For one reason or another, restaurants and other foodservice businesses have been a little slower than other industries to adopt best practices in digital marketing.
That’s not to say that all restaurants do a poor job of marketing themselves online—in fact, many do a fantastic job, offering compelling content that both engages new customers and boosts local search results. However, many other foodservice businesses leave a lot on the table when it comes to online content, while a more robust strategy could help them bring in new customers in substantial numbers.
The following are a few tips to consider in your content creation efforts when it comes to your restaurant or food business:
Be visual
Photos of your menu items are great for drawing engagement. Who can resist that mouth-watering bacon cheeseburger once they’ve seen it on Facebook or Instagram? You should also make your menu items easy to locate on your website, especially on a mobile device. After all, many customers make last-minute decisions as to where they want to eat—and a good visual of what you offer could convince them to give your restaurant a try.
Focus on local
Unless you’re a national or large regional restaurant chain, you’re going to want to focus your marketing efforts on one particular geographic area. Use your content creation to connect with people in your area in relatable ways. Get involved within your community, sponsor local events and post about them on your blog. Make sure all of your content has a “local flavor” to it.
Additionally, be sure that you have a local business listing created on Google, with basic information like your hours, phone number and website address to help potential customers find you.
Share recipes
Obviously, there are certain items with recipes that you will want to keep secret, but you can get a lot of attention on platforms like Pinterest by creating blog content or instructional videos about how to make a popular menu item and then pinning them to your board. Again, it’s helpful to be as visual as possible when creating this content.
Advertise your specials and promotions
If you have a special menu item of the day or a specific promotion going on, be sure to market it across all platforms. If potential customers see a particular item that looks tasty and know they can only get it for a limited time, they’ll be more likely to stop in for a meal sooner rather than later.
Tell your story
Consumers connect with restaurants much differently than with other types of business. Many people have “their” spot they frequent for dinner or lunch. Maybe they had their first date with their significant other at your restaurant. Basically, people often have stories that they attach to their favorite restaurants, and you can enhance this connection by telling your own story.
In your content creation efforts, speak to the backstory of your restaurant, how you came up with certain menu items and why you’re so passionate about serving food. When it comes to food, people are genuinely interested in your brand story and want to form a connection with your restaurant—if you just give them a chance.
Through compelling content creation, you can set your restaurant or foodservice business apart in a digital world. Keep these tips in mind as you plan your content marketing strategy.