Chris Young
Restaurants are one of the most diverse and important industries in the entire country–in 2024, the industry is expected to earn more than $1 trillion in revenue and employ about 15 million people.
So whether you’re a dive bar, a drive-through or a Michelin-starred restaurant that serves caviar as the àmuse bouche, there are important marketing tactics you should be aware of to grow your business. While word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best ways to get the word out about your restaurant, it’s not always reliable. As a result, many restaurants must take marketing into their own hands to bring in new customers. Since time is always the scarcest resource, restaurant owners should make full use of the most effective local restaurant marketing tactics.
Social media platforms are a great medium that yield an outsized impact when it comes to marketing. The most popular social media platforms are currently Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. Social media marketing is especially helpful for raising awareness and building brand familiarity within the local community. This is most frequently done (especially on Instagram) by posting aesthetically pleasing photos, posting updates, engaging with customers, and announcing events.
Getting your restaurant listed on popular apps like OpenTable, TripAdvisor, and Yelp can attract new customers and make it easier for them to make a reservation. These platforms help people discover, review, and book restaurants, giving you greater visibility when diners are searching for options.
Apps like these also allow customers to leave reviews and ratings, which build trust and credibility. The convenience of online reservations reduces barriers and encourages spontaneous visits. Restaurants that use these apps tend to reach a broader audience and make their restaurant more appealing, leading to increased foot traffic and reservations.
For local restaurants, optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a fantastic way to improve local search visibility. Start by setting up and verifying your GBP listing, which is quick but might need some verification steps. Ensure all profile information is accurate and complete, including your restaurant's name, address, phone number, and operating hours. Accurate details help customers find you easily and build trust.
GBP offers many features to engage with customers and boost local search rankings. The most successful restaurants regularly post updates about promotions, events, and news to keep their audience informed and engaged. High-quality photos of your dishes, interior, and exterior can also give potential customers a visual sense of the restaurant.
Finally, the Q&A and review features are useful for addressing common questions and concerns. Promptly responding to customer reviews, both positive and negative, also shows that you value feedback and are committed to excellent service.
For those restaurants that have opted to have a website, researching and selecting the right local keywords is essential. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you find relevant local keywords with high search volume and low competition. Once you've identified these keywords, integrate them naturally into your website content, including blog posts, menu descriptions, and service pages. Putting the right keywords in the right places on your website can help you outrank other restaurants when people are searching for places to eat in their local area.
Incorporating these keywords into meta descriptions, headers, and body text can also improve your local SEO. This local SEO strategy can significantly enhance your local search engine rankings and drive more traffic to both your website and your physical location.
Running local pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns is a highly effective marketing strategy for restaurants. PPC campaigns have an impressive average ROI of 1:2, meaning for every $1 spent, $2 in revenue can be generated.
While Google is the dominant player in PPC advertising, other search engines like Bing and Yahoo also offer opportunities. Start by creating a campaign that aligns with your goals, such as search network ads for text ads or display network ads for banner ads. For local ads, use location targeting to ensure your ads are shown to users in your specific geographic area, whether by city, region or a custom radius around your restaurant.
Local PPC campaigns follow many of the same best practices as other PPC campaigns so be sure to optimize your ad copy by including local keywords and highlighting your unique selling points. Once they’re up and running, regularly monitor the performance of your local PPC campaigns to ensure they remain ROI-positive investments.
Traditional media, like television advertisements, can still be an effective way for restaurants to attract new customers. TV ads can reach a broad audience and create a strong brand presence in your local community. A well-crafted commercial is much more cost-effective than it used to be and can showcase your restaurant’s unique atmosphere, signature dishes, and special offers.
An innovative approach combining traditional and digital marketing is household retargeting. This program uses first-party, user-provided data to target specific households with a mix of PPC ads and physical mailers. By pinpointing potential customers based on their online behavior and interests, restaurants can deliver tailored messages directly to them. For example, a viewer who sees your TV ad might later receive a PPC ad while browsing online, followed by a physical mailer with a special offer.
This multi-channel strategy reinforces your message and keeps your restaurant top of mind, increasing the likelihood that potential customers will visit. By blending traditional media with digital targeting techniques, you can create a comprehensive marketing approach that attracts more diners to your restaurant.
Location-specific coupons and discounts can be powerful tools to drive business for local restaurants. Offering special deals and promotions can entice new customers to try your restaurant and encourage repeat visits from existing patrons. Traditional mailers are an effective way to reach local households, delivering tangible coupons that recipients can use on their next visit.
Combining traditional mailers with social media advertising amplifies the reach of your promotions and helps keep your brand top-of-mind. Posting about discounts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can quickly spread the word and attract a broader audience. Whenever you do this, be sure to use location-based targeting so your ads reach people in your vicinity.
Sponsoring local events is an excellent way for restaurants to grow brand awareness and drive new and recurring traffic. By associating your restaurant with community events, you increase your visibility among potential customers and show support for the local area which increases your goodwill in the community. Whether it’s a food festival, charity run, or neighborhood fair, sponsoring an event allows you to connect directly with attendees and create positive associations with your brand.
At these events, restaurants can offer free samples, exclusive discounts, or branded merchandise to bring in new business. Engaging with the community in person helps build relationships and trust, making people more likely to choose your restaurant in the future.
Local restaurant marketing is essential for attracting and retaining customers in a competitive industry. A truly effective marketing campaign doesn’t just require one or two of these marketing tactics, rather it requires a tapestry of different tactics knitted together by a coherent strategy. Managing one of these tactics can be doable for many businesses, however, managing several different campaigns and integrating them for maximum effect is a different story. For the greatest likelihood of success, we recommend partnering with an experienced marketing agency like Be More Digital to implement these tactics effectively.
Contact Be More Digital for a personalized marketing proposal or for any questions about the best strategy for your restaurant or explore our case studies to see how we've helped other clients succeed. Our Customer Experience team is ready to assist you!
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