7 Best Ways For Advertising Your Restaurant

In advertising your restaurant, it's important to choose ways that work for your style, needs, and budget. Not every business will have the same advertising regimen, so the best thing to do is to identify what you want to do based on your own goals and plans.

Consider some of the the following as the best ways to advertise your restaurant:

Use Your Existing Channels

Do you have a loyalty program that you are already offering to your customers? Don't let this valuable tool go to waste! Send out promotions to your loyal customers via email or direct mail, giving them coupons or updates about your restaurant. You'll be rewarding them for their loyalty, but also marketing to them at the same time.

Start a Blog

Blogging for your restaurant is a cheap and effective way to get noticed. You can blog about daily specials or if you have nightly events. Sharing pictures of your food, and details about your restaurant will let people see why they have to visit, and what makes your business unique compared to what your competitor offers. Don't be afraid to show a little personality.

Get Out in the Community

Going out in the community with your branding and menu is a good way to get noticed by new fans. You can participate in a local festival, or maybe offer to host a pancake breakfast for the local Boy Scouts or another or cause. By showing that you're invested in the community, the community will recognize that they need to invest their time and money into your business. You're likely to get media attention for this as well, which means you'll get noticed by potential new customers.

Try New Places to Advertise

Many supermarkets have promotional advertising posted on the back of their receipts. Consider reaching out to a local store and seeing if you can get a marketing message displayed on their customers' receipts for a limited time. If there are multiple hotels near you, you may try to get advertising in some of the rooms, especially if the hotels don't have their own restaurant. You might even investigate getting added to their local “recommended merchants” list they place inside the room.

Offer Samples

Everyone loves free food, and if your food is amazing, you should share it. Try visiting a local business and offering free samples, especially if you offer delivery. You may find customers who haven't tried your menu, and you could even include a coupon for a free appetizer with purchase. The business will appreciate you taking the time to think of them, and you'll be winning some loyal fans.

Look for Hidden Opportunities

What events are being held around you? Perhaps there's an art walk, where you can display a sidewalk sign advertising menu specials to passersby. Is there a holiday coming up? Perhaps you can offer a gift card for a local media's giveaway, and then you'll get several mentions in their giveaway advertising. Is someone near you offering a raffle or gift cards or gift baskets? See how you can get involved!

Have a Contest

Contests are advertising tools that stand the test of time, and that's because they work. You may decide to offer a pizza dough throwing event if you're a pizza restaurant, or even run an eating contest with a giant steak or burger. Have you added a new sandwich or dessert to your menu? Why not let your customers get a chance to name it? You could also do a contest where people get to submit their own interpretation of a favorite dish, like mac and cheese. Contact your local media affiliates to see if they'll do a fun piece on your contest, and you may be surprised at the coverage you get!

Advertising your restaurant effectively means looking at new ways to get noticed, as well as using your existing channels. Look to your local community, other businesses, and the media to find the best ways to get your restaurant noticed in new and creative ways.

Share This!