Even if your restaurant serves the greatest food and drinks, you won’t succeed if only a few customers visit. That’s why your brand needs top-notch digital marketing for restaurants. Online marketing influences more than 1 billion clients’ restaurant visits each year. Make your own successful online story and embrace its massive power.
Build an online presence of your restaurant by having an optimized website, creating social media platforms, listing Google Business Profile, working on local SEO and SEO-driven content, and keeping track of the reviews.
Why Do You Need Digital Marketing for Restaurants?
A professional and experienced digital advertising agency will increase brand awareness by getting your restaurant’s name in front of more people. The result is boosting revenue and drawing new customers. So, if you’re looking for effective ways to beat the fierce competition (keep in mind that the restaurant industry is one of the biggest sectors in the hospitality industry), use all the help you can get.
Did you know that 40% of people use methods like blogs, websites, and apps as main sources for learning about food? Pretty much the same goes for choosing a dining place and overall food service. Let your food service be among the top online research results. Be up to date with the latest trends by partnering with an experienced digital marketing agency for restaurants.
Build a Functional and User-Friendly Website
Shockingly, but did you know that 60% of restaurants still are virtually invisible? The main reason is the cost that goes with building an optimized website. However, the cost of not having one is much bigger. Making a website that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional should be your ultimate goal.
Luckily, a professional website development agency will help customers quickly locate the information they require on the website once they arrive. Here are some of the most important benefits you’ll get with top-notch website:
- Easy to find – optimized sites will easily rank making it easier to find.
- Show menu – let your customers know what you’re offering and showcase the brand’s identity.
- Online ordering – increase sales by having the possibility of placing online orders.
For a successful digital marketing plan, your website must be user-friendly, functional, and professionally designed. To access items like menus (60% of people would use a menu with a QR code), operating hours, and your address, potential clients must be able to easily navigate your website.
Make It Mobile Optimized
Make sure your website is accessible on all devices and optimized for mobile viewing, as over 50% of website visitors do so from mobile devices. Remember that the majority of people do the research on their smartphones, whether at home, in the car, at work, or somewhere else entirely. For this reason, your website needs to be mobile-friendly.
It is not sufficient to simply build a good website; it needs to be updated regularly and carefully maintained. That way, users will always have updated information. After all, people who visit the eatery page want to know what’s on the menu (keep the audience updated with email marketing by sending emails daily) and what the atmosphere of the place is, right? If they see one thing online and get something completely different in real life, you risk losing them.
Social Media Will Help You Reach a Wider Audience
One of the most crucial tools for restaurants is social media. In fact, social media is used by 82% of businesses in the US as part of their marketing plan. It’s one of the best marketing tools available because it allows them to interact and connect with a lot of potential consumers at a relatively minimal cost. An experienced social media advertising agency can help you with that while you are crafting memorable menus.
Customers love using social media because it’s currently the main resource for information regarding products and brands. In fact, 75% of people surfing the Internet utilize it to look up things before making a purchase. The hottest platforms for food services are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube.
| Platform | What to do |
| Special Facebook deals like free shipping on orders placed through Facebook | |
| Promote your daily deals on Instagram Stories | |
| TikTok | Hashtag Challenge |
| Recipes, cooking tips, and cocktails boards |
Strategically optimized platforms will help you establish the restaurant brand’s identification, awareness, and retention. Nowadays, having an active social media presence is essential to the success of any restaurant. Consumers are searching the internet for restaurants and 45% of people say they went to a restaurant for the first time based on its social media.
Social “Reserve” Button as a Digital Marketing Strategy for Restaurants
With around 2.9 billion active users each month, Facebook is one of the most widely used social networking platforms globally. Instagram follows with 2.4 billion active users. These big platforms pay attention to what companies need. As a result, now there’s an added number of helpful features to assist them in expanding their consumer base.
Thanks to the “reserve” buttons on Instagram and Facebook, people can book a restaurant directly through their social media accounts without ever leaving them. This transforms a restaurant’s social media pages into booking engines.
An Instagram and Facebook advertising agency that knows how to use this feature will help you reach a wider audience and attract more patrons by turning followers into customers. Furthermore, the social “reserve” button on Facebook and Instagram is a feature each experienced social media agency uses, so you don’t have to deal with it on your own.
Optimize the Google Business Profile
As the most popular platform for discovery, Google processes more than 2 trillion searches annually and accounts for the most global search volume, with about 63,000 queries occurring every second. For restaurants, Google Business Profile – formerly known as Google My Business – is essential since it enhances your visibility in Google and Google Maps searches. Your establishment is more likely to show up when a customer in your city searches for “restaurants near me.”
Take ownership of your listing and complete as many fields as you can. Add your address, website URL, social media handles, business hours, and the most recent images of the menu, food, and restaurant’s ambient. Remember that your Google Business Profile will be linked to the online reviews of your food service. Ask your most devoted clients to post online evaluations if you don’t currently have any. These candid evaluations encourage prospective customers to visit your business with confidence.
Work on the Local SEO and Improve It
Local SEO should be an important part of your business marketing plan no matter how big or small it is. The best way to personalize your messages is to get in touch with your customers on a deeper level. Let’s say a customer puts “restaurants near me” into Google. Will the SERP list your business on the first page?
If the answer is no, you should look into how to get search results to show up in the right place. Are there any other steps you can take to help those customers find you more easily? Do they see all the information you want them to see?
Know your clients by their demographics, their pain points, and the things they like to buy. Figure out what they want and be ready for every step of their customer path. You can improve your neighborhood rankings with an efficient local SEO marketing agency. That way, you’ll have the clients that matter and will potentially become regulars.
Add SEO-Driven Content to the Website
Hiring a content writing agency that follows trends is a great way to engage your audience and promote community. A blog is a useful addition to the website for your business. Increasing the amount of information on your website boosts its visibility in Google searches, resulting in an increase in traffic.
Leverage Professional Blogging and SEO for Brand Growth
The professional writers will know exactly how to target the audience and choose your restaurant’s voice. Through blogging for small businesses, the customers will know all about your business, but not only – they’ll learn about the industry too. It’s a great way to boost the organic growth of your brand. That’s where an organic SEO agency can be of great help. The professionals will create a strategy with the hottest local and long-tail keywords.
Keep Track of the Online Reviews
Reviews are a valuable resource for both customers and restaurants. In fact, 72% of consumers place equal weight on online reviews and recommendations. Positive evaluations reassure prospective patrons about your restaurant, but negative ones might be disastrous for sales.
Negative online reviews are getting more and more frequent, and they can damage your brand’s reputation. As a result, you may lose customers and see a decline in sales because 40% of consumers say they won’t visit a company that has negative reviews.
Check Out Each and Every Review
Considering their significance, it’s critical to monitor every review your restaurant receives on various websites, such as Yelp, Zomato, Tripadvisor, Facebook, and others. Respond to favorable reviews and acknowledge negative ones to control the situation before it gets out of hand.
Regularly responding to reviews demonstrates to prospective patrons that the restaurant’s management values their feedback. This further fosters brand loyalty and raises the prospect of a customer visiting your establishment.
Made Online Case Study – A Success Story in the Restaurant Industry
One of the standout success stories of Made Online in the restaurant industry is working with a popular family-owned Italian restaurant. Facing challenges in attracting new customers and managing online reviews, the restaurant turned to Made Online for a comprehensive digital marketing solution.
We developed a strategy that included a visually appealing social media campaign, search engine optimization to enhance local search results, and a targeted approach to managing and responding to online reviews.
Within six months, the restaurant saw a 40% increase in foot traffic, a significant boost in online reservations, and a 30% increase in positive online reviews. This case study exemplifies how we at Made Online’s tailored digital marketing services can transform a restaurant’s online presence and drive substantial business growth.
Made Online Has the Best Digital Marketing Services for Restaurants
It is inevitable that your restaurant’s rankings may change over time. Whether it’s because of competitors, algorithm updates, or user behavior. All these factors have a great impact on your online presence and visibility. This precisely means that SEO isn’t something you do once. It’s an ongoing process, and Made Online is the best SEO agency to help you maintain your online presence. Contact us for a free consultation and find out how we can boost your restaurant to the ultimate heights.
Frequently Asked Questions for Digital Marketing for Restaurants
Why Is Digital Marketing Important for the Food Industry?
Digital marketing can help businesses grow, leading to more sales. People like to see content that looks good, especially when it’s about food, so food businesses can attract new customers by making content that is easy to find and appealing.
What Is the Best Digital Marketing Strategy?
Creating your restaurant’s website is one of the best strategies. By letting people know all about your restaurant, you can create a legitimate image of your brand.
What Are Some Cost-Effective Digital Marketing Ideas for Small, Independent Restaurants?
Social media marketing is among the most economical digital marketing techniques for new restaurants. Companies can begin expanding their web presence with minimal spending.