Do you use digital marketing to promote your restaurant business? If not, then you should.
Our lives have undergone significant changes over the past two years, and going digital is one of those big changes. What we mostly used to do by visiting places, today we are doing online. Due to this many industries have faced tough time times. The food and hotel industries are the ones that faced the toughest times.
Speaking of the restaurant business, around 50% of new restaurants do not survive the first five years of their operation. Running a restaurant already seems a tough business, and the pandemic has made it even more difficult.
So, if you run a restaurant, it seems crucial for you to adapt digital marketing strategies to survive the change.
Today, we will introduce you to some of the best digital marketing strategies that will not only help your restaurant business survive but also help it grow.
1. Invest in an appealing and interactive website
57% of people visit the website of the restaurants before selecting the one to dine in.
Today’s consumer is highly digital. Whether shopping in a store or dining at a restaurant, they do online research before making a decision.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more crucial for businesses to have a website or e-store to accept online orders. So, having an appealing and easy-to-use website seems a must for a restaurant business.
2. Have a blog on your website
Marketers that use blogs get 67% more leads than those that do not.
Why? A blog increases your brand’s digital presence on the internet, which means an increase in the number of potential customers that visit your website, and ultimately, an increase in the number of leads and revenue.
According to Hubspot, companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website from other online sources.
So, a blog on your website seems to be a huge plus point for your website that can help in boosting SEO and traffic to your website.
3. Social Media Marketing (SMM)
3.96 billion people all over the globe use social media, it’s more than half of the global population!
Talking about the time spent on social networks, Statista reports that people spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media every day.
As a large proportion of people spend a significant proportion of their day on social media, it seems to be a vital channel for your restaurant business to increase its digital presence.
But don’t just think of social media as a channel to promote your services, it’s much more than that. Consumers also expect brands to engage with them and address their complaints on social media. So, providing customer service on social media can be as crucial as promoting your services.
4. Email Marketing
Does email marketing still work today?
Email marketing may sound like a traditional strategy but it still works like gold. Email marketing has an ROI of $38 for every $1 spent.
Moreover, Helplama’s email marketing survey revealed that 73% of consumers use their smartphones to access personal mail.
That’s huge, it’s even greater than the proportion of people – 66% who reportedly use their smartphones for social media!
Further, the survey also revealed what entices users to opt in for receiving emails from a brand.
Discounts drive maximum opt-ins, almost 70% of consumers said they sign up to receive discounts via email from companies seeking their business. So, email still can be an effective strategy to target your customers digitally.
5. Influencers Marketing
You can’t deny this – Trust is one of the most important elements that complete a purchase. And over the recent years, we have seen a significant shift in consumer buying behavior.
People trust an individual who has experience using the product or service of a brand rather than the brand itself. They are 3x more likely to read a post from an individual they know rather than from a brand themselves.
As a restaurant owner, it can be a great strategy to find influencers who would like to experience your services and share their favorable experience with their followers cum potential customers.
Conclusion
Empowered by technology, consumers’ lives are increasingly going digital. And the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this change even more.
Two years ago, going digital was an option for businesses but now it seems necessary to survive and grow in the long run. 57% of people research online to choose a restaurant to dine in, making it crucial for your restaurant to build its online presence in order to thrive in the competition.
So, if digital was not part of your restaurant business’s marketing, you should incorporate the above strategies now.