Having a good presence on the internet is essential in any segment. In a year as challenging as it was 2020, digital marketing for restaurants prevented many of them from closing because of the crisis caused by the pandemic.
With the lockdown established in several cities, many restaurants had to implement a delivery system to survive. Even the ones that already offered delivery, had to reinforce the marketing actions to remain selling during the crisis.
We know that investing is not easy when revenue falls. But there are strategies that, if properly applied, will bring a return on investment. Being on the internet is a must, and that goes far beyond having a website or publishing posts on social media.
Digital marketing strategies for restaurants
Each business needs to know how to strategically use digital marketing to attract and retain customers. There is no cake recipe, but you need to adapt the strategy to the reality of your sector and differentiate yourself.
Have a good and responsive website
Having a website is essential to your strategy on the internet: it is your digital presence! People need to know what your restaurant offers and what it works. But it cannot be any website. Invest in great pictures, after all, people eat first with their eyes! Also, take the opportunity to tell your story, put the address with a map of how to get there and the contacts for information and reservations.
Also, you have to provide a good browsing experience for your customers through a version of your website for mobile devices, so that your page can be accessed from anywhere and anytime. We recommend the use of AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which are a much lighter version than the desktop page.
Invest in Social Media
Identify the audience you want to reach and be present on social networks: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and even LinkedIn (if you want to reach the B2B audience). But don't make random posts: prepare a good plan, produce quality images and videos and interact with the public.
Another good digital marketing strategy for restaurants is to use the stories to show the place and the dishes, talk about the news, tell about the protection and hygiene measures adopted and repost interesting content from customers.
Extra tip for Social Media: videos
A few years ago, videos gained a special place in digital marketing for restaurants and other segments. Lives, stories and other actions within social networks helped increase the importance of videos in marketing strategies.
You can make lives, short videos behind the scenes of your work and give small tips. If you don’t feel comfortable appearing on screen, create a character or make animated videos.
If you can, do some ads
Ads are an important part of digital marketing for restaurants and can help your business appear faster and more prominently in Google results and social media.
Your ads, along with SEO strategies and good audience segmentation, can make your business take off and gain visibility.
Delivery service
The pandemic and social isolation forced restaurants to invest in delivery systems. Make the most of packaging, customer service and follow the work of your competitors to differentiate yourself in this service. Check the advantages and disadvantages of each delivery platform and define which one best suits your audience and your business.
Be on Google my business
Google My Business is a free and special Google page where you can put all the information about your restaurant, such as photos, website address, location maps, contact information, in addition to receiving customer feedback. Another advantage is that this page appears in the search results, allowing customers to have a very complete view of your restaurant.
Having a Google My Business is essential so that people can easily find you. In the world of digital marketing, we call that “local SEO”. Every time a user searches for something like “restaurant near me” or “food near me”, you might be recommended by the algorithm.
Conclusion
Restaurant marketing needs to be planned carefully and calmly so that there is no excessive spending of funds and for the actions to bring good sales results. For this, it is important to have a digital marketing consultancy.
If you need help, come and talk to us! We, at Eat & Repeat, have professionals specialized in different digital marketing strategies for restaurants!
I hope you enjoyed our article on digital marketing for restaurants. Feel free to leave your questions and suggestions in the comments and share our content on your social media!