5 ways restaurants can use video to increase customer spend

Videos play a key role in consumer spending decisions and can be a major influencer in the way consumers relate to a brand. Videos can enhance time spent on site, drive conversion rates and encourage repeat visits.

With more than a third of U.S. consumers spending more than three hours a day online, restaurants have a significant opportunity to connect with consumers on a much deeper level through interactive and informative content. High-quality video showcases food and drink consumers can taste with their eyes, providing them with a more in-depth feel of a restaurant’s atmosphere and cuisine before they step foot in the door.

Here are five ways restaurants can incorporate videos into their marketing toolkits:

1. Tie videos to contests or limited-time offers: With a timely call to action, you not only invite customers to try your restaurant, but also to create and post their own shareable content online, promoting your venue and specials. Video contests and limited time offers are a great way to engage new customers and drive them to your restaurant. Offering limited time promotions through viral or interactive videos during notable events, like the Super Bowl, can help highlight menu options and encourage new customers to check out your restaurant.

2. Showcase new meals and chefs: One of the most effective ways to use video is showcasing new meals, specialty or guest chefs, and staff at the restaurant. Not only does this pull in new customers, but also shows regulars there is a reason to stop in and try something new! Showcasing hot seasonal items allows consumers to see and "taste" new options while they’re browsing for a restaurant online. They can even share meals with their friends through social media. 

Make videos more compelling by making them sharable on social media, specifically on visual websites such as Pinterest. In today’s online environment, widgets for sharing are easy to install and allow customers to share with friends, family and social networks. When Sally shares how great the meal looks with her brother Pete, his extended network will be much more likely to try your restaurant because they trust and value the opinion of friends, family and extended networks.

3. Showcase healthy foods and fresh ingredients:For restaurants that pride themselves on healthy options and fresh products, one of the best ways to promote your ideas is by producing a video of meals being made with shots of fresh, sustainable ingredients. While you don’t need to share your secret recipe to be successful, this allows consumers to see the fresh ingredients, time and effort each meal includes.

4. Interactive restaurant tours and menu guides: A recent study by Buzztime found that two-thirds of customers regularly use the Internet to find a restaurant. Only one in four consumers surveyed has never looked for restaurants online. Providing an interactive online experience gives customers a taste of your restaurant and helps them feel more comfortable heading to a new spot for both business and pleasure dining. In fact, more than half of consumers say that watching brand videos make them more confident in their purchase decisions.

5. Add video to digital menu boards: Digital menu boards are often the first thing customers see when they step into your store before they place an order. With HD monitors, restaurants have an enormous opportunity to appeal to customers’ emotions with beautiful, timely imagery. Populate digital menu boards with videos and compelling images of specials to enhance the restaurant experience, especially when customers are waiting in line and more likely to make impulse purchases. Be sure the menu boards are updated regularly depending on occasion and specials to make content pop! 

It is important to remember, no matter the context, food should always be the star of a restaurant experience. With videos and delicious imagery, restaurants can appeal to customers’ senses and induce powerful emotions. Well done, taste-inducing food imagery can evoke an instant reaction and ultimately increase sales. 

Creating a food video doesn’t need to be difficult. With the right partner, restaurants can create content that is audience ready and that will provide a high return.