Right now, many restaurants are benefitting from promoting a value-proposition message, but what happens after those end? How can they convert those guests into loyal diners? That’s where old-fashioned consistent marketing efforts comes into play.
“It’s important to think long term,” HungerRush’s SVP of Marketing Shannon Chirone told magazine. “Cutting a marketing budget creates a ripple effect that may not be felt until months down the road when the damage has already been done. One way to avoid this is by following an ‘always-on’approach to marketing that focuses on attracting new customers, increased repeat business, and overall brand awareness. Then, layer on seasonal promotions and specials that help boost sales during slower seasons.”
Cutting a marketing budget creates a ripple effect that may not be felt until months down the road when the damage has already been done.
Chirone suggests restaurant owners should typically budget approximately three-to-six percent of their sales for marketing expenses. However, the exact budget depends on a restaurant’s size, location, and stage of business.
“For example, a newer restaurant needs to allocate a larger percentage of its budget to marketing to build and establish brand awareness. For more established restaurants, where the focus is more on increasing repeat business, it may be beneficial to invest marketing dollars into a loyalty or rewards program to increase repeat business and raise the average ticket size of your customers over time.”
For cost-effective marketing, Chirone advises operators to leverage social media channels such as Yelp and local Google ads, utilize email and seek out local partnerships.
“You want to advertise where your customers are already looking. This is why having a strong organic presence on these channels is an easy way for you to attract new business. Build an email list to communicate directly with customers, offering exclusive deals and updates at a low cost. Collaborate with local businesses or events to cross-promote and reach new audiences.”
Chirone’s best practical advice for avoiding marketing mistakes includes: being consisitent, having a balanced marketing mix and leveraging the POS.
“Consistency is key. Whether restaurants have one location or are a chain, it’s essential to make sure customers are experiencing the same uniform messaging across all platforms from in-store banners, printed flyers, and emails to website and online ordering.
A balanced mix of online marketing and local marketing is ideal.
“Make sure your Yelp listing is up to date, Google My Business account and restaurant hours are accurate, and that social media posts are consistent. Your customers should know at first glance what promotion is running, your location(s), and how they can easily order. To balance your efforts, it’s important not to ignore local marketing. Focusing solely on digital channels and ignoring local community engagement can limit reach. Participating in local events and partnerships can enhance visibility.
Turning to the plethora of collected data is another way to get a better picture of the guest journey.
“I see some restaurants not using analytics,” said Chirone. “They fail to track and analyze marketing performance, leading to inefficient spending. Leveraging a POS system data as mentioned above can help owners and operators make informed marketing decisions and understand what’s working and what isn’t. Utilizing customer data stored in a restaurant’s POS system can help you better understand your customers’ ordering habits and create promotions and coupons based on their favorite menu items and ordering history. The right POS system can help you pull key performance indicators (KPIs). You can track metrics like average ticket value and how many new customers you gained from a new coupon campaign, etc. It can also help you monitor sales data before, during, and after campaigns to assess the impact on revenue and customer traffic.”
Also, look to customer reviews to learn of any concerns.
“Customer reviews are also an invaluable marketing tool,”. “This is the absolute best way to hear guest feedback and concerns so you can improve the overall customer experience – and ensure issues are caught before they become a bigger problem that may deter customers from ordering again. The right POS system can help you send surveys and prompt reviews. Website metrics can help measure how many people come to your website on average a month. In addition, social media engagement metrics and email open rates and click through rates help to gauge audience interest and how well certain marketing efforts resonated with your customers.”
