When we found out that Restaurant Week was at the end of the month, our stomachs started to grumble. Those grumbles got even louder after thinking about all the good eats in the Madison area. We also got to thinking: This is a great time to talk about restaurant marketing. It can be really difficult to make your restaurant stand out from the competition. After all, customers have so many different options for dining out. Your restaurant could serve the tastiest grub in the whole Mid-West, but if you’re not advertising well enough, you could easily be losing potential customers to the restaurant next door. So, we’ve thought of a few tips to consider for restaurant marketing.
1. Budget for marketing
You’re a restaurant and you serve great food. Your ads should reflect the quality of that food. Professional work is going to cost more than homemade designs, of course, but your business will benefit more in the long run from consistent, expert designs. According to possector.com, one of the top reasons that restaurants fail is poor restaurant promotion. Ensure great promotion by working with experienced professionals.
2. Engage your customers
Again, customers have many, many restaurants to choose from. You need to give them good reasons to choose yours over the competition. One of these reasons should be that you engage and build relationships with your customers—you openly appreciate their business and welcome their feedback, both positive and negative. Possector.com says: “You may never discover where you are going wrong unless you proactively consult your guests and read their rates.”
3. Choose appetizing color schemes
Certain colors such as red or orange have been shown to stimulate hunger. Darker colors like purple or deep blue can create a cozy, intimate feeling. When choosing a color scheme for your restaurant, consider the feelings you are trying to evoke. For more on color choices in restaurants, click here.
4. Don’t look like everyone else
We can’t stress enough how many options your customers have. It’s not enough to serve great food if your image doesn’t reflect it. What makes your restaurant unique? Why should people choose your restaurant over another that serves similar cuisine? Know the answers to these questions and have a visually appealing, consistent identity that communicates those answers to others.
We don’t know about you, but we’re ready to chow down at IH Concepts. Stay tuned for more restaurant marketing tips later this month. In the meantime, get your fork and knife ready for Restaurant Week!
