restaurant business plan marketing strategy

“Creating an SEO-ready website can certainly be done in-house, but if you're unsure or don't have the time, hire a marketing agency or SEO freelancer to boost your online traffic—and in turn—restaurant traffic,” says Chernets.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing tools for restaurants. It allows you to reach a large audience with your marketing message and can be very cost effective. Email marketing can help you build relationships with your customers, promote new menu items or specials, and drive customers to your restaurant. It's also incredibly cost effective: according to research by WebFX , every dollar spent on restaurant email marketing generates forty-four dollars in revenue.

How do I get my guests email addresses?

Before you can start sending emails, you have to build up an email list. There are a number of ways to do this.

You can use a sign-up form on your website, have waitstaff drop cards or forms at the end of a meal, or use your POS system to get emails when guests check out in a quick-service setting. You can also use events as a way to capture new emails via a sign-up form.

Once you have a small list built, look to tools like Mailchimp , HubSpot , or ConstantContact to start sending emails to your list.

Types of Restaurant Email Marketing

A note on spam

Email spam laws vary, but some general principles apply in most jurisdictions. Generally speaking, sending unsolicited commercial emails, or "spam," is illegal without the recipient's consent. It is also generally illegal to use false or misleading information in email headers or to distribute email addresses without the consent of the people involved.

For example, businesses must typically provide a way for recipients to opt-out of future emails and clarify that the email is a marketing message.

Violating email spam laws can result in significant penalties. In some cases, companies that are found to be in violation of spam laws may also be required to pay damages to the people who received the spam emails.

Loyalty programs

There's nothing more likely to make someone come back than the promise of a reward. Reward loyal customers with discounts. Customer loyalty programs can be simple cards, or you can take the gamification aspect further with digital 'point scoring' for every dollar spent. Many POS providers have this built in.

While the loyalty card is simple and effective, taking your loyalty program digital allows you to collect your customers' data and continuously advertise to them through email or your app.

Social media and technology have opened up a whole new world of marketing opportunities for restaurants, and they're just waiting to be leveraged.

Press Releases

They may seem old-school, but press releases should be an essential part of a restaurant's marketing strategy. A press release is a formal message that communicates the information you want to provide about your business to a desired audience. Whether you're looking to promote your restaurant's grand opening, or draw attention to a new tasting menu, the press release will produce the media coverage you need to get noticed.

When drafting a press release, consider the following:

Traditional Restaurant Marketing

While you should certainly focus energy on your digital marketing efforts, you can't ignore the more traditional forms of marketing.

You can't go wrong with events—they can be hosted at your restaurant, by you, or they can be local fairs and tasting events that you attend as an exhibitor. Regardless, events are a great way to get in front of potential guests and reinforce relationships with existing customers.

Direct Mail Marketing

The mailbox is still alive and well. And as digital marketing has taken over, it can be a great way to break through the noise. A few ways to utilize direct mail are:

Make sure your direct mail looks good and is printed on quality paper. In a world with so much digital noise, a simple flyer can help your restaurant break through the feedback.

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Hi! I'm D.J., 7shifts' resident Content Writer. I come from a family of chefs and have a background in food journalism. I'm always looking for ways to help make the restaurant industry better!

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Restaurant Marketing Plan: Strategies and Examples
Traditional restaurant marketing strategies for direct mail, contests, and events A list of festivals and events for your restaurant When you read through this section, have your business plan, budget, and priorities close at hand.
32 Best Restaurant Marketing Strategies (2023 Updates)
Develop a restaurant marketing strategy Know how to track what works, so you can zero in on key channels. Confidently build on your initial plan to boost return on investment We hope you enjoy reading this guide as much as we enjoyed writing it. Table of Contents 1 10 Principles before We Start 2 The Foundations
The Complete Restaurant Marketing Plan + Template
Chip Klose, restaurant marketer and founder of Restaurant Strategy, defines restaurant marketing in 3 steps: Brand Awareness This is where you're putting yourself in front of customers, to show them that you exist. This could be as simple as paid social advertising, great signage, an ad in the local paper, or a television appearance.