If you’ve just started a new restaurant or simply rebranded your existing restaurant, you may be eager to start marketing and putting your name out there. Whether you’re a small town shop or located in a more populated city, marketing is important for any restaurant. Marketing campaigns and strategies are what will bring in the most foot traffic possible, and a well-run marketing strategy can do wonders for your business, both immediately and in the long-run, as it can kickstart a success. If you’re wondering how to begin marketing for your restaurant, there can be a lot that needs to be considered. Use these tips to help you figure out where to start and what to focus on for your business’s marketing strategy. 

Collaborate With Others

Collaboration projects with other restaurants or food manufacturing companies is a great and creative way to market your restaurant, and is profitable for both yourself and whoever you are collaborating with. 

A collaboration can be as simple as specifying that one of your products has a specific brand as an ingredient or featuring a special branded ingredient in a cocktail. 

However, it can be a bigger collaboration, such as featuring a local distillery’s alcohol in a cupcake as a shooter, or a special deal running where you can eat from both restaurants for a discounted price. You may even collaborate with a restaurant equipment company, such as advertising a specialty oven.

No matter how you choose to collaborate, it can be a great marketing project, as customers of your collaborator’s company will be able to get a taste for your restaurant and who you are, and customers of your restaurant will be able to experience another restaurant as well. 

Don’t Be Afraid To Use Social Media

Social media is an often-overlooked way to market to anyone who’s interested in your company. There are many different ways that you can use social media, and it’s not necessary to have a wealth of experience with social media to do so. There are simple ways you can market your restaurant fairly easily. 

When marketing on social media, one of the most important things to remember is which platform you’re on, and that will influence the way you market. For example, on Instagram, posting pictures of your weekly specials or reviews from customers. 

Another great reason to use an Instagram account as a marketing tool is the opportunity to let people tag your account when they post pictures or stories about your restaurant. Tagging restaurants and other notable locations is common on Instagram, and gives your restaurant free publicity. You can also repost posts that you were tagged in on your story, meaning you can interact more with your customers. Many social media platforms including Instagram also have the option to advertise on their platform, so you can run more traditional advertisements on your account as well. 

You can also use Facebook as a source for your restaurant. One great feature of Facebook that Instagram doesn’t have is the ability for people to review your restaurant. A good rating by others means it’s more likely for others to choose your restaurant to try for the first time. You can post photos just like Instagram, or write longer captions to advertise things like your daily or weekly specials or updates, such as menu changes or special hours.

Running things like giveaways on any social media for a gift card or other prize can also be a great way to get other people to view your account. You can ask your followers to enter in your giveaway by tagging three friends in the comments or reposting on their story. By doing this, you’re getting lots of free publicity and many more eyes on your restaurant and brand. 

Customers. also have the ability to message you on many social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, so you can get in direct touch with anyone who has questions or concerns. 

No matter which platform you use, be sure to let customers know that you have places to connect with them by putting your social media handles on your website and physically in your store on your menus or other easy to spot locations. 

Utilize SEO

In the digital age, SEO is a necessity. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, works to help your restaurant rank higher on search engines, therefore increasing your visibility. 

SEO for a restaurant is especially important, as location is a huge part of a restaurant’s marketing strategy. If someone is new to the area or a tourist, chances are they may head to Google or Yahoo for a recommendation on where to eat. With SEO, you can ensure that your restaurant shows up for them. 

Although if you are hiring a dedicated marketing team, you may be able to find someone proficient in SEO, it’s also easy to do without a ton of prior knowledge. SEO requires that you use keywords throughout web pages and blog articles to help you rank higher. However, it’s also important to be weary of “keyword stuffing” which can negatively affect your SEO ranking. 

There are many free digital certifications and training programs you can use to understand and become proficient in SEO. There are also free guides online to help you get started and learn the basics of SEO. 

Go Back To Traditional Advertising 

Although a lot of focus is placed on digital marketing and advertising, it doesn’t hurt to go back to the traditional ways of marketing, like advertisements in magazines and commercials. Especially for a restaurant, newspaper and magazine advertisements can help people local to the area notice your restaurant. You can also offer coupons in paper advertisements, which can also encourage people to visit your restaurant.

Although starting any business can be an overwhelming and busy time, this is especially true for new restaurants. The way you market your restaurant can play a huge part in your success, especially in the beginning. By using these restaurant-specific marketing tips, you can ensure you begin your new restaurant’s marketing strategy in the best way.