There can be few more challenging types of business to run than a restaurant. From ensuring your food is up to scratch to adhering to health and safety standards, keeping up with competitors and making sure your firm is well promoted, running a restaurant requires a raft of different skills – and, of course, that’s not to mention the fierce competition from much bigger, franchised firms.
If you run a restaurant and are looking for ways to help your business stand out from the crowd and become the number one choice for guests, below are a few ways you could try to help promote your company.
1. Invest in a website and, in particular, SEO
Having a website should really be a given in this day and age but the potential of the web doesn’t just stop there. If you want to take full advantage of the benefits of the internet, you should also invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and web marketing.
SEO is a highly involved process that uses a variety of tricks and tactics to ensure a website is propelled high up the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) under phrases or keywords most likely to be used by people looking for a particular type of business or service. So, for example, if you run a Chinese restaurant in Alabama, using the services of an SEO specialist, if someone searches Google under that term, your business should place top (or near the top) of the displayed results.
2. Think about your signage
Technology has come a very long way in a very short time and, these days, there is a huge range of ways you can physically promote your business and show what you sell; digital menu boards can be a fantastic way of attracting attention while also giving potential customers a clear idea of the food you have on offer – and for how much. With the modern technology now available, you could even use these boards to run time-limited offers or special promotions.
3. Get active on social media
While many business owners take a slightly disdainful view of social media, the major platforms can offer a very easy and very successful way to reach out to and connect with customers – both potential and existing. These days, most consumers expect their favored companies to at least have a presence on the major social platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.- and, if you proactively engage with social media, you could be massively surprised by the results. In your advertising and promotions, remember to add your social media addresses or tags to let people know you’re online.
By far the biggest advantage of social media is that you can very easily reach out to clients just by making a simple post. If you have followers, they’ll immediately get a notification of your update – whether that be to promote a special offer, deal or new menu item.
Try thinking about your market and decide which platforms would work best for your particular company. As a rule, you should definitely be on the major players but don’t discount some of the smaller networks like Pinterest that could work well, particularly when it comes to posting images.
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