5 Marketing Quick Tips for Restaurants

If you feel like your restaurant could use a pick me up, try considering a new marketing approach. What is one promotion that you have had in mind for your restaurant, but haven't tried? In case you need ideas to jump start a new promotion for your restaurant, we've come up with 5 marketing quick tips just for you!

Set Up Weekly Specials

Weekly specials are profitable because they tend to gain momentum over time by word of mouth. Select menu favorites and look for ways to highlight these specials once a week. If your restaurant is known for their amazing burgers, think about promoting one night of the week as a "half price burger night." Over time, your restaurant patrons will come to count on your weekly specials and begin to incorporate your establishment into their weekly plans.

Get Involved in Your Community

Finding ways to get involved with your community can lead new patrons to your restaurant. Does your city have an annual Turkey Trot 5k that your restaurant can help sponsor? Does your community help any national or local charities that your restaurant can participate in? Do you have positive relationships with other businesses in your area? How could you and another business team up together to raise awareness for a charity along with exposure for your business?

Host Contests

Contests bring a sense of playfulness and friendly competition to both your restaurant staff and patrons. Customers love to get involved when there are prizes to win. Contests and giveaways also offer the opportunity to collect customer information such as email addresses for later promotional use. Contests can be promoted in emails, social media platforms as well as in store marketing. Photo contests are a fun way for customers to participate in since the use of smartphones has made entering contests through apps such as Instagram and Twitter so easy.

Find an Excuse to Celebrate

You don't have to wait for a big holiday to run enticing promotions at your restaurant. Even small, one day specials can create big buzz if promoted in the right way. For instance, November is National Pomegranate Day. Does your establishment have a pomegranate cocktail that it can feature for the month of November? Finding small monthly holidays are a smart way to highlight already existing features on your menu without necessarily having to add new ingredients to your kitchen.

Create a VIP Club

Restaurant patrons love to feel special. Hosting exclusive dinners and offering specials and promotions to an email loyalty list creates an incentive for a patron to give you their email address for further promotion. Dinner clubs, beer clubs, breakfast/brunch clubs offer new opportunities to build even greater loyalty from your existing customers. Could your restaurant offer a mug club to be used with coffee or beer? A punch card like incentive offers value as well as thanks your customers for coming back.