So you want to market your restaurant. And you’re looking for an agency.
Well, here’s the reality. Most marketing agencies don’t have intimate knowledge of the restaurant business.
But at Kingsmen, we’re a little different. Most of our clients are in hospitality, and most of these clients are in the restaurant business.
That means we’ve spent the past eight years honing what works and discarding what doesn’t.
Looking for real results? Here’s what you need to know.
Set up a reservations platform
Are you managing reservations manually?
It’s time to consider integrating with a dedicated Customer Relationship Manager portal like SevenRooms.
We use SevenRooms to help clients cut operational pressures so that they can focus on the food and the customer experience.
With SevenRooms, we help restaurants:
- Automate reservations
- Create guest profiles
- Track customer preferences and dining history
- Optimize table turnover
- Identify citywide trends in guest behavior
- Track sales in real-time
- Send follow-up email campaigns
- Generate actionable insights
The idea is to take the guesswork out of business. Armed with the data, we’re there to push customers through the door throughout the week.
Don’t only rely on the weekend
In our experience, successful restaurants are busy throughout the week. We talk to stakeholders about devising:
- Themed nights
- Specials
- Partnerships with clubs/bars
- Live DJs/singers
Staying relevant is everything. Even if you’re successful in the here and now, resting on your laurels will be a disaster six months down the line. This is especially true in big cities like Dubai, London and New York, where the hospitality industry is competitive and new venues are opening all the time.
Leverage repeat customers
One way to keep foot traffic high is to target existing customers.
With SevenRooms, we’re able to build a profile of who these people are, and then work with you to entice them back regularly.
If you’re not retargeting customers, you’re missing out.
We also use pixels/cookies across Google, Facebook and Instagram to show your restaurant to customers who’ve dined with you before.
And of course, email and SMS marketing are great tools as well. It’s a good idea to ask diners to opt in to your newsletter so that you can offer them exclusive discounts and keep them abreast of what’s going on in the restaurant
Marketing is 30% of the job
Are you looking for:
- Accurate customer data?
- A dedicated social media strategy?
- Targeted ads across social media and Google?
- Bespoke website content to help you rank?
- Visual collateral to promote your menu and chefs?
These are the types of services we provide. With that being said, marketing is 30% of the job – it can’t make up for bad service, food or an ugly interior.
But here’s an overview of what you need to do:
Build a website
A website tells your story and makes you look credible. But perhaps more crucially, it gives you a chance to occupy a space on Google. Google is like the Yellow Pages of old – but better. It’s a directory, an advertising platform, and a customer relations portal all rolled into one.
Claim your Google My Business Page
At Kingsmen, we can help you to claim the Google My Business panel on Google. Here, your opening hours, physical address, map result, phone number and booking link will all be displayed. It’s a must for hospitality companies.
Shoot authentic footage
If you really want people to connect with your brand, shoot authentic footage, like behind-the-scenes clips of your chefs hard at work, or off-the-cuff videos of diners having fun totally unprompted.
Work with influencers
To stay relevant, use Influencer Marketing. It’s a no-brainer. After all, why wouldn’t you want to align yourself with someone famous and connect with their audience?
Run a blog
Get more traffic to your site by maintaining a blog. Answer queries that people have about cuisine, and the types of cuisine you serve. Make sure it’s informational, and it’ll rank. This will drive brand awareness and net you more customers.
Use Paid Media
PPC, or Paid Ads, are one of the major ways to promote new menus, opening hours, themed nights and more. You’ll be paying every time someone clicks on the ad, but the results are worth it. PPC is especially good in short targeted bursts, as it’ll help boost brand recognition.
Take a look at our companion article on the topic for more.
The other 70% is customer experience
No amount of marketing can save a restaurant if the atmosphere, food and customer service is poor.
Eventually, even with an agency like Kingsmen at the helm, you’ll accrue negative reviews for sloppy service and poor food standards.
But get these elements right, and combine them with a restaurant marketing agency?
Well, you’ll have all the ingredients for true success.
Interested in learning more? Get in touch with us today and we’ll organize a quick consultation. There’s no obligation to do any more, but we’ll take the time to understand your points and give you our advice. And if the synergy is there, we’ll work together to drive success in the long term.
To recap, a restaurant marketing agency can help you:
- Make reservations easy
- Organize your bookings
- Track your foot traffic
- Work out your pain points
- Retarget customers
- Build your social media presence
- Run PPC ads and more
We’re not just a marketing partner, we’re an operational asset. Get in touch with us on +971 56 171 5886 or at [email protected].
