5 marketing tactics to increase your restaurant bookings in 2024
In a time where the competition for diners’ disposable income is fierce, getting your marketing ducks in a row is more important than ever. If you have been putting off some of those key marketing tasks to entice more customers into your restaurant then now is the time to act! In this article, we will provide you with five key marketing tactics that you can do now to instantly impact footfall. These easy-to-execute marketing levers will help automate your strategy in the longer term, giving you back time to operate your restaurant.
Website
If your restaurant has yet to establish an online presence, you might be missing out on valuable customers who turn to competitors that have a dedicated website. The Beyond the Booking Hospitality Report reveals that 47% of consumers prioritize a restaurant's menu when choosing where to dine, while 54% prefer to make reservations through a restaurant's website, with only 13% opting to call. Your website should act as the central element in your venue's marketing strategy, directing all other marketing channels toward it.
For those with a moderate level of tech-savviness and the time to invest, platforms like Squarespace or Wix offer straightforward solutions for creating a user-friendly website. A simple website can help you showcase your menu, provide essential information, and facilitate bookings, all of which are crucial for attracting and retaining customers in today’s competitive dining landscape.
Website essentials:
food and drink menus
your booking widget or link to a form of online booking
links to review websites
opening times
special events and offers
contact form
about page telling guests your story
Private hire and events, showcasing your offering and any packages/special menus
The use of high-quality images cannot be over-stressed. Showcase your busy venue, dishes and drinks on every page and even include pictures of yourself and staff so people can connect with your brand.
Links to your socials and a newsletter sign-up page
By ensuring these fundamentals are in place, you will establish a robust foundation for your website that enhances user experience and helps achieve your revenue goals.
If your level of tech-savviness is not even close to a moderate level, working with marketing experts like ourselves can offer a cost-effective option if you want a simple brochure-style website similar to this one.
SEO
By integrating basic SEO practices, you can significantly enhance your visibility online without incurring any costs. Effective SEO lies in answering the questions that your guests will commonly input into search engines, such as ‘restaurants near me’ or ‘best pizza in Sheffield’.
Improving your website’s SEO does not require expert knowledge but it does require some upfront time and effort and. Start by identifying the search queries your guests will be using frequently to find somewhere to eat. This can involve including relevant keywords naturally within your text such as ‘burger restaurant in Sheffield’ and also ensuring a straightforward user experience.
There are numerous free resources available online that can guide you through the fundamentals of SEO, enabling you to stay updated with the best practices. Taking the time to educate yourself on these aspects can yield considerable benefits, making your website more accessible to your guests and ultimately driving higher traffic levels.
Remember, even small adjustments can have a significant impact on your website's performance in search engine results. Consistency in updating your content and engaging with your audience can further improve your SEO efforts. Engaging a member of staff on this task or working with a local SEO agency or marketing expert will produce lasting results!
Build an email list with automation
Building an email list using automation can significantly enhance your marketing efforts and engage loyal customers by promoting new menus, seasonal offers and mid-week discounts. Sending out a monthly newsletter with offers and specials compliments social media campaigns and is another low-cost touch point for reaching your customers.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set up an effective email list:
1. Choose an Email Marketing Platform
Select a reliable email marketing platform that offers automation features. Popular free or affordable options include Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, and ConvertKit. Ensure the platform aligns with your needs, budget, and technical requirements.
2. Create a Lead Magnet
Develop a compelling lead magnet that will entice users to subscribe to your email list such as a discount code, or the chance to be entered into a monthly draw for a gift voucher to spend in the restaurant. Ensure it delivers real value to encourage valuable sign-ups.
3. Automate emails to keep in touch
Many email marketing platforms like Mailchimp allow you to set up automatic email sequences so that you are keeping in touch with new sign-ups, taking them on a journey and the best part is, once set up, it all happens in the background and you don’t need to lift a finger.
For example:
The user signs up and receives a welcome email with links to your menus, current offers and a call to action to book.
A few weeks later, you can set up an email to go out that sends a discount code or a special offer that is time-bound with an expiry date to encourage a visit in the near future.
Ask for people’s date of birth on sign-up and let them know they will receive a special birthday offer. You can set up an automatic email to go out a month before the guest’s birthday offering them a free meal if they visit with a group of 4 or a bottle of fizz.
You can then track all the offers that are redeemed to assess the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Influencer Engagment
Engaging influencers can enhance your brand visibility and attract new customers. Here are some effective strategies to consider:
Identify Relevant Influencers
Research Local Influencers: Look for food bloggers, Instagrammers, and YouTube creators within your local area and focus on influencers who have high-quality content and genuine engagement rates rather than just a large following. Look for comments, shares, and interactions that indicate an active audience. So if you were based in Sheffield, search the hashtag #sheffieldfoodblogger and you will find influencers like Steel City Hunger, The Sheffield Vegan and The Insatiable Foodie who create high-quality engaging content and receive lots of positive engagement.
Build Relationships
Follow and Engage: Start by following influencers on social media and engaging with their content. Commenting on their posts or sharing their content can help you get noticed. Once you’ve established a presence, reach out with a personalised message. Mention specific posts of theirs that you enjoyed and explain why you think a collaboration would be beneficial.
Offer Value
Invite influencers to exclusive tasting events where they can sample your menu prior to launch or seasonal specials. Be open to offering compensation, whether monetary or through complimentary meals. Clearly outline what you are prepared to offer in exchange for their promotion and ensure they outline what they will provide in return. Agree on a deadline for when the content should go l live - they often have huge amounts of content to get out so it is likely you will be on their to-do list for some time after the event!
Encourage Authentic Content
Allow influencers the flexibility to express their genuine thoughts about their experience without restrictions. Authenticity resonates more with audiences. Once influencers share content related to your restaurant, re-share their posts on your own social media channels, giving them credit. This creates a reciprocal relationship and shows appreciation.
Measure and Adjust
After an influencer partnership, monitor engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and new followers. Assess the impact of the collaboration on footfall and reservations. Based on the response, refine your approach for future collaborations. Understand what type of content resonates best and tailor your outreach accordingly.
Create Engaging Experiences
Consider curating unique events, such as Burn’s Night, Autumn Feasting Menus or Steak Night Grazing Boards. Collaborate with a local brewery and host a beer dinner or collaborate with another local chef or restaurant and double your audience.
By hosting regular events that offer your customers a different experience from their usual visit you are building brand loyalty and encouraging repeat visits. You can use social media, your email list and website to promote your events.
Whilst many of the tactics listed can be self-taught and done on a DIY basis, it takes time to figure things out and are time-consuming to execute. If you are a busy chef or restaurateur, engaging a marketing consultant like The Gourmandiser on an ad-hoc or retainer-style agreement can offer significant return on investment without the hassle and commitment of employing someone.