The New Year is here and we wanted to provide a shortlist of ideas for our fellow restaurateurs to consider. Here is a brief focused on enhancing your brand on both the website and in your digital marketing strategies.
(Sidenote, if you’re not already thinking about Valentine’s Day, that should be tip #0!)
1. Optimize your Website for Mobile Users:
• We’ve grown accustomed to seeing top pages on website being Menu over the Homepage and most of that traffic 80%+, comes from a mobile device. Ensure your website (specifically the Menu) is mobile-friendly to accommodate users on smartphones.
• Minimize page loading times and simplify navigation for a smoother mobile experience. Less is more, consider that oftentimes mobile devices aren’t on wifi, so they rely on the network connection to pull the website. Help ’em out a little.
2. Leverage Social Media Advertising:
• The truth is that organic social media doesn’t have the reach it used to, so rather than expend a lot of energy here, we’ve seen a small budget spend work over time.
• Invest in targeted social media advertising to reach a wider audience and promote special offers or events. If you have a killer new dish or drink, your guests need to know!
• Encourage user-generated content by running social media contests or campaigns. Let your guests love you!
3. Implement Online Reservation Systems:
• Where it makes sense, integrate an easy-to-use online reservation system on your website to streamline the booking process for customers. This can even extend beyond Reservations and into Catering, Private Dining, or a Special Event
• Utilize reservation data to understand customer preferences and tailor marketing strategies.
4. Create Engaging Content:
• Develop high-quality, visually appealing content for your website and social media platforms. For restaurants especially a universal truth is Food Sells Food. If something looks mouth-wateringly delicious to you, it probably will for someone else.
• Include behind-the-scenes content, chef spotlights, or cooking tutorials to engage and connect with your audience. If it’s special to the chef, it’ll probably be special to a guest.
5. Harness the Power of SEO:
• Optimize your website for search engines (Google) to improve its visibility in online searches. Not everyone has your dishes, but they need to be found to be searched. If you have the best taco in town, I need to know about it when I search, “best taco in town”.
• Regularly update your website with fresh, relevant content and use strategic keywords to attract more organic traffic.
By focusing on these digital marketing strategies, restaurants can enhance their online presence, attract more customers, and foster a strong digital brand. Adapt one or two of these suggestions based on your restaurant’s unique identity and goals.
If you have any specific questions or need further guidance, feel free to reach out! We’d love to help.
