Using Restaurant Marketing to Boost Your Revenue

Have you ever read about a new restaurant online and couldn’t wait to try it? Or did you go back to a favorite restaurant because you got a great coupon? Then you already know the power of good marketing.

Restaurant marketing is an important part of building a healthy business. It keeps your loyal customers coming back and gives new diners the nudge they need to take a chance on your restaurant. 

If you’re excited to expand your efforts, you’re probably wondering, “What’s the most effective way of marketing my restaurant?” This article shares how to market a restaurant, the best methods to connect with your customers, and how much you should spend on your restaurant marketing. 

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What is restaurant marketing?

Restaurant marketing is the strategic process of attracting new customers to your restaurant through ads, social media apps, restaurant promotions, and other marketing methods. 

Restaurants can use a blend of traditional and digital advertising methods to attract new customers. A restaurant might capture local attention through print ads and direct mail and then make a closer connection through social media promotion, email campaigns, SEO optimization, and online reviews.

Effective marketing focuses on understanding your customers and creating content to showcase your products and your brand personality. By engaging your customers through storytelling, special offers, and a chance for a unique dining experience, your restaurant can build a loyal customer base and stand out.

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Why should I market my restaurant?

Even with the best food in town, restaurants rely on marketing to bring new diners through the door. A strong marketing mix makes sure that your local community knows about your business. Conversely, inadequate marketing can slow your growth and make it harder to bring in new business. 

There are many reasons to invest in marketing restaurant offers and promotions:  

Build brand awareness: If you want more customers in the door, they need to know your restaurant exists. Brand awareness and consistent marketing are the keys to bringing in new diners. Marketing helps put your restaurant on the map, making potential customers aware of your existence, cuisine, and unique offerings.

Increase sales: Effective marketing strategies can directly lead to an increase in orders by highlighting promotions, special events, or new menu items. The more people see and take advantage of your specials, events, and marketing, the higher your sales will rise.

Enhance customer engagement: Through social media and email newsletter marketing, you can remain engaged with your customers, encouraging repeat business and fostering a community. A consistent, friendly social media presence can keep your restaurant in front of customers and make them feel more connected to the brand. And if they’re thinking about you the next time they’re hungry? You’ll be the first one on their mind when they pick up the phone to order.

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Gather customer demographics: What you send out in your campaigns is only half of the marketing benefit. The information you get back can be just as important. Using digital marketing to attract new customers gives you insights into who responds to your ads and campaigns, what they’re clicking on, and what offers perform best. With these details, you can create better promotions in the future. 

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How much should I spend on restaurant marketing?

“Spending money to make money” is well-worn advice, but how much should you spend on your restaurant marketing plan? Finding the right balance of wise investment and cash preservation is important to your success and growth. Getting it right gives you the opportunity to unlock new revenue and jumpstart the cycle of growth.

Many sources recommend a budget of 3% to 6% of sales, although this is more a guideline than a rule. The particulars of your business model and location help you decide where to allocate your marketing dollars. Using a percentage of sales also allows your marketing budget to grow as you experience more success from marketing efforts. 

A few factors will help determine how much money to invest in your marketing: 

‍Geographic location: In higher-population areas, you may have more competition than in quieter locales. As your competition increases, your marketing budget should, too. Take a look at other businesses within your ordering area, and decide how much you’ll need to stand out among the crowd. 

Business age: Are you a new restaurant or a restaurant owner building an online presence for an established business? In both cases, building a marketing plan for your business can improve your sales and brand recognition. New businesses should take extra care and budget to build their reputation and turn new diners into repeat customers.  

Restaurant type: Do you run an upscale restaurant in a walkable neighborhood, a quick-service location that relies on a busy lunch crowd, or a takeout location that relies on high volume during the nights and weekends? Depending on the type of business you run, you may choose to craft a marketing budget to draw in your most likely customers. 

Incentives structure: The type of restaurant you operate dictates the promotions you’ll use to drive traffic. Small businesses like pizza places, sub shops, and fast food restaurants often rely more heavily on coupons, promotions, and customer loyalty rewards. Budgeting for these incentives is an important part of your marketing allocation. 

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11 restaurant marketing ideas worth trying

Need some fresh marketing tactics to bring first-time diners into your restaurant? Try one of these restaurant marketing ideas to get new eyes on your restaurant and its offers:

Nail your brand voice

Customers have plenty of options for grabbing Chinese takeout or a slice of pizza. What distinguishes thriving restaurants from the rest? A combo of great-tasting food and a welcoming brand personality. Find out what your target audience likes, and craft your message around their tastes.

Embrace social media

These days, much of everyday life takes place on social media, so your brand should be there as well. Look for platforms that offer strong community connections, and create campaigns that effectively reach your local audience. Hashtag campaigns, local SEO, and building a locally-based Facebook page make it easier for customers to find you online and stay informed about your upcoming events and specials. 

Social media also opens the door to positive reviews and other user-generated content that boost your reach through online word of mouth. Here are a few ways to leverage different platforms:

• Create TikToks featuring new dishes, stories about upcoming events, or viral food trends
• Use Facebook posts to offer coupons or details of special sales and featured dishes 
• Update posts and reviews in local food forums on Facebook
• Post Instagram images of your menu offerings, restaurant, staff, and community events
• Ask customers to post Google reviews that highlight features of your restaurant (you can ask for reviews through your online newsletter, emails, or other social posts) 

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Make human connections

Your brand style is one component of your restaurant’s marketing, but it’s your people who make the true connections. Feature your staff in your marketing so customers can get to know your team’s personality. Use social media marketing channels to showcase your team in action, whether creating new specials, keeping the shop running, or spending time with customers. 

Connect with your community

Restaurants are the heart of our communities. Many celebrations of the highlights of life—sports victories, birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, and more—happen at our local restaurants. With that in mind, make a special effort to get involved with your local community. You could host events for local organizations like schools, participate in fundraisers, or sponsor a sporting event to gain visibility and welcome your community into the shop. 

Create fun in-person events

Everyone loves a special event like a happy hour or a special menu day. While offering consistent service and products is important, some novelty is always welcome! Host an in-person event such as a trivia night, a theme night around an annual event, or the debut of a new menu or specials. You can even incorporate partnerships with local influencers to bring their communities to you. Find ways to bring new customers in the door and bring current customers back for a special event. 

Offering a happy hour or other time-specific discount during slow times can give your restaurant a boost. 

Make the most of holidays

Food and holidays go hand in hand, so be sure to create marketing campaigns for holidays and cultural events. Even takeout restaurants can make the most of the holiday season by offering catering services for special events or unique menus that celebrate local trends during the holiday. Gift card deals are another great way to reward customers for choosing your restaurant during the busiest weeks of the year. 

Start a loyalty program

Keep customers coming back by giving them something special in return for their loyalty, such as a birthday offer of a free dessert. Reward programs incentivize repeat visits by giving your best customers special discounts, perks, and extras just for coming back in. Consider using a points program or a simple punch-card system to reward customers who return several times or spend at a certain value. The key is to make a reward system easy. While a simple system might rely on your customer carrying the card, a loyalty system that keeps track of points or visits is always appreciated. 

Try direct marketing methods

Don’t discount the power of the mailbox. While almost everyone is on social media, sometimes a physical mailer, ad, or promotion cuts through the digital clutter. Connect with your local customer base by investing in physical marketing tools such as an every-door direct mail program or direct mailing campaigns through the United States Postal Service.

Connect through email 

Despite its reputation, email is still one of the most effective ways to reach customers and convert them, with a low barrier to entry and cost-effectiveness to boot. Email offers a 2.8% conversion rate for B2C brands. And local stores have an easy way to build an email list by offering in-store and online customers an incentive in return for an email address. This could be a special item (think “free breadsticks with your next order” promos) or a discount for connecting through email. 

Try localized paid online ads

Search engine optimization and paid advertising are great ways to capitalize on the local advantage while expanding your reach within the geographic area. Using platform paid advertisements such as Facebook ads and Google ads can drive traffic to your restaurant website and boost your new customer acquisition. 

Get your customers’ digits (for SMS offers!)

It’s dinner time. Do your customers know what’s on the menu for the night? If you have their phone number, you can recommend the perfect dish in a quick text. 

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SMS messaging is a great way to get in touch with your customers to let them know about new offers, special incentives, loyalty member events, flash sales, and other promotions. Using a digital marketing platform like Tarro, you can catch their attention when the moment is right. An SMS even improves your order rate, bringing your recipient right to an online order platform or phone number.

Tarro offers customers free SMS service for the first year (an $8,500 value). You don't need to pay someone or spend time worrying about this; let Tarro take care of it for you!

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Build your business with Tarro restaurant marketing

If you’re ready to power your restaurant business with next-level digital marketing, Tarro offers everything you need to connect with customers and drive sales. Tarro marketing offers restaurants streamlined, easy SMS marketing that helps you connect with your customers, build loyalty, and increase revenue.  

Learn more about Tarro pricing and products.