Building an online presence is essential for any business, but it’s especially important for restaurants. You can’t just put up a sign on the road and expect people to come in through your doors. Nowadays, you have to market yourself online if you want new customers, and that means doing more than posting photos of your food on Instagram.
Here are a few suggestions if you want to attract more people (and keep them coming back).
Claim Your Business on Google
Your business needs to be on Google.
Google My Business is a free, easy-to-use tool for businesses to manage their online presence and connect with customers. Claiming your business on Google is the first step in building an online presence.
Once you’ve claimed your business, ensure that all of your information is up-to-date and accurate so that customers can find you easily when searching for local businesses in their area. You must also make the most of your Google business reviews. However, the reviews will depend on your service. The better the service, the better your Google reviews. That way, you can appeal to more customers.
Add photos and videos of what makes your restaurant special by posting them directly from within Google My Business. They’ll appear instantly in search results. You can also create links to posts about special events at the restaurant or highlight menu items that are seasonal favorites.
Promote Local Ingredients and Suppliers
Using locally sourced ingredients is a great way to attract customers because it makes you seem more authentic. If you make an effort to highlight that your food is fresh and tasty, the people who come into your establishment will appreciate this. You can also point out where the ingredients are from on the menu or in marketing materials. This gives customers an idea of what type of restaurant they’re walking into before even stepping inside, making them more likely to return for another meal.
Create a Social Media Presence
Social media is a great way to get people to your restaurant and keep them coming back. Social media is free, easy to use, and has many benefits for both the customer and the business.
Social media helps you interact with local customers, parents, and families. It allows them to connect with you in ways they couldn’t before by allowing them to post pictures, reviews, or comments on your pages. It also gives people a voice that they can use to share their experiences with others which increases brand awareness and loyalty among customers.
Social media posts contain links that can take users directly onto your website. This also allows local businesses like yourself access to new markets through social networks like Facebook Ads.
Take Better Pictures
One of the biggest mistakes that restaurants make is taking bad photos of their food. You want to make sure you’re using a good camera, and you need to take a lot of pictures. Your food is what customers will be paying for, so they want to see it in all its glory.
You can take pictures of your restaurant, staff, drinks, bathrooms, and kitchen as well. People like seeing what kind of atmosphere they can expect if they visit your business. Circulate the images on social media so people can get an idea of what to expect from the restaurant.
Ask Local Influencers to Promote Your Restaurant
The next step is to find local influencers who are passionate about your restaurant, have a large following on social media, and are willing to promote your restaurant.
Once you’ve found a few potential candidates, send them an email asking if they’d be interested in sharing a coupon code with their followers when it launches in exchange for promotion on their blog or social media channels. The influencers can also visit your restaurant and blog or make videos about it. A simple post regarding your restaurant on their socials can also work wonders for your business.
Share Recipes
Sharing recipes is a great way to build your brand and attract new customers. Refer to local ingredients and suppliers in your recipes. This will help you connect with potential customers in your area who may be looking for a place that uses ingredients from the same region.
Also, refer to dishes that are unique to your restaurant or region as well as ones that are easy to make at home. The more accessible the food seems, the easier it will be for people outside your immediate area to try it out.
You don’t have to give away every recipe. There are some recipes you want to avoid giving away. So, apart from those, you can share other recipes that are popular among the masses.
Engage Customers Through Social Media
It’s a good idea to engage with customers via social media. Here are a few ways you can do that.
- Respond to questions and comments. If someone has posted a question or comment on your page, respond. If you don’t, they may think that you don’t care about them as a customer or potential customer.
- Ask questions to get people talking. You can ask simple things like “What was the best thing you ate today?” or “What is your favorite dish at our restaurant?” Questions like these will get people engaged in conversation with other fans of the page and create conversations that could lead to new followers for your business.
As you can see, there are many things that you can do to build an online presence for your restaurant. If you follow these tips, it will be easier for people to find your business and learn more about what makes it special. This will help attract customers who might not have known about your restaurant before.
