How Do I Market My Restaurant
Local Marketing Results
One of the least understood realities in marketing for restaurants is that as a restaurateur, you’re in the people business, not the product business. With that in mind, the medium (s) with which you choose to market will make the difference in success or failure! There is a modern method in marketing and promoting any business, but the food business is an especially tricky industry to market.
The first step and most important factor is to go where food lovers and foodies go to find their news and information about foods in their market. Those who love food, dining out and food knowledge take the time to search, research and share the latest and greatest news in the industry. When you market your restaurant, or any business for that matter, you want to make sure that you’re relevant, authentic to your audience and that you’re adding value in some manner, which promotes authenticity and trust.
So Where Do I Start to Market My Restaurant………….
Use Technology Like Today’s Successful Brands & Modern Innovators –
Connect With Your Food Blog Community-
When we hear our clients ask us ‘how do I market my restaurant’, during our initial consultations, I immediately inform them that what will work for their brand and concept are unique to them. That said however, one of the most effective, but highly underutilized means of connecting with your audience; is to connect with those who your audience trusts and leans on for new information and experience based recommendations, high profile food bloggers. If you’re a restaurateur or in the food industry in general, having your finger on the pulse of the consumer is essential to know what they’d like to hear and what they respond to!
The Huffington Post published an article about the best food blogs in the nation and this would obviously be a great place to start. Reach out to local and national bloggers, ask for opinions, advice, provide value to them and ask them to partner with you on a unique or authentic food based venture or project.
Write an article or offer printed information that bloggers would like to share, they may very well mention you and your restaurant name on their blog, and even back link to your website providing your brand with valuable readership by those who will trust you, based on their relationship with their favorite blogger!
Want more local, refine your search…I searched in Baltimore, Maryland for example, and found an Urbanspoon publication that explained who the biggest food bloggers in this market are with a simple Google search.
Superior Quality Product Will Get You Everywhere!
Begin connecting with local food enthusiasts, sharing your passion, your brand and the reason why they want to know who you are, you may very well find yourself as a regular contributor to their site; advertising your restaurant on their site, or doing joint ventures with them, and thereby appealing to their sometimes massive audience!
You remember the old saying,”want to be rich, go where the rich go and do what they do”, right. This is also sage advice for restaurateurs who aspire to expand their brand both locally and nationally. If you want more guests as a restaurant or any business, you want your guests to think of your place as “my restaurant” and not yours! And don’t be afraid to be bold and stand out in the crowd!
Don’t Shoot the Messenger
Become an Active & Engaged Social Media Entertainer & Influencer
No one likes a pushy or agenda driven salesman, we’re all well aware of that. When advertising in any medium and are perceived to be there specifically to get in the readers wallet, you’ll fail miserably, that’s a fact. All effective advertising begins with one very important question…. what does my potential guest/customer want, and what experience would they like to experience within my business or industry? Find out what pushes your readers buttons (the feel good buttons) and you’re off to the right start. Regardless of where or in what medium you’re advertising, the reader could care less about how impressive or experienced YOU are…they’d like to know, ‘what’s in it for me!’ The sooner you realize this, the quicker you’ll become a successful marketer and driver of branding.
Imagine going to a movie that you believe to be about, a love story for example, only to find that it’s actually about how great the actors think they are, how experienced the director is, and how much the crew enjoyed where they filmed the picture; rather than being immersed in a story that captivates YOU as the viewer. How long would you stay? Likely far less time than it would take for the movie to end! Hospitality advertising is no different; to compel your audience to want to listen to what you have to say, tell a story, make it meaningful, emotional, entertaining and funny, and you’ll experience the success that marketing is capable of delivering.
Effective marketing today is about authenticity; connection and delivering value to those that you’d like to become a value to your brand. While discussing the popular marketing topics that most discuss, such as the use of social media and email marketing, and we’ll continue to show you ways to leverage these tools when marketing your restaurant, we’re going to focus on the most uncommon, but effective methods that non-conventional marketers use today.♥
So how do I market my restaurant like the new tech innovators market to their audience? First, use your website to inspire them using video, visual and educational content to entice your audience, and offer them valuable content that they’ll enjoy. There are new cutting edge marketing technologies, content methods and strategies that every business should use today. Use these modern methods to reach your audience through Internet marketing, SEO practices and enhanced social media strategies that we provide to increase traffic, exposure and business in general! So do I market my restaurant based on the food, the ambiance, the value or other, you ask? The answer depends on several factors and the market that you operate within!
The Way Consumers Connect Today
Call Modern Food Arts & our partner company, Baltimore & Augusta TNT SEO Company for a free consultation and we’ll discuss your business and marketing challenges and needs and solve your specific marketing needs based on your brand and business demands.
Reach Out to Those in Your Market & In Your Neighborhood for Meaningful Partnerships…
Collaborate and Partner With Businesses That Enhance Your Own
Nothing will ever take the place of a personal connection relative to business success! If a sporting equipment retailer in your local market, partner with local sports leagues and offer a deep discount or free goods in exchange for access to the members of the organization through email, social media channels and through in-store promotional offers. Set up a booth or stand during the leagues games and offer beverages and information about your products and brand, while connecting with those who you know have an interest in your products! People like to do business with others like them or those who have common interests, as this builds trust and a deeper connection with one another.
Connect Your Brand to Local Organizations & Causes
You ultimately represent local business and organizations in your area, and all businesses are inner connected and rely on one another for their collective success. Reach out to organizations and causes that are meaningful to you, not out of wanting something in return, but through an authentic desire to become part of the fabric of the community. If in the health field for example, you can connect with local gyms and fitness retail stores to share and collaborate and solve consumer’s issues and needs. Enjoy cooking and do it professionally, join local community centers that teach life skills that will positively affect those in need, in your community.
Quality Cuisine is the Language of Success!
Through genuine contribution, you’ll meet members of your community who might recommend you to the very person that can change your business results in some unknown way! Participate in local event and community giveaways. Offer free headbands, hats or tea shirts with your brand or logo printed on them, which provides something of use to those receiving them and a branding opportunity for your business.
We answer the question, ‘how do I market my restaurant’ for clients nationally and enjoy helping new and well established businesses; and transform their brands through meaningful and effective Internet Marketing, SEO and Corporate Performance Training & Consulting! We’d appreciate the opportunity to help your organization, which begins with a no obligation, honest conversation about your business and challenges today. We amplify brand messaging and ignite the circuits of performance and business results for every client that we partner with.
Modern Food Arts partners with Baltimore SEO TNT – Viral Marketing Amplified – where building brand value and marketing your business for success is Viral, Contagious & Amplified!
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