How to market your restaurant/food business during a pandemic....

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Dec 14

December 15, 2021 Edition

As much as I love talking about bookkeeping, I wanted to do something a little different this month. I have talked to clients that are having a tough time getting foot traffic through their doors lately. So, I decided to do a little research and write a little blog about what I found on Marketing Plans for Restaurants. I am no marketing expert, but I got in touch with my friends at TouchBistro where they gave me some insight on what is helping the food businesses.

You might think it’s more advertising in magazines or even on TV but as a matter of fact, it’s none of those – it’s ONLINE!!

The key is that you need to make sure that you stay connected to your existing guests and attract enough new ones to boost your revenue.

To create an awesome marketing plan, you really need to start with a few content creation ideas so you can market your restaurant.

TouchBistro says that there are 5 ways where you can CREATE COMPELLING CONTENT:

*Check out the guest blog of Dennise Kowalczyk that I wrote about over the summer (she's a content creator that can help you write your content)

1) Behind the Scenes

People love your food, but more importantly, they love you. One of the big reasons your guests dine with you is because of the experience you provide and how you make them feel, not just because of how delicious your food is.

Take your audience behind the scenes into your dining room, your kitchen, or even your living room. Here are a few ideas:

Tell them the story of how you got started in the restaurant business
What was the inspiration behind starting your restaurant?
Why did you want to become a restaurant owner?
Virtually interview members of your staff about what they love about your restaurant and what it’s like being a part of your team (you can record your video calls for free using a platform like Skype or Zoom)
Ask regulars and other members of the community to share what your restaurant means to your city or neighborhood
Get candid about the challenges and triumphs you’ve faced during the pandemic

If you’re not sure people want to see behind the curtain, just look at what Gordon Ramsay has been doing with restaurants.

2) Share How You’re Coping

There’s no denying that the past few months have been tough on restaurant owners and staff everywhere. Though you may not be used to sharing some of the struggles of running a restaurant, this is a great opportunity to show customers and loyal fans how you’re dealing with what’s going on – especially since everyone is online right now.

For instance, if you’re taking extra measures to support your staff in some way, you can share that on your website, social media, or via restaurant email marketing. The Brick Store Pub in Atlanta sold off all of its old patio furniture during the shutdown to raise funds for its laid-off staff.

Or maybe you’re dealing with some major hurdles and could use the help of your loyal regulars. The team at Pam’s Roti in Toronto sought out the support of the community to encourage their landlord to apply for a federal rent relief program.

There’s a very real, very human story behind every restaurant, especially at a time like this. Don’t be afraid to let people see that side of your business – they might even be able to help.

3) Share Recipes, Tutorials, and Live Cooking Shows

Even as restaurants reopen, some consumers will feel more comfortable staying in. Why not keep people at home entertained and engaged by giving them a miniature cooking class? Teaching your audience about some of your beloved dishes could help build equity in your brand and an appetite to dine with you when they feel comfortable doing so.

Have the best spaghetti Bolognese in town? Publish the recipe with stunning images of it being prepared, step by step. Does your food lend itself to some great family meals? Go live on Facebook each week with a cooking show that engages that whole family. Or follow the lead of Toronto’s Kimchi Korea House, which shares easy-to-follow Korean cooking tutorials on its Instagram stories.

We get it – this may sound counter-intuitive. Why would you share your secrets and potentially give your competition visibility into your operations? We’re not suggesting you live stream how to make your secret sauce, but you can walk people through a simple recipe that will make them feel more connected to your brand – no secrets required.

Even if you showed your audience every step of how you make a certain dish at your restaurant, you’re still the expert. That’s why they love coming to dine with you. If they attempt a few of your recipes at home, they’ll still be eager to come in for the full experience as soon as they can.

4) Reach a New Audience on a New Social Media Channel

Now may be the time to test different social media channels and features as part of your COVID-19 marketing strategy.

Connect with regulars and reach new potential guests by experimenting with social media channels and features you’ve never tried before.

Have you been curious about trying live streaming on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube? Or have you been inspired by what other restaurateurs are publishing on TikTok?

Many TikTok users have been creating their own recipe videos using the rapidly-growing video platform. Because of its recent popularity, this could be just the space for you to try and reach a new audience. Just take the example of chef Sonny Hurrell, who has amassed 700,000 followers for his wildly entertaining Tik Tok cooking tutorials.

Of course, don’t forget to give your usual social media channels – like Instagram – some love by remaining active.

5) Use Your Smartphone

If the expense of hiring a professional team has been a barrier for your restaurant marketing in the past, it no longer has to be. Believe it or not, that smartphone in your pocket is powerful enough to create scroll-stopping content.

Advancements in smartphones mean they have:

More processing power for video and photo editing
More storage for long-form audio and video files
Stronger cameras to capture images and footage in high-definition

To perform any of the above marketing tactics in this guide, all you need is your smartphone, an Internet connection, and occasionally something to prop up your phone like a set of books or a smartphone tripod. Aquavit’s executive chef Emma Bengtsson even managed to use a head of broccoli to prop up her phone while shooting her cooking videos.

Don’t forget to REVISIT and OPTIMIZE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE

People are using Google, even though they are not walking by your restaurant anymore.

Now that some dining restrictions are being lifted and consumers are starting to look up places to dine, where are you in those search results? I would recommend to take some time to optimize your online presence and ensure your social media channels are consistent so that when consumers do go looking for your restaurant, they can actually find you!

A great place to start is by making sure you’re set up with Google My Business. It’s free, easy to use, and allows you to manage your online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. This helps guests find you more easily through various marketing tactics that keep guests engaged.

Beyond your Google business profile, you should also be updating your website. When auditing all of the pages of your website, ask yourself the following questions:

Is all the information up to date?
Does your menu view well on desktop and on mobile devices?
Do you have a reservation system integration on your website for easy booking?
Are your images up to date?
Are you capturing emails and building a mailing list?
What else can you add to your website that might be valuable to your audience? (Our story, chef bios, etc.)

You can also make sure to include information people may need to see now regarding your operations, including:

The current status of your operations (e.g.. completely closed, open for dine-in, open for takeout and delivery only, etc.)
Your updated safety and hygiene precautions
Any government-mandated procedures you need to follow (e.g. collecting guest information for contact tracing purposes)
How you’re supporting staff during this time
How guests can support you (through gift cards, relief funds, direct online ordering, etc.)
How to stay connected with your restaurant (email sign-ups, social handles, etc.)

Part of updating your website should also include adding online ordering (if you don’t already have it) to maximize your takeout and delivery business. With website integrations like TouchBistro Online Ordering, customers can place orders directly on your website and all the information is processed through your restaurant POS. This not only makes it easier for customers to order from you, but your restaurant also gets to keep 100% of the profits (which isn’t the case with third-party ordering apps).

And remember, anything that goes on your website should be consistently reflected across your social media channels. For instance, if you add direct online ordering to your website, update your Instagram, Facebook, and other social profiles with the appropriate link.

Lastly, optimize your website for search (SEO). This may be a marketing activity that was put off in favor of all the other operational considerations when running a restaurant. But now’s the best time to make sure you’re optimizing your website to be found for relevant search terms. You can even use free tools, like this one from BentoBox, to quickly find out if your restaurant’s website is optimized for search engines.

Marketing Your Reopening

Whether your city has completely lifted dining restrictions or is still in the early stages of reopening, you should be thinking about how to market your return to business.

The plan doesn’t have to be solid right now, but putting some ideas together could help you open up more quickly, when the restrictions are officially lifted and you’re comfortable serving guests again.

Though restaurant reopenings will look a little different across North America, consider the following ahead of your official reopening:

Communicate with customers about any new safety precautions you’re taking and the government rules and regulations you need to follow (mandatory reservations, gathering information for contact tracing, etc.)
Update your website with any changes to your operation ( hours of operation, a new restaurant layout, etc.)
Beyond dine-in, provide information about other ways customers can order from you, including online ordering or any third-party delivery apps
Share any major menu adjustments or changes to your restaurant reward program
If you’re using reservations software, get feedback from diners about their experience
Publicize any deals or special promotions you’re offering as part of your reopening

While there may be no grand reopening for most restaurants, you can market your reopening in a way that gets customers excited to dine out again, but also helps to manage expectations. I hope this blog was helpful in creating your marketing plan! Let me know what you would like me to write about next month!

Thank you all for reading!