What Is A Restaurant Marketing Plan And Why Do I Need One?

In 2024, over one million restaurants existed within the U.S. Moreover, Americans are spending more money on dining out than in previous years. Enticing consumers to choose your eatery over another is the goal of a restaurant marketing plan.

Essentials Of A Great Restaurant Marketing Plan

Whether you’ve just opened or have an established restaurant, you need a document organizing your marketing strategies to reach customers. This marketing plan outlines your advertising strategy by defining your methods, time frame, and measuring effectiveness. Moreover, your plan should be dynamic, adjusting as you determine the impact of your efforts.

Every marketing plan needs a framework to build a marketing strategy. This structure uses the 4 Ps: product, placement, price, and promotion as the key elements. As you write your plan, other principles should also guide you:

1. Mission Statement

A declaration of your business’s guiding principles, this statement communicates your aims and guiding principles.

2. Goals

To measure success, you must clearly define the objectives of your marketing plan.

3. Target Audience

Your product or services won’t be for everyone.  Understanding your target audience will guide your decisions on marketing channels, content creation, and marketing strategies.

4. Competitive Analysis

Restaurants face some serious competition from each other. However, by studying other companies’ strengths and weaknesses, you can help establish your unique position within the industry.

5. Budget

Usually, companies will allocate a percentage of their revenue towards marketing. The amount depends on your industry, goals, and channels. A budget curbs overspending and ensures fiscal responsibility.

6. Methods And Channels

When forming your marketing plan, you can choose traditional, digital, or a mix of both methods. Traditional is any approach using offline advertising while digital utilizes online strategies. For any business including restaurants, digital marketing can be a powerful tool.

Restaurant Digital Marketing Tools

Consumers are online, searching for places to eat, reviews, and menu offerings. If you don’t use digital marketing, you could miss out on lots of business.

1. Website

In today’s digital world, a website is a necessity. It clearly defines your business, establishes its validity, and attracts customers. Your site should clearly state your name, address, contact information, and hours of operation. Additionally, you’ll want your menu easily accessible. Online ordering may be another option you may want to consider.

When setting up your site, you’ll want to conform it to search engine optimization so customers can find you. Local SEO is important for eating establishments as patrons often search when out and about.

2. Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile is a free tool that allows you to display business hours, contact information, and services. Once you set it up, your business can show up in localized searches. Furthermore, these “near me” queries have exploded with about 1.5 billion local searches every month.

3. Facebook Business Page

Social media platforms are an important part of people’s lives and Facebook is the largest. With over 3 billion monthly active users, you can’t afford to ignore using this tool. It’s free to set up a business page and it allows you to reach a large audience. You’ll also gain valuable insights into users’ behavior with Facebook’s analytic tools.

4. Loyalty Program

Some marketing experts estimate that it costs 5 times more to gain a new customer than to keep one. As a restaurant owner, a rewards program is one of the best marketing tools to build loyalty.

5. Digital Advertising

Two popular forms of digital advertising are search engines and social media. With a 90% market share, many businesses use Google Ads for marketing. You can choose several different formats like search and display. Social media marketing is another invaluable advertising tool for targeting demographics, interests, and behaviors.

Both use a PPC (pay-per-click) format, charging you only when someone clicks on your ad. Google Ads will give you immediate visibility and exposure. Comparatively, social media marketing helps build brand awareness and engagement with customers.

6. Content Creation

Although there are several forms of content creation, blogging is one of the most effective forms. Through writing informative articles about your business, you can build trust and authority. Blogging can also help SEO by offering new opportunities for keywords and linking.

7. Email Marketing

As a restaurant owner, you may offer seasonal menu items and specials. One way to notify customers of these upcoming events is by sending an email. You can personalize these messages and tailor the content to different audiences

Restaurant Marketing Plan FAQs

You can make the best food, but your business could fail without the right restaurant marketing plan.   The experts at conversionMOXY have the experience and the tools to help you succeed. Below, we answer a few commonly asked questions about advertising. If you have others, feel free to reach out to us at 800-849-5642.

What Is The Cost Of A Marketing Campaign?

Every marketing campaign should be unique to your particular company and goals.  Thus, we’ll analyze your business and discuss your goals to develop a strategy specific to your restaurant.

How Do I Know My Marketing Plan Is Working?

The great thing about utilizing digital marketing tools is the analytics they provide. You can gain valuable insight into which content resonates and converts users into customers. Plus, conversionMOXY provides a personalized client portal where you can track your progress.

Can I Run My Marketing Campaign?

Thinking they’ll save money, some business owners do indeed attempt to run their marketing campaigns. Usually, these efforts fail to deliver the expected results because of weak strategies and inexperience.

Where Do I Start?

You begin with a phone call to conversionMOXY at 800-849-5642 for a free no-obligation consultation. Pick up the phone right now and let’s start a conversation on how to grow your business.