Website Designs and Marketing restaurants have changed dramatically over the years. What worked even five years ago, or better yet, even last year does not usually work anymore. It can be a continued struggle to find new loyal customers for your restaurant with social media, new technology and there is more competition than ever before.
Here is a quick list of ideas that we put together that every Frisco, TX restaurant, big or small restaurants, should be doing to attract more loyal and recurring customers to their restaurant.
1. TAKE AMAZING FOODY PHOTOS
Your delicious food is what brings people into your restaurant right? After all, they’re there to eat. So shouldn’t you have great looking photos of your restaurant’s food? Invest in a decent camera, even your phone takes HD photos, and start practicing your photography skills. If possible, hire a professional food photographer to take the pictures for you. Use these images all over your website, social media and in other advertisements to get people craving what you offer. Photos are shared around most often online and will attract a new customer to your restaurant.
Instagram-worthy tableware and table linens will help your photos and your customer’s photos look so much better.
2. OFFER FREE WIFI FOR CUSTOMERS
Free Wifi is very important and in some cases a necessity for a lot of restaurant customers. Many people decide where they are going to eat based on whether or not you have free Wifi. Your customer will want to embark into the social world of online or even get caught up on their work while at your establishment, so it’s important to give them that incentive to come in.
3. KEEP A SMARTPHONE IN THE KITCHEN
Having an excellent smartphone in your kitchen at all times is worthy of your investment. Have your chefs and staff upload pictures in real-time to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms easily and quickly. Customers want to see what’s happening right now, and they want to look at pictures. Pictures are a natural source of content to post online to find new customers and get them engaged with your restaurant.
4. KEEP YOUR WEBSITE SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE
We have seen a lot of restaurant websites, and the majority of them have abysmal delivery. Keep it simple stupid (KISS). You don’t need a fancy flash website (because it most likely doesn’t work on mobile) and you don’t need that annoying background music, it adds nothing. Most sites have way too many distractions from what people are there to look for. Your menu, your contact info, your location and your hours of operations should be easily visible and straight-forward. Anything else is just a filler that isn’t needed.
5. SCHEDULE LIVE MUSIC AT YOUR RESTAURANT
Everyone loves dinner entertainment now and then. Scheduling live music routinely at your restaurant will bring people in the door as it gives you events to start promoting and makes your restaurant look like the place to be with FOMO, fear of missing out.
6. BE CONSISTENTLY ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
Posting frequently on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest is one of the most powerful digital marketing tools for restaurant owners as it is where your customers are hanging out. Your restaurant needs to be on your customers’ mind when they are thinking about where to eat in Frisco, TX. Social media platforms allow engagement with your customers to keep you on their mind and bring them into your restaurant.
7. USE EMAIL MARKETING
You need to start email marketing if you’re serious about getting customers in the door. You can quickly begin collecting emails on your website with an opt-in form. Offer exclusive specials or something like a $5 or $10 off coupon in exchange for their email address. Use these emails for a newsletter promoting your new menu items, upcoming events, and specials. Do not SPAM your customers as you will begin to annoy them in a wrong way. An email to your opted-in customers from your email list once a week or just once a month will benefit your restaurant and your loyal customers.
8. OFFER CUSTOMER BIRTHDAY GIFTS VIA EMAIL
With regards to email marketing, capture your loyal customers birthdays when they opt-in to your restaurant newsletters and let them know that they will be receiving an extraordinary birthday gift on their birthday. When it is time, email your loyal customers on their birthday with a special coupon for a free appetizer, dessert or half off their meal. Most customers celebrate their yearly birthday with a large group at dinner. Giving them a great incentive to choose your restaurant on their special bday can both increase your overall sales and also introduce new people to your restaurant.
9. HOST WINE TASTING EVENTS
Chances are you serve the perfect wine, or at least you should be, right? Hosting a wine tasting event also brings many people together inside your restaurant for brand new experiences. They will be able to taste the different wines that you serve, learn how to drink wine properly and develop a new appreciation for wine in general. By hosting this in your local restaurant, you’ll also be giving people who otherwise wouldn’t be there a blink of what you have to offer. Put on a good event, and they’re sure to come back!
10. START COOKING CLASSES & COOKING EVENTS
Let’s face it; people don’t eat out every night. But when they’re cooking your recipes that you taught them at home, they will be reminded of how great your food indeed is. Keeping your restaurant in your customer’s mind is key to creating a loyal customer that comes back time and time again.
11. GET TO KNOW YOUR LOYAL REGULARS
It’s not always about finding new recurring customers that haven’t been to your restaurant. It’s much easier to make more with what you have. Then nothing to give at all. Getting to know your loyal customers on a personal level can significantly benefit your overall business. Getting to know the customers that buy from you, you will be showing them that you genuinely do care about them and their experience at your restaurant. Keeping a customer loyal can be much more profitable than trying to find new customers.
12. SHOW NICHE OR LOCAL SPORTING EVENTS
Many people want to go out somewhere to watch the big game. Why not be the place to be to watch it, right? Use significant sporting events like watching the Cowboys, Rangers or Mavericks as another event to host at your restaurant. It does not take much to promote, and you’ll bring in large groups of people looking for a place to eat, drink and stay for several hours. As we know, drinks are where you make your money.
13. HOST SPECIAL HOLIDAY PARTIES
Holidays are an essential time for local restaurants that you must take advantage of every year. Almost everyone is looking for a great place to have a holiday dinner with family or friends, host an office party or simply just a get-together. Always make sure people know that you accept reservations for holiday bookings by posting it on your social media sites, website, and in your email newsletter.
14. SHARE YOUR RECIPES IN A EBOOK OR BOOK
This relates to the idea of hosting a cooking class or cooking event showcase at your restaurant. People don’t always eat out all the time, so when they are cooking at home, you always want them to be dreaming about your restaurant and food that you so deliciously serve. By sharing some of your exclusive recipes, perhaps in a cookbook, you’ll make people remember that particular perfect dish they had at your restaurant; which is why they bought your ebook in the first place.
15. OFFER CUSTOMER GIFT CARDS
While this may seem like an old, worn out trick; it works. I can’t count the number of times myself, or someone we know has gone to a specific restaurant solely because they had a gift card. The particular truth of the matter is, they bring people in. Once a customer is in your restaurant it is your prime job to turn them into a loyal customer of your food and service. If you do so, you’ll more than benefit from giving away a few bucks in free food.
16. MEET THE CHEF NIGHT
It can be an excellent and fun experience for many of your loyal customers to meet the chef behind your great food. Foodies will love the opportunity, and some may even blog about the experience, so put on a unique monthly event to meet the chef of your restaurant. Don’t forget to promote it!
17. USE VIDEO TO TELL YOUR STORY AND GET PERSONAL
Sooner than later the majority of the content on the internet will be video. There is just a no better option for you to get people excited about dining at your restaurant than with an enticing personal touch of the video. It doesn’t need to be expensive to use your phone for starters, but make sure you have someone who knows exactly what they are doing to film and edit your story.
18. HOW OPTIMIZING YOUR WEBSITE WITH BENEFIT YOU IN THE LONG RUN
Everyone now uses the internet or Google to search for where to eat out or order online from easy, and there are a lot of options to choose from. You need to optimize your restaurant for local search otherwise your restaurant’s website will be buried in the never-ending list of competitors.
19. OFFER ONLINE MENU ORDERING
Who has time to eat out anymore? Unfortunately, not that many people. If your restaurant offers takeout or delivery, then you should have an online ordering option on your website. People do not like to make phone calls these days, everyone emails and texts. Not to mention answering the phone at your restaurant wastes your staffs valuable time. Make everyone happier by letting your customers order food directly from your website. Make the process even more accessible by accepting online payments. Our website plans include a great online ordering solution.
20. GET MORE GOOGLE+ REVIEWS
Google+ reviews are very crucial for your local restaurant too not only look good to potential loyal customers but to be found at all on Google or Yelp. People trust reviews nowadays, and when choosing a restaurant you’ve never been before for a special occasion is taking a huge chance. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely people will trust that they’re making a right decision by dining at your establishment, assuming you have mostly good reviews that are.
How A. Smith Media Can Help You With Your Restaurant Website and Marketing
We have a lineup of services for restaurant owners or businesses such as website design, SEO, PPC, Social Media and fully managed Digital Marketing. Our services give your company a competitive advantage. Feel free to contact us today by calling +1 (469) 294-2834 or Request a Quote below.
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