6 Marketing Ideas for your restaurant for 2016
In the social media age we live in we’re always looking for ways to promote our business. If you own a restaurant or pizzeria, the marketing ideas you find are old and used up. Many articles that have been written in 2013 or before don’t really work as good as they use too or at all.
I wanted to give you a few updated ideas that you could take and easily implement then test out without getting overwhelmed or needing a 6 week lead time.
Here are a few ideas that are working that you can get start with today to get your service or product in front of more people.
1. SnapChat Geofilter
Snapchat geo filter allows you to create custom filters around a specific geo location. This would be great around a local college (if you’re located in a college town) or even if there is a big event or get together in your market that a lot of people would attend.
Here’s one I found Add me @smartpizzatips
2. Facebook Live
Host a weekly show on facebook live where your customers can talk with you and ask common questions they may have. Use this as a way to personalize your business and also build your personal brand at the same time.
Here’s an example from our Weekly Show on Tuesday at 8pm over on Facebook
3. Free (something) Give Away
Give something away once a week, every week, for free. Use your website as a way to promote this contest and ask for your customer’s email address in exchange for the opportunity to win.
Leadpages is a great tool to create awesome landing pages super easy
Email addresses are a huge asset that business owners don’t utilize nearly enough. Then start email marketing to them on a consistent basis.
4. Use facebook ads
This could be a whole post all by itself (and maybe soon). With facebook, you can hyper-target so many different ways that this may get a little confusing for anyone new.
I’ll give you 3 ads I see working on a daily basis with the clients I work with.
4.1. Re-targeting
By placing a pixel on your website you can target specific ads to anyone who has visited your website or a specific page on it. Facebook often charges less for these ads do to the fact that facebook knows the customers knows you and wants to hear from you.
You can also make these ads less aggressive with offers to because the customers have already visited you. Make these ads more of a way to stay on top of mind.
4.2. Upload your email list
Simply upload your email list and you can target anyone that facebook recognizes by the email and get in the feed. Maybe upload emails of people on your list that have not opened your email in a while however don’t upload the ones who do.
*You don’t want to pay for advertising to people who are reading your emails already. .. that’s a waste of advertising dollars.
4.3. Get new customers with facebook dark posts
Target customers who like the page of other restaurants in your area and make them an offer to try you out. Get clever with your ad, if you target a local restaurant, mention that in the add. Something like this “ hey I know you like xxx restaurant so you’ll love this” it’s pretty clever of getting their attention and to see what you do.
And that’s the name of the game my friend…getting attention.
5. Blog about your business
I know everyone reading this will be like “what am I going to say.” Use the old, you ask I answer formula. Any question you have ever received from a customer or client and turn that into a blog post.
I talked about this with Marcs Sheridan on an earlier episode about content marketing
They don’t have to be very long just enough to answer the question and this will also give you more google juice for search online in your area. If you don’t mind video read those as videos for facebook or youtube as well and double your content!
6. Constantly Engage:
You wouldn’t believe a number of social pages I go on from restaurants that haven’t posted in weeks, months or even worse, years. They haven’t even checked in and I know this because customers of theirs have left reviews or messages with no response from the owner.
If you’re not going to, delete your account for the love of all that’s holy. It’s like unlocking the door to your business and then never showing up for work. It’s just silly in 2016 to not reply.
There has never been a time in the history of the world better or easier than now to engage and communicate with your audience for little to no money.
Thanks For Reading
Thank you for taking the time to check out this article. I hope that you have found it to be valuable. If you have a question or comment you can email at Bruce@smartpizzamarketing.com
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