Do Restaurants Need Marketing?

Many restaurants do well off of local word of mouth, but often they could be doing so much better.

While you may take it as a compliment to be called a ‘hidden gem’ it’s actually not a great thing, as it means there are opportunities that you’re missing out on.

Now, marketing doesn’t necessarily mean that you are bringing on an agency to run Facebook campaigns, for local businesses, it can be done on a smaller scale - even in-house.

Sometimes a simple menu shared around your local area is more than enough to entice potential customers to stop by and try your food.

So, here are some reasons why your restaurant would benefit greatly from a local marketing push, and some ideas on how to do it.

To Reach More Customers

Sometimes, even in smaller towns, being tucked away in a corner that’s not entirely obvious is all that’s needed to make a restaurant lose out on potential customers.

Letting folk in the local area know who and where you are will bring in more customers, especially in areas where there aren’t an abundance of restaurants.

The great thing about local marketing is that it also helps spread your name through word of mouth. People may call friends saying “hey, I got a leaflet for this place, want to try it?” 

This is a great way for local restaurants to get started, send out your menu and from there you can build up a local reputation. 

To Reach The Right Customers

Let’s say you’re already quite active on your social media page, but your main specialty is evening tea which targets a slightly older demographic.

There’s a good chance that those who would bring themselves and friends to your restaurant are missing the message.

Sometimes the direct approach, i.e. sending out leaflets, menus and offers is the best way to bring in the right demographic.

To Share Special Offers 

While direct mailing is great for growing restaurants, you also need to consider the opportunity to bring more customers in during peak times.

You can also carry out campaigns that offer special discounts, which could be key during busy periods like the Christmas period.

Sometimes a good deal is what’s needed to get a customer through the door, from there you can do what you do best to keep them coming back.

A simple 10-15% discount on a letter you set out will be enough to bring in plenty of new faces.

When, How And With Who?

So, what’s the logistics of all of this? You’ve designed your menu or promotional postcard, so where do you print it and send it out, and where do you send it too?

That’s where services like ours come in, we can print your menu and will be able to find the cheapest channel to get them into the hands of current and potential customers.

While the bulk approach is always effective, we can even use data profiling to find those most likely to come to your restaurant and send your material directly to them.

Now the question of when comes in, obviously, it’s beneficial when you’re new and still growing, if you think about periods where you could be doing better.

Is Christmas Eve busy for restaurants? Is it busy for your restaurant? Figure out peak times where you may be underperforming and send out deals and special offers to bring in those new customers. 

Sounds Good? Get In Touch

If this sounds like something that your business would benefit from please don’t hesitate to contact us. We specialise in direct marketing and have helped run many successful campaigns for restaurants  over the years.