a number of advantages to using social media automation for your restaurant. For one, it can save you a lot of time. Instead of having to post updates manually, you can set up a system that does it for you.
Additionally, social media automation can help you ensure your restaurant's social media accounts are always active and up-to-date. By automating your postings, you can help to keep your customers engaged and informed about your restaurant.
If you're ready to take your restaurant's social media to the next level, then it's time to start automating your postings. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Choose the Right Platforms: The key to success with your restaurant's social media is choosing the best channels for your business. Identify where your customers are and determine which platforms are worth investing in. Once you understand which networks make the most sense, you can start creating engaging content that will have people coming back for more!
Create a Content Calendar: After you've chosen the platforms you'll use, create a content calendar. This should include dates, types of content, and their tone. Doing this will help keep you organized and on track with your content strategy. Having a content calendar is key to creating successful, high-quality content.
Set an Automation Schedule: When using automation tools to create and schedule posts, you can stay organized and post consistently. This is because you can create posts in advance and set them to post at a later time. This can be helpful if you want to make sure that your posts are spaced out evenly and that you are posting on a regular basis.
Track Your Progress: Tracking your posts' performance is essential to ensure they reach your desired audience. Use analytics tools to get an understanding of your post's performance. Remember the saying, "You can't improve what you don't measure."
Repurpose Content: Use content resources like blogs, videos, and images to fill out your postings. Keep an eye out for content you can repurpose, like customer photos and reviews you can share on social media.
Automating your restaurant's social media can save you time, boost engagement, and help you better connect with your customers. Posting updates regularly helps keep your restaurant top-of-mind, and helps you build a stronger relationship with your customers. Automating your posts also frees up time that you can use to focus on other aspects of running your business.
If you're looking for help getting started with social media for your restaurant, our 365-day Social Media Calendar is a great resource. With content ideas for every day of the year, it'll make it easy to plan out your social media strategy for the year. Plus, we have a bunch of free bonuses when you download!
Create a system for getting more reviews for your restaurant.
There's no doubt that online reviews are important for restaurants. Good reviews can attract new customers and help you get more bookings, while bad reviews can hurt your business.
So how can you get more reviews? One way is to create a system for asking your customers to leave a review after their meal. You can do this by placing a card on each table with a link to your review site, or by sending an email or text message to customers after they've dined with you.
Another way to get more reviews is to offer incentives. For example, you could offer a discount on the customer's next meal, or enter them into a drawing to win a prize.
Whatever system you choose, make sure you're consistently asking for reviews from your customers. The more reviews you have, the more likely you are to attract new customers and loyal advocates who always tell their friends about you. This is a great way to increase your restaurant's word-of-mouth marketing and recurring revenue.
How to repurpose your restaurant's social media content.
If you're like most restaurants, you've probably already built up a decent amount of social media content. But what do you do with all of that content once it's been published?
The good news is that you can repurpose your restaurant's social media content to get even more mileage out of it. Here are a few ideas:
- Create a social media calendar and start using your old content as filler
- Use old content as a starting point for new, fresh content
- Draft new blog posts or articles that build on your existing content
- Create new visuals (e.g., infographics, memes, etc.) from your old content
So don't let your old social media content go to waste - put it to work for your restaurant today!
Create an email marketing campaign for your restaurant.
Email marketing is a great way to connect with your customers and promote your restaurant. You can use email to reach out to your customers and let them know about special events, new menu items, and more. You can also use email to drive traffic to your website or blog.
There are a few things you'll need to do to get started with email marketing for your restaurant. First, you'll need to build a list of email addresses. You can do this by collecting emails from people who visit your website or by downloading past customer emails from your POS system.
Once you have a list of email addresses, you'll need to create an email marketing campaign. To do this, you'll need to create a message, design a template, and set up a schedule for sending your emails. You'll also need to track your results so that you know what works for your audience and gets them clicking links and coming into the restaurant.
Ready to get your restaurant's email marketing up and running? Our amazing guide on "How to build a free restaurant email marketing strategy" is the perfect place to start! Dive deep into taking advantage of this valuable resource today.
Using influencers to help grow your restaurant
Having the right influencers in your corner can be a great way to grow your restaurant's exposure. Here are some tips on how to find and work with influencers who fit well with your business:
Think about what type of audience you're trying to reach, then use this information to identify potential influencers within that audience. Make sure they have an active following that engages with their content.
Once you've identified some potential candidates, contact them and see if they are open to working together. Ask what kind of content they'd create, when they'd post it, and how they would like to be compensated.
When collaborating with an influencer, make sure there is a consistent dialogue between both parties so expectations are managed properly throughout the process. This will help ensure successful campaigns!
By finding the right influencers for your restaurant and working closely together, you can take advantage of huge marketing opportunities that will help drive more traffic and revenue for your business!
Hosting a local event at your restaurant
Are you looking for the perfect venue to host your event? Look no further than your own restaurant! From small dinner parties to wedding receptions and everything in between, your restaurant is the ideal spot to show off your delicious dishes.
When hosting an event at your restaurant, there are a few things you should consider. Most importantly, do you have enough space? Make sure that whatever size event you're planning, that you have a banquet room or other area large enough for all of your guests. Also important is having more than enough staff on hand to take care of everyone - guests shouldn't be waiting around for their drinks or food! And finally, think about what kind of menu will make sense for the type of event. If it's a business luncheon, go with something light and professional; if it's a birthday party, don't be afraid to let loose and have some fun!
Make friends with other businesses to help grow your restaurant.
There are a lot of benefits to collaborating with other businesses, especially when you're a restaurant owner. By teaming up with other businesses in your industry, you can help each other out and grow your businesses together.
For example, let's say you own a pizzeria and you team up with a local baker to create a one-of-a-kind mini pizza only available on certain days of the week. It's a win-win for both business owners who can share the food cost and gain promotional exposure!
There are plenty of other ways you can collaborate with other businesses to help your restaurant grow. So if you're looking for new ways to grow your business, consider teaming up with another business in your industry. You may be surprised at how much you can accomplish together.
Get involved with your Chamber of Commerce
If you own or operate a restaurant, then you know that one of the best ways to grow your business is by getting involved with your local Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce is a great resource for businesses of all sizes, and they can help you with everything from marketing to community outreach.
One of the best things about the Chamber of Commerce is that they are always looking for ways to help businesses grow. They offer a variety of programs and services that can help you reach new customers and grow your business. And they are always happy to talk to restaurant owners about how they can get involved and help out.
So if you're looking for a way to help your restaurant business grow, then be sure to get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce. They can provide you with the resources and support you need to take your business to the next level
How supporting a cause and giving back to the community can help your restaurant grow.
When you think about growing your restaurant, you probably don't think about giving back to the community. But supporting a cause can actually help your business in a number of ways.
For one, it will help you build goodwill with the community. People will see that you're a business that cares about more than just profits. This can encourage them to support your restaurant and spread the word to their friends and family.
Giving back can also help you attract and retain employees. People want to work for businesses that align with their values. So if you support a cause that your employees care about, they'll be more likely to stick around.
And finally, supporting a cause can help you attract customers. Today's consumers care about more than just price and convenience. They want to patronize businesses that align with their values. So if you support local non-profits and organizations dedicated to building up the community, your restaurant can become a local beacon of that cause.
How to stay top of mind with your restaurant customers
The restaurant industry is fiercely competitive. In order to stay ahead of the competition, you need to make sure your restaurant is always top of mind with your customers.
There are several ways you can stay top of mind with your restaurant customers. Here are a few tips:
Make sure your restaurant is easy to find online. Make sure your website is up to date and that you're active on social media.
Offer something unique that your competitors don't. This could be a unique dish, a special event, or something else that will catch your customers' attention.
Give your customers a reason to come back. This could be a loyalty program, special offers, or something else that will keep them coming back.
By following these tips, you can make sure your restaurant is always top of mind with your past customers.
Keep your website and menu up to date
If you own a restaurant, it's important to keep your website and menu up to date. Your customers should be able to easily find your restaurant's information online, including your contact information, hours, and menu. If you don't have a website or your website is outdated, you're missing out on a valuable opportunity to reach new customers.
So how often should you update your website and menu? It depends on how often your restaurant changes. If you make changes to your menu frequently, you'll need to update your website more often. On the other hand, if your menu is fairly static, you can get away with updating your website less frequently. Regardless of how often you update your website, it's important to make sure that your menu is always accurate. Nothing is worse than ordering a dish only to find out that it's no longer available.
Creating and maintaining a website doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming. There are a number of website builders and platforms that make it easy to create and update your website. And once you have a website, you can use it to promote your restaurant, drive traffic to your door, and boost your bottom line.
Use a targeted restaurant marketing strategy
Are you looking to take your restaurant marketing to the next level? Then you need to start using a targeted restaurant marketing strategy.
A targeted restaurant marketing strategy is one that is specifically designed to reach your target market. It takes into account who your target market is, what their needs and wants are, and how to best reach them.
There are many different ways to target your market. You can use traditional marketing methods like print ads and radio commercials, or you can go modern and use digital marketing methods like social media advertising and Google AdWords.
No matter what methods you use, the important thing is that you are specifically targeting your market. This will help you to get the most out of your marketing budget and to see the biggest return on investment.
If you are not sure how to target your market, there are plenty of ways to reach us to book a free 30min session to talk about ways to target your audience.
Utilize technology to help grow your restaurant.
There's no denying that the restaurant industry is tough. But there are ways to use technology to help you grow your business and stay ahead of the competition.
Here are a few ways you can use technology to help grow your restaurant:
Use online ordering platforms to increase orders
Use social media to promote your restaurant and build a following
Use data analytics to track your performance and identify areas for improvement
Use technology to streamline your operations and cut costs
By utilizing technology, you can give your restaurant the boost it needs to succeed.
If you're looking for ways to save time and grow your restaurant, these 15 strategies are a great place to start. From automating marketing tasks to using data to make decisions, these strategies can help you save time and grow your business.
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