5 Tips on How to Market Your Local Restaurant

You may recall advertising in the Yellow Pages, handing out flyers, or relying on word of mouth for your business’ success; however, over the years, technology has changed these methods of communication. The conversation is now online and information is available to the customer at the touch of a button anywhere in the world.

With the advancement in technology, it is essential that a local restaurant begin marketing themselves online. Many local restaurants that we have worked with have seen this to be extremely influential in their business and growth.

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Here are 5 tips on how to market your local restaurant without breaking the bank:

1)   Maintain a Functional Website

Customers who haven’t yet visited your location, tend to visit your website first to determine your reputability. The quality of your website (or not having a website) could be the deciding factor for a potential customer.

Find out how to choose the best website for your business.

2)   Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Having a website won’t cut it if your customers can’t find your site. It is important to invest in SEO to improve your ranking on local search engines – many customers won’t make it past the first page of listings.

3)   Get Local Food Bloggers Talking

Local food bloggers are always looking for new and exciting locations to tell their readers about. Contact local food bloggers and let them know about your restaurant and why it would be of interest to their readers. Sometimes you can even offer a special promotion for those who come to your restaurant after hearing about it from the blog.

Learn how to develop the ideal digital marketing strategy for your business.

4)   Keep Up with Review Sites

Like we mentioned, word of mouth is now very much online. There are a number of different review sites out there and one negative customer could create a bad reputation for you without you even knowing. Make an effort to claim your restaurant on local review sites and respond to customers who have taken the time to review your restaurant – good or bad.

Learn how to respond to positive and negative reviews on Google.

5)   Social Media Presence

Lastly, get involved in the conversation. Don’t wait for people to talk to you. Create a face for your company and start talking to your customers online. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, are all great ways to engage your current customers and find new ones.

Which social media platforms will work best for your business?

For more tips on how to market your local restaurant, contact FirstPage Marketing at 604-866-2230. We have worked with many local restaurants just like yours and have helped create an online presence that noticeably changed their business.

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