How to market your restaurant business, and what marketing strategies you can use to keep your business afloat during these contingencies?
The corona outbreak has had a significant impact on the travel and restaurant industry since they are requested to close their operations to prevent virus spread. Revenues have fallen by nearly 60%. We don’t know when things get normal around us, but the seating ideal is not the solution to overcome the impact of a pandemic.
Despite having a dark cloud around restaurants, one ray of hope is enough to survive. We are all aware that social media usage has been increasing, and especially during the lockdown, peoples’ screen time has also increased. Therefore, many restaurants have adopted a digital approach to stay ahead in the competition.
Yes, you heard the right; your food business can thrive amidst lockdown and social distancing. Internet marketing techniques such as social media, digital food ordering, dark kitchen business models, etc., can help you keep your food business alive no matter what.
Going Online Could be Smartest Way Restaurants Can Ever Do
Any restaurant business’s success depends on local customers means foot traffic. Before the pandemic hit, restaurants often overlook Internet marketing’s significance, but today this is the only approach that helps them achieve long-term success.
Moreover, people’s inclination towards digital ordering has increased as it allows them to get food at their doorstep with real-time tracking features. Well-known food delivery apps such as GrubHub, Zomato, UberEats, JustEat, etc., have changed customers’ habits.
Therefore, demand for restaurant food ordering systems has increased in the last couple of years. If you are not offering online solutions to your customers, you might be falling behind the competition and lose a considerable amount of money.
Here, we will discuss certain creative ways to market your restaurant business during the outbreak and keep it intact during the present era.
Continue to Tout Online Ordering Service
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, 59.9% of people started ordering food online through various apps and usage of food delivery apps also have been increasing since pandemic hits. We are all going through a hard time, and businesses are closing due to less demand and lockdown across the globe while several businesses, especially for the restaurant industry, are finding it hard to attract new customers and keep existing ones satisfied. But what if they adopt a digital approach, deliver food online to customers’ doorsteps, and stay ahead in the competition.
Yes, this is the best solution. Well-known food delivery services such as Zomato, UberEats, JustEat, etc. have gained huge attention recently because it allows customers to place and track the order online and get them delivered to the customer’s doorstep in the least possible time.
Whether you are running a small cafe or a fine-dine restaurant, you can increase sales by offering an online platform, and it will keep your customers engaged with the brand. Offering online solutions to customers can provide your restaurant business several advantages such as:
- Grow your business
- Foster customer loyalty
- Digitize your restaurant business
- Build brand advocacy
- Improve customer engagement
- Better ROI
- An edge over competitors
Convenience is the major reason why the online food delivery business is booming, as it allows people to order food even when they are on-the-go. In addition to that, digital menus, online reviews, attractive discounts, etc., encourage people to order food online. If you want to drive revenue during this tough time, offering a doorstep delivery service to your customers will keep your business afloat.
Make Your Digital Marketing Game Strong
From the QSR’s point of view, whether it’s about searching near a restaurant, or wanting to know reviews or menu, it has become inevitable for restaurants to have a strong presence on the web. People have been confined inside their homes and spending most of their time on the Internet. If you are not leveraging digital marketing tactics for your restaurant business, you are losing lots of customers and other benefits of being noticed on the web.
The reach via a digital network is very high; it allows you to expand your business reach for fewer bucks and offers you amazing results. Moreover, you can directly connect with your potential customers. So, it is high time to roll your sleeves and step into the digital world.
Different online marketing strategies boost your restaurant business’s presence on the web and deliver fruitful results. Here are several online marketing tactics such as
- Connect on social media
- Get found locally ( local SEO)
- Get started with paid campaigns
- Publish user-generated content
- Email marketing
According to Statista, more than 4.41 billion people are active on social media, make profiles, and interact with customers. If you want to gain more visibility, you can also get started with paid social media campaigns as it is pocket-friendly and highly targeted.
For instance, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram let restaurants start paid campaigns based on geo-target customers and their preferences such as “pizza,”
“Thai food near me,” “eating out,” etc.
Positive reviews, exciting video content, attractive deals (such as Happy hours), etc., are creative ways and bolster overall restaurant sales.
Pro Tips to Help Restaurants Succeed Post-COVID World
Now we have seen implementing a digital solution to your restaurant business is the only effective way to get your restaurant back to “normal.”
As far as the outbreak is concerned, social media, digital payment and ordering, digital marketing, a cloud kitchen trend, etc.,will remain the same. It’s not the time to stop online marketing efforts, but it is time to be even more strategic in your marketing game.
Some of the major trends that we can expect even after the situation gets normal are:
- Online ordering trend will continue to grow
- Contactless payment is here to stay for long
- Higher use of technology in regular operations
- Digital menu
- There will be more cloud kitchens
- Update your hours of operations on listing sites such as Google, Yelp, and Trip Advisor
- Communicate with your customers on social media
- Contactless delivery abiding all the safety measures
You’re Ready to Go!
Restaurants across the globe are highly affected due to the outbreak. Most restaurants have started offering delivery solutions to serve customers and ensure business growth during this challenging time. We hope that the above marketing strategy and tactics will help you flourish your restaurant business.
So, what are you waiting for? Now you have garnered enough info on how an online approach can kickstart your restaurant business and help you better manage the crisis. We hope this will help you sustain your restaurant business for better growth.
Author Bio : Brijesh Vadukiya
I am Brijesh, a tech activist and avid blogger. My major concern is to educate people who are interested in technology. I am passionate about helping people in all aspects of SaaS solutions, online delivery business, digital marketing and other related topics that make tomorrow’s world better. I am fond of writing useful and informative content that helps brands to grow business.
