The restaurant marketing industry is a varied one, requiring a marketing program that employs local market research, creative marketing and advertising for company branding. In today's market, you can build your brand, your ad mix and your assessment tools using online resources, but remember that your time is your most valuable asset when running your own business. Leave the restaurant marketing to the pros.
Whether you're new to restaurant promotion, or have made a career providing restaurant marketing ideas, your focus can range from very specific to a generalized campaign:
1. Employ restaurant niche marketing agencies who specialize in branding. Bring them in before you name your business for the best results.
2. Combine marketing a restaurant with research and experienced ad-buying pros. It's a mix that promises a solid return on investment.
3. Use a restaurant marketing plan with market research and assessment tools to design and evaluate your efforts.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Use restaurant niche marketing to build or reinvent your company's image
Any restaurant marketing firms serving eateries that are just starting out, or renewing the brand of an existing cafe, should focus on branding the restaurant name first. Your brand will then encompass your logo, website design and menu design and Web presence. Fast food marketing is a profitable and well-establishpromotion, but most fast food chains have their own franchise marketing plans that don't allow much customization.
I recommend: Partner with the niche restaurant specialists at
Vigor Branding to optimize your plan for marketing in the restaurant industry. If you're considering a brand renewal campaign, view a before-and-after web branding portfolio at
restaurantidentity.com.
Employ a modern advertising mix when marketing for restaurant startup
Traditional advertising media are quickly becoming ineffective, and the wise marketing professional knows that the best new market is electronic. Online restaurant marketing is the latest avenue to reach more and more consumers, and emerging m-commerce technologies will require even more technological upgrades in the near future to fit this platform. Target the e-commerce market in partnership with professionals who are helping it grow, and surge ahead of your competitors with online reservations, coupons and special promotions.
I recommend: Keep emerging media in your ad mix with the restaurant marketing experts at
Quantified Marketing Group. Request a report on local Internet restaurant searches from
Restaurant Internet Marketing.com, a company that specializes in Web and e-commerce restaurant marketing and also provides the services of
SEO For Restaurants.
Assess your campaign using restaurant marketing research services
Today's restaurant marketing services make the most of innovative target marketing through surveys. Survey your patrons -- and potential patrons -- and adjust your campaign and offerings to reflect their values and interests.
I recommend: Research your local restaurant marketing services options using customized reports from
Restaurant Marketing Group. Get specific answers about your facility's marketing program with customized fine dining assessment tools from
Restaurant Surveys.com.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- There's no need to reinvent the wheel to make restaurant advertising campaigns successful. Find a campaign you like and head straight to the source -- meet with the restauranteurs and the marketers who developed the campaign, glean some restaurant marketing tips, and adopt their plan to fit your business needs.
The official source of Restaurant Marketing is the Restaurant Marketing page at Business.com
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