Start Small, Go Big: Restaurant Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
At one point, all business owners go through this pain: the shoestring marketing budget. With the rising costs of everything, it’s hard to keep things moving on the operations front while making sure that your restaurant is well-promoted.
The good news is that you don’t need to break the bank in order to see results.
Try these simple tips in order to market your restaurant on a budget.
- Bank on your online presence.
One of the best ways to get the word out about your business is to complete your online presence. This means having your own website and joining a host of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Make sure that your website is mobile-friendly, since most search queries come from mobile devices.
Image-sharing networks such as Instagram and Pinterest are especially great for restaurants since foodies love to share their own #foodporn experiences. Product shots are great to entice people to come to your store.
This is cost effective, relatively easy to do, and highly measurable.
Have you ever tried searching googling for a restaurant lately? These days, you can easily find any business in your local area thanks to Google Business.
You don’t even have to pay to have your restaurant properly indexed. In order for Google to know that you’re a legitimate business, they will send a postcard to your physical address to verify the location. Having this data would be highly coveted for any business, as online users would be able to instantly see your restaurant when they do a local Google search.
- Sponsor a charity event.
One of the best ways to get your brand known locally is to sponsor charity events. It wouldn’t matter if it’s big or small—everybody loves free food. Initially, however, we recommend going to the smaller, more localized events before heading for the big guns. This helps you build you foundation as a restaurant in your area and making sure you get brand advocates.
This is a win-win situation for you: your chosen beneficiary will be able to save costs for providing food in their event, while you get your exposure for helping out. Remember: don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing!
- Work with other local institutions.
In conjunction with #3, this is also a way to promote your business within an area. The big potential here is tapping the current customer base of other businesses who you feel have the same target market as you.
For instance, you’re a small tapa house and your target market is students of universities. Scout for possible school events with high attendance rates. In exchange for booth and the option to sell on-site, offer free food for the organizers of the event.
Having a modest advertising budget does not necessarily mean that your marketing impact would be small, in the same way that a big budget does not mean immediate sales. It’s about keeping things efficient and measurable.
