We know how much a marketing plan is a guide to help us indicate actions and strategies to be carried out in the short, medium and long term, we have talked about it in hotels and today we are talking about it in the restaurant sector starting with some simple tips.
Before we get into the heart of the matter, we need to understand how our client's mind works.
The first thing to take into account is that: the customer likes to buy, but he should not have the feeling that someone is 'selling him something'.
That is why persuasion and selling must always be done in an almost imperceptible way.
The focal point we need to focus on is emotions. Purchase decisions are always more emotional than logical. Focus on communication that speaks to people's emotions!
Recommended book: "The weapons of persuasion. How and why we end up saying yes" by Robert Cialdini.
The main social media that can serve our purpose in catering are Facebook and Instagram.
It must be said, however, that it is not enough to publish well-done photos, you need to be able to tell a story.
Tell the story of a dish, an ingredient, but above all, tell your own story, the values that we have and that we want to share with our customers.
By calculating the average number of friends of each user present on Facebook, one can easily understand the enormous resonance that a promotion, an advertisement or an offer could have if shared on social media by the staff of the venue.
Using social networks in your marketing strategy can have a very profitable return for your restaurant by following a few simple activities.
A word of advice: let your dishes be ambassadors for your restaurant! Take care of your restaurant and make every presentation well-kept and "Instagrammable"
Ask us for advice and discover our content and social media marketing services.
Having a calm and satisfied staff in your restaurant is one of the keys to success. The satisfaction of restaurant employees depends on their motivation and the general atmosphere: it is important to allow everyone to work in a peaceful environment and to make sure that everyone feels appreciated and valued.
And if customers are always greeted with kindness, professionalism and smiles, they will be more inclined to come to us, recommend our restaurant and leave a positive review.
A potential customer who is looking for a restaurant to go to will start his search on online review apps.
TripAdvisor is perhaps one of the most popular and used but let's not forget that on every platform you can leave a comment or review, first of all on your Google my Business tab, so it can be a significant marketing tool.
The first marketing tool the customer comes into contact with is definitely the menu.
That's why it has to be presented impeccably and studied in detail: it is the most powerful and transversal sales and promotion tool we have at our disposal.
Obviously, the basis for success is theculinary offer: if our offer is varied, well-prepared and based on a high quality of raw materials, customers will come back. The importance of selling dishes that identify us and on which the margin is higher should not be underestimated.
But the presentation of the menu is also very important!
In order to achieve a good result, it must be eye-catching in its graphics, concise and simple in its description and meet the ever-increasing culinary needs of customers.
A digital version is definitely a solution that combines these three aspects: it allows you to include photos of the dishes and descriptions, but also to emotionally stimulate the customer using it.
To enhance your marketing strategies and reduce costs, the use of automation is an optimal solution.
They can be hosted on their own website, directly on social media, or through a digitised version of the printed menu.
In the restaurant industry, automation opportunities are mainly, but not exclusively, related to reservations, deliveries and take-aways.
In these cases, having an automation system makes it possible to:
- Simplify the ordering/reservation process on the user side
- Simplify management on the restaurateur side
- Collect valuable customer data for future marketing actions
This is why for this marketing action the ideal would be the creation of a dedicated customer CRM, with which it is possible to better manage the data of the customers and above all reach them everywhere thanks to the consent on the processing of personal data that, using the tool, they give to the restaurateur.
To build customer loyalty we can think about making dedicated offers.
Offering a discount on certain days of the week, or special menus only for loyal customers, is a way of making customers feel pampered, giving them an extra reason to return.
If you want to consolidate a community and acquire new customers the best way is an event.
In the restaurant industry, tastings, special menus and theme nights, as well as bringing together a community around a common interest, are a great incentive to get people talking (well) about our restaurant, and 'word of mouth' is a strong marketing tool.
Another example of the power of newsletters and DEM (Direct Email Marketing). It is possible to send targeted offers to a certain category of customers, keep attention on events or products, send personalised promotions (like the one dedicated to the customer's birthday for example)...
