Restaurant owners, lets get those creative juices flowing!

As a restaurant or café owner you have probably spent a lot of time and investment in finding talented chefs and perfecting your menu options. You’ve planned your décor to provide just the right kind of ambiance and if your customers are enjoying your food, your’re halfway there – but if business is slow and you want to attract new diners, read on…

Bring in the experts

Just because you’re an expert in the culinary department, it doesn’t mean that you have the skills, the experience (or time) to promote your eatery. DP Marketing Communications have a wealth of experience in this exciting industry sector and use a wide range of targeted marketing activities to expand a restaurant’s customer base and put it on the map. Read just some of our awesome 5* reviews from restaurants we have worked with:

Specifically restaurant marketing is unique as an industry in a number of ways:

• Firstly, the location will be a defined area with a small radius and often in close proximity to competitors – no matter how delicious your food is, there is going to be a limit to the travelling time of any foodie.
• Dining is generally seen as a luxury and an experience so choosing the right restaurant for a customer to part with their hard earned cash isn’t a decision taken lightly. If successful, the well fed customer will want to come away with memories of delicious food and a special time spent with family and friends.
• Dining is often a one off purchase – of course there will be repeat business but even a customer who has raved about your restaurant may not visit again anytime soon (although hopefully they will tell their friends and family).
• Product updates – your product is your food and with seasonal changes to menus, special events and the latest food fads, there is always something ‘fresh’ to promote and this can be a great advantage when planning a marketing campaign.

Start with a marketing plan!

With so many exciting and creative promotions and ideas to get in front of potential diners it can be easy to take a haphazard, blanket approach to restaurant marketing. If you work with DP Marketing Communications, a detailed plan with industry and local knowledge will be used to scope out a marketing strategy. A focus on key events in the calendar and utilising the USP’s of the restaurant or dining venue in question will start to hone in on the type of customer that is likely to visit and more importantly how to attract them. A month by month plan would cover a wide range of marketing activities and highlight what kind of marketing channels would be use to provide a balance of information sharing, promoting offers, and building engagement in order to develop a brand and personality that diners can relate to.

Restaurant marketing is an industry that can tap into pretty much all marketing strategies in some way (obviously budget will have a determining factor on the best route to focus on to maximise ROI):

• Photography and videos – it goes without saying to get customers drooling over your food and create the excited diner before they have even stepped foot in your restaurant will requie professional, creative food photography and videos.
• A fantastic website – this is your shopfront before the real event, so creative design, easy navigation and up to date menus are a must.
• SEO – so you’ve got your fantastic website, but no-one can find you online? You can’t underestimate the power of an SEO strategy.
• Engaging social media – make your posts stand out on timelines and target your audience with social media ad campaigns.
• Not to be missed offers – everyone loves a freebie and special offers can also help attract new customers with those quieter slots in the week.
• Creative competitions – a prize that’s worth winning is worth sharing and gathers excitement and engagement.
• PR and influencer marketing – avid foodies are always on the lookout for the latest place to dine, take advantage of PR and in this industry ‘diner reviews’ or feature pieces on dining in local magazines are popular.
• Mobile APP and booking system – don’t miss out on bookings, get the right systems in place.
• Partner up with local businesses – are there networking opportunities to explore?
• Offline promotion – don’t forget your printed material. A well laid out and designed menu with the latest offers and special dishes can boost sales. Flyers, adverts and business cards need to be on brand and designed to the max. Beautiful food photography speaks 1000 words!

Add in the perfect ingredient!

The key is to use the right ingredients: amazing food, first class service and a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere mixed with a planned and targeted marketing campaign results in turning those empty seats into new and excited diners.

Claim your FREEBIE!

Sounds good? Find out how DP Marketing Communications can boost your restaurant, cafe or dinning establishment with a FREE consultation call and Marketing Proposal.