Vincent NG
You’ve come to this page because you’re looking for restaurant marketing ideas that will help your restaurant get to next profit level. In this blog post I’m going to share with you 3 restaurant marketing ideas that when executed will help drive new customers into your restaurant.
Restaurant Marketing Idea Number One: Host a Local Networking Event for All Your Local Businesses.
With most businesses around you operating during similar day time hours, one of the best things you can do is to hold a private event for all the businesses in the area during the evening. This is a great way to know business owners around the neighborhood, while giving each other referrals if appropriate and to build an unofficial association. This is the best form of hyper local marketing.
(It’s better if you join an actual business association.)
This is especially a great idea to carry out during the slow seasons. Print out some invitation cards, and go walk around in the 3 block radius and invite business owners. Have them RSVP by a specific date, and encourage them to bring a guest as well. I promise you that many of the businesses in the area don’t even know you exist until you approach them.
This is also a good approach because if you do delivery, now these businesses know who to call if they need to work late at night.
Restaurant Marketing Idea Number Two: Host a Restaurant TweetUp
If you’re looking at attracting a new crowd, then I recommend hosting a restaurant tweetup. Once you’ve developed a presence on Twitter with your restaurant and have regular customers coming in, consider throwing a private party for them and encourage them to bring their friends as well.
This will help spread the word about your restaurant and get people to start tweeting about it on Twitter, not just throughout the night, but days before the event has started. MCNG has planned restaurant tweetups in the past and there has been great success that has come from hosting them. This has resulted in stronger awareness of the restaurant, while also garnering dozens of mentions about the restaurant in one night.
Restaurant Marketing Idea Number Three: Design a Magnet for your Restaurant to Give Away
Real Estate agents, and other businesses, give away magnets to their customers. Magnets can be made very cheaply and should be given away to customers at the end of the meal. With the right message on the magnets your customers will keep them around for a long time.
It’s also important to look at the branding of your message. I wouldn’t advise leaving magnets in your billfold if you’re a Michelin star restaurant, but if you happen to be running a family oriented restaurant or one that serves many working class customers then you should do it.
Every time that your customer looks at it, they are reminded of your restaurant. Every time a family member of theirs looks at it they are reminded of your restaurant. Imagine how much it costs to place a newspaper advertisement that requires a customer to see it every day.
There are two ways to do this, give a magnet away to your customers by slipping it into the bill fold or attach it to a direct mail post campaign if you do one. If you decide to do a magnet, then really take the time to think about what type of message on the magnet that let it gets people to keep it. Or to think of a design of the magnet that is unique. If you happen to be operating a French Bistro then create a magnet in the shape of the Eiffel Tower.
These restaurant marketing ideas will help you achieve higher profit levels for your restaurant, and introduce you to new and loyal customers that you didn’t have before.
Here’s a quick recap of the restaurant marketing ideas.
1) Host a local business networking session.
2) Host a restaurant Tweetup
3) Make magnets that your customers will want to keep.
We highly encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about restaurant or hospitality marketing.
