Restaurant Marketing: 8 Fresh Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business
Looking for some fresh restaurant marketing ideas? Here are 8 marketing strategies restaurants can use to boost sales, attract new customers, and retain existing customers.
HAVE A KILLER CONCEPT
With thousands of restaurants and types of cuisine to choose from, it’s essential to find ways to set your business apart from the competition. Teriyaki Madness, for instance, isn’t your average Asian restaurant franchise. TMAD’s unique Seattle-style teriyaki bowls serve up explosive flavors at a reasonable price in a shop setting that is both convenient and built for fun. Diners and franchise owners alike are drawn to the concept.
BE BOLD WITH YOUR BRAND IDENTITY
Your brand is about more than your restaurant’s concept; it’s how you portray yourself to the world. It’s your vibe. Your brand identity represents your business’ personality beyond the food you serve. If you identify your target audience and establish a theme that caters to their interests and lifestyles, you’ll attract new customers while retaining current ones. TMAD’s brand is as fun and lively as the food is delicious. It’s part of what attracts diners from all over the country to try it out and keep coming back for more.
HAVE AN ATTENTION-GRABBING WEBSITE
Nowadays, establishing an online presence is essential for restaurant marketing, and this all starts with an enticing and easy-to-navigate website. At a bare minimum, you’ll want a homepage that introduces visitors to what you’re all about, as well as a menu and contact page. Beyond that, you can include photo galleries, customer reviews, blogs, an FAQ page, and more. Whether you’re making a first impression on potential diners or providing a helpful and interesting resource to current customers, your website should be engaging and up to date.
MAKE THE MOST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Beyond setting up your website, building a strong online social presence is a crucial restaurant marketing strategy. The most popular social media platforms for restaurants are Facebook and Instagram, but TikTok, Twitter and YouTube also present ample opportunities for you to get creative with how you engage customers.
With such widespread use and versatility, social media is one of the most effective tools for marketing your business. Your profile, posts, and interactions with users create a familiar relationship for followers to know and trust, all while keeping your restaurant squarely on their radar. By linking your social media profiles and posts to your website, you can drive traffic and convert visitors into customers.
GET LISTED ON DINING APPS
Dining apps are among some of the best free restaurant marketing tools, as they increase your chances of being discovered by new diners who want what you’ve got. Since these apps allow users to apply very specific filters, it’s important to include as much information as possible, including website, location and contact info, hours of operation, menu, price range, photos, and any unique amenities (i.e. patio, Wi-Fi, drive-thru, etc.).
Your presence on dining apps will also enable you to reward customers who leave reviews and therefore increase your restaurant’s visibility. And if you choose to respond to reviews — even the critical ones — the way you do it will say a lot about you as a restauranteur. It may end up attracting new customers if they see that you’re a prompt and considerate business owner.
JUST HIT SUBSCRIBE
In addition to a website and social media presence, a digital newsletter is a great way to connect with customers, particularly current ones whose business you want to keep. Someone who signs up for your newsletter likely already has an interest in your restaurant and its menu. Offering half-off prices or early access to limited-time offers for those with a newsletter-only coupon code can help convert those digital followers into real-life customers.
You can offer discount codes to customers, driving interest in following your business. Regularly offering special sales and exclusive incentives to online followers and newsletter subscribers can also drive traffic.
PROVIDE CONVENIENCE & REWARD LOYALTY
Branded mobile apps offer customers more flexibility than ever before, making the ordering process easier, reducing wait times, and allowing them to keep track of their favorite menu items and previous orders. Diners are likely to spend more through mobile ordering, as they have more time to make their selections.
Mobile apps can offer access to things like loyalty programs, special promotions, and more. You can reward customers for ordering via the mobile app, fostering continued engagement and higher spends.
Nowadays, many customers prefer to place their orders on their mobile devices, so an app will help your restaurant rate higher on various ranking sites. A seamless, positive mobile experience will increase interest in your business.
SKIP THE GUESSWORK & PARTNER WITH THE BEST
Even before you’ve opened the doors to your first shop, TMAD’s experienced and dedicated Franchise Marketing Team has your back. By working directly with social media companies, ad agencies, PR firms, online review management companies and other essential marketing support partners, TMAD ensures that you’re supported with comprehensive marketing strategies to grow your business.
TMAD’s team is well-versed in their branding and hyper-focused on your success as a TMAD franchisee. While the messaging may be fun and irreverent, it’s all designed to stand apart from the crowd. Rest assured, TMAD will help you spread the Madness.
To explore ownership opportunities with TMAD, download the franchise report.
