Robust marketing is the ultimate solution to increase footfall in a restaurant, give a boost to sales and convert a business into a brand. Restaurants traditionally used to be offline businesses. However, in recent times with an increase in online deliveries and platforms, its marketing is taking a new shape every day, making digital marketing an integral part.
This article will discuss how restaurants can increase footfall by building a sound online presence.
Methods to Build a Strong Online Presence
List on Google My Business
Restaurants’ digital presence is extremely important. Before deciding to dine in at a restaurant, people search it online. Listing on Google as a Business will help them find the outlet and drive traffic to it. Moreover, it’s a terrific chance to stand out and make a great first impression.
In continuation of the above-stated point, restaurant owners can run targeted marketing campaigns on social media to attract new and existing customers, eventually increasing footfall. For instance, if a restaurant is adding a new dish to its menu, it can build a launch campaign around it to inform and persuade people to give it a try.
Online advertising is marketers' most loved source of marketing techniques. It gives a fair chance to find the correct target groups, capture their attention and make a sale. Online advertisements are run on third-party websites and various social media channels depending on the product and its audience. Performance marketers study the market trend and create ads, popularly known as display ads, that would be most suitable to achieve your goal and increase footfall in your restaurant.
The average time spent on social media is 2.5 hours a day, and it keeps rising. Therefore, we can safely conclude that social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have become prominent in people’s lives, and the graph is going up. On the other hand, the age group of 20-35 years spend the maximum time in cafes and restaurants, which gives restaurants an opportunity to connect with their target groups directly and leverage their time spent on social media to their benefit.
To make an excellent first impression, you need a stellar website with a correct sales funnel. Website design is not merely a source to dispense information but a chance to communicate with the visitors telling them about your services, creating a lasting relationship and convincing them to visit your restaurant. However, it is possible only when the website has an attractive design, robust navigation and an excellent sales funnel.
Potential consumers might only use social media channels occasionally, and even if they do, chances of landing in their feed among competitors and other distractions are less. In comparison, most users check their email daily, if not twice or thrice a day. Considering this, where else can marketers catch the attention of their audience in a better manner? With good strategizing and excellent copywriting email, marketing can immensely contribute to your restaurant’s footfall.
Before deciding on a dine-in place, people read the reviews about the place on google reviews, social media channels and food delivery apps. Therefore, collecting a pool of good reviews is essential to increase the footfall of the restaurant. It is a part of building a reputation among customers and ensuring them about the services and hospitality.
To conclude, apart from the above-stated points, many other digital marketing techniques known to marketers reinforce the increase in restaurant footfall. It is most effective when your marketing team consists of experienced professionals in their respective areas. So, if you have a restaurant or are planning to open one, invest in its marketing as much as you will in the food and the ambience because it is robust digital marketing that will make your restaurant stand out.