Tag Archives: restaurant marketing
Proof Groupon-style Deals Stole $115M from Restaurants in 2011
Don’t do it. That’s all I have to say. And now the numbers bear it out- daily deal sites including the biggie- Groupon- are not helping people build great relationships with repeat customers- they are killing small businesses.
Not every time but it isn’t worth the risk because the odds are against you.
You are better off creating your own special coupons and doing your own marketing to actually build a loyal customer base and create new business. Here are some better restaurant marketing suggestions that will serve your business much better over the long haul than anything a daily deal site is going to bring you.
Visits to independent restaurants were down by 4% in 2011, but Groupon-like deals … Keep reading
The Bible On Mobile Marketing- Short Cut for Busy Restaurant Owners?
What is needed is first, an understanding of the options, and then a plan for making the most of the subset of those choices that you pick to work on for your business. You can’t do them all and you don’t have the time or budget to try them all first to see which work.
Therefore, you need a way to cut to the heart of … Keep reading
5 Restaurant Social Media Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
This seems like common sense but then as the old saying (approximately) goes, common sense isn’t nearly as common as the name would imply.
I think the problem is social media is way too easy to use and there is no visible cost to doing it so people don’t think it through like they would other marketing.
For example, no restaurant owner would pay to run an advertisement in the newspaper or on the radio that made a dumb joke, insulted customers, discussed religious views or took a political position. But doing it on Facebook or Twitter is so fast, easy and free that the normal thinking that goes into marketing doesn’t seem to apply.
Ah, but that’s where you … Keep reading
SMS (Text Message) Restaurant Marketing Tips and Tricks
In the old days, about five years ago, restaurant marketing was hard enough. You still had to do all the old things, but you also had to market online and also deal with the fact that people were starting to post reviews online as well, and not all of them were good.
Oh for the old days when things were simple!
Now, you have all that, plus you need a mobile version of your website and you need to have a twitter account, a facebook page, join foursquare, get some videos on youtube, podcast something, monitor a million review sites, get to the top of Google places, check out some new thing called pinterest and still drop in on the … Keep reading
Pinterest Restaurant Marketing Guide
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Not another social media website to worry about! I hadn’t even heard of Pinterest until very recently but apparently
there are already a gazillion members and if you aren’t on it you are way behind the times. Or not.
I am all for using social marketing to reach your current customer and find new customers. I am. But this stuff takes time to do and a lot of time to do well. Adding yet another outlet for it is a big commitment if you are going to make it work.
So is this new site worth your time? I am inclined to say no, not yet. But instead of my going by my biased … Keep reading
Increase Restaurant Sales With Top Ten List
This is a smart little idea that you can use and is especially good for people who claim they don’t like to write.
We advocate making a list when you put together your restaurant business plan of the reasons for people to choose you over the competition but you can do more with the list than just stick it in your plan.
You can use it to help your staff learn more about your business and help pass it on to your customers.
You can also use lists in even more creative ways. How about inserting a top ten favorite dishes list in your menu to help upsell your customers? How about a ten healthiest list? Get creative and focus … Keep reading
10 Must-Do Items to Explode Your Online Restaurant Marketing
Awesome article to start the new year on online marketing for your restaurant. If you are doing even half of these I’d be amazed and I’m afraid most people are only doing one or two of them and probably not as well as they should be.
If you need help with any of these items- contact us. We can help or recommend someone who can in most cases.
If you are still working on your restaurant business plan than by all means copy this page and make it part of your marketing plan by just inserting your name into each list item. Well, not quite, but almost.
These tips are serious gold for a restaurant owner or aspiring restaurant … Keep reading
Restaurant Marketing Trendsfor 2012
The end of the year always brings out these types of look forward and look back articles. Here is one with some interesting points for creating a restaurant business plan for the coming year.
1. Quest for survival.
The great redwoods are hundreds of years old and without a devastating forest fire these trees cannot release their seeds and would never have new growth. The redwood fire is a perfect analogy for today’s restaurant brands. The restaurant industry has been through a devastating forest fire all its own. There will be some restaurant brands that will never come back.
2. Reinventing your brand for today’s consumer — the new consumer mindset.
In case you haven’t noticed, there is a new … Keep reading
Boost Your Restaurant Traffic Without Discounts and Save Your Bottom Line
Although offering a discount or a big coupon seems like an easy way to get more business in the door, and you tell yourself it will work out because you’ll be adding new regulars, the truth is it is hardly ever a good strategy. The article below breaks it down in more detail and offers alternative suggestions.
One idea I’ve put forward before is that if you are going to offer a coupon or discount, make it on a non regular item or combo. What you don’t want is your regulars coming in, seeing the same thing they normally pay full price for on sale and then wondering why they ever paid so much for it. They may not go … Keep reading
6 Tips: Restaurant Social Media Marketing on Facebook
This article is pretty self explanatory.
The nice thing about using Facebook in your restaurant marketing is that the traffic is often cheaper and if you are doing it right a little paid traffic can turn into a lot of free traffic as people post about you to their friends. Give it a try and see how it goes.
If you do it right you can really hit the ball out of the park.
Here are some tips for using Facebook advertising in your restaurant marketing mix:
1) Decide what you want to achieve – Facebook ads can be used in a variety of ways. You can use them to attract more members to your Facebook page, to invite people … Keep reading
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