Restaurant advertisement is crucial to thriving in this competitive industry. It is no secret that delicious food with exceptional service is fundamental. However, to get your business to the next level, you need to advertise your venue effectively.
There are many ways to go about restaurant marketing, each with pros and cons. In this article, you will discover what restaurant advertisement is and how to do it with examples. You will also uncover tips for choosing the best agencies.
What Is Restaurant Advertisement?
Restaurant advertisement is a way to promote your services and offerings. It shows people what you do and why they should choose you over your competitors. You can achieve this through various marketing channels like print ads, social media, billboards, etc.
Your marketing campaigns must be compelling, persuasive, and targeted to be successful. Highlight unique features of your restaurant and keep reminding people that you exist.
Some features that make a restaurant attractive today are quality ingredients, a picturesque ambiance, and a unique story. People want to feel relatable to the business they are investing in, which also applies to restaurants.
How To Advertise a Restaurant?
Your restaurant advertisement will differ from your competitors based on your target audience, budget, and offerings. Due to this, we have often seen owners wondering, “how to advertise a restaurant?” Here are the steps you need to take to market your restaurant effectively.
- Define your target audience: Before creating campaigns, ask yourself, “who do I want to sell to?” For example, your ideal customers would be businesspeople if you have a quiet atmosphere within an ample space. But if you have a cartoon theme, your best bet is to attract families with children.
- Develop a brand identity: Consider investing in brand identity for your restaurant. This will help people recognize you by your logo, packaging, or color palette when you launch campaigns.
- Choose the channels: The channel that suits your competitor might not work for you. For example, if you operate on a small scale with limited budgets, billboards, and social media, ads may be too costly for you. So, choose the channels that work for you.
- Launch and measure the effectiveness: Design and launch the campaigns to your chosen channels. It is vital to track the performance of your campaigns regularly to make informed decisions.
Top 8 Restaurant Advertising Ideas
Like most things, restaurant advertisement isn’t one size fits all. It would help if you decided upon a strategy that works for you, depending on your restaurant’s scope, target audience, goals, and budget.
For example, if you own a large chain of restaurants, you can easily opt for paid ads. But if you are starting, think outside the box and make creative campaigns. Here is a list of the top 8 restaurant advertising ideas.
Restaurant Advertisement Idea #1: Food Assembling Videos
Videography is a powerful tool for restaurant advertisement. These days, 92% of people spend countless hours watching food videos. You can create aesthetic videos promoting your crafts.
For example, if you own a bakery, you can create cake decoration videos and take your audience behind the scenes. Or, if you sell fast food, you can show your audience how you assemble your burgers or compile aesthetic food shots. People also enjoy ASMR food cooking, where you record every sound while the food cooks.
Social networks offer great advertising opportunities. Therefore spending time finding good social media ideas for restaurants is recommended.
Restaurant Advertisement Idea #2: Ambiance and Presentation
Incorporate ambiance and presentation into your restaurant advertisement because people want to see the whole picture. They want to take a bite from the complete experience, not just the food.
If you don’t have a particular vibe to your restaurant, consider adding one because it will set you apart from your competitors. Then show this environment off through social media and catch the eye of your customers. Highlight the critical ingredients for that extra value.
Restaurant Advertisement Idea #3: Search Engine Optimization
Appearing in search results is a free source for restaurant advertisements. You can achieve this by optimizing your website so search engines like Google and Bing can pick it. This will help you generate targeted traffic by increasing your restaurant’s visibility. You can also run ads on Google to appear in the search results.
You can bring your restaurant in front of a large audience without active promotion by targeting and incorporating the right keywords into your website.
Restaurant Advertisement Idea #4: Guerilla Marketing
If you are tight on the budget, consider incorporating guerilla marketing into your restaurant advertisement. It makes use of creative ideas like mascots to promote a restaurant.
This marketing type can attract huge crowds to your restaurant when done right. But check with your area’s rules and regulations before trying something crazy.
Food trucks, street art, sponsored events, and flash mobs are part of guerilla marketing. You can also develop a limited edition of a unique food item or a special packaging.
Restaurant Advertisement Idea #5: Food Bloggers and Influencers
Today, there is an influencer for everything from makeup and books to food. People trust these influencers’ opinions and recommendations and turn to them when deciding.
Food bloggers visit various restaurants and try out their dishes. Then they post their reviews on social media and encourage their audience to try those restaurants. Partnering with these food influencers is an economical restaurant advertisement idea. You can offer them exclusive discounts and incentives to promote your restaurants without spending much money.
Restaurant Advertisement Idea #6: Google My Business Account
Do you want your phone number and address to appear on Google when someone types in your restaurant’s name? Then create a Google My Business account to enhance your restaurant advertisement.
When creating this account, Google will ask you to enter all the information people might need about your restaurant. Then it pulls up this data when someone initiates a search. With this account, you can appear on google maps, manage reviews and engage with your customers for free.
Before the advent of social media, people used to advertise through TV ads, billboards, flyers, etc. Even today, traditional media continues to be one of the most successful restaurant advertisements.
You can collaborate with a popular food or lifestyle magazine in your area and have authors discuss your establishment. Newspaper ads are also a great way to reach a larger audience. Other print media includes flyers, brochures, and postcards. Billboards and TV ads are more expensive than radio ads.
Choose the one most effective in your area.
You can boost the above restaurant advertisement ideas through paid social media ads. This is where you pay social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, etc., to put your ad in a particular space. This way, you can reach a wider audience.
To generate qualified leads, select targeted areas and audiences. This will make it easier for you to convert them. Paid social media ads are like bidding to appear on the screens of your prospective customers.
How To Choose the Best Restaurant Advertising Agency?
There are two options for restaurant advertisements. Either create a team local to your restaurant or hire an restaurant advertising agency to take care of it for you. To choose the best agency, check the following things:
- Experience: The agency should have ample experience in the restaurant industry because each industry is different. What works for a beauty brand might not work for a restaurant.
- Reputation and Reviews: Check reviews on its website and other sources. An average rating of 4.5 would work in most cases. Also, check the comments.
- Budget: You also need to keep your budget in mind. While some of the best agencies may be expensive, you can find creative people within your budget with a bit of research.
- Communication: An agency that is unresponsive or unwilling to listen to you is a red flag. It must listen to your needs and understand your problem to create a unique strategy.
- Customers: See who the agency’s customers are. If you spot some big names from your industry, then it’s an excellent sign. Also, check out the agency’s work to get an idea.
Why Is Restaurant Advertisement Important?
Apart from gaining new customers, retaining old ones, and increasing revenue, restaurant advertisement is essential for various other reasons, including:
- Reputation: You can show people who you are by advertising your restaurant. You can build brand awareness by showcasing your unique aspects. This can build trust and credibility, encouraging them to dine with you.
- Competitive Edge: Advertising can help you stand out from your competitors and differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace.
- Customer loyalty and engagement: You can create a buzz around your restaurant and encourage your customers to engage with you. With loyalty programs in place, you can use advertising to target and grow your subscribers.
- Foot Traffic: Through restaurant advertisement, you can encourage people to visit your restaurant, even if it’s just for the ambiance. Once you gain foot traffic, you can entice them with offers and make them your customers.
Best Restaurant Advertisement Examples
Now that we have covered the overview, strategies, and benefits, here are some of the best restaurant advertisement examples to help you use the information.
- Starbucks’ “Meet Me at Starbucks” campaign depicts the social ambiance of the coffee chain. It showcases customers connecting and socializing in its space.
- Panda Express launched an emotional campaign called “Where Good Fortune Smiles,” tying family and food together. It shows a little girl giving fortune cookies in her school and town.
- Van Leeuwen Ice Cream did a campaign where customers could pay through their PayPal account. When people installed the chain’s app, it used geolocation to detect and target customers nearby.
- McDonald’s campaign “The Showdown” features two of the most famous NBA players, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. It is one of the best TV commercials of all time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, restaurant advertisement is one of the most crucial factors in the success of a restaurant. You can attract and retain customers with the proper channels and targeted messaging, leading to more sales.
The best ideas include showcasing your unique propositions and ambiance to create a buzz around your restaurant. When used correctly and creatively, advertising can be an economical way to promote your establishment.
To get the most out of your free WiFi, try our guest WiFi management system Beambox.
With Beambox, you can gather data from your customer to use them effectively in all your marketing initiatives. Try Beambox for free for thirty days!
Get Started With Free WiFi Marketing
Beambox helps businesses like yours grow with data capture, marketing automation and reputation management.
Sign up for 30 days free
