5 Marketing Ideas for Restaurants in a Pandemic
If the government tells you to go home, what do you do? Chances are, if you’re a restaurant owner in today’s world, you don’t just close up shop and go home—you find another way to keep your business going. After all, most people want their food just as much during an epidemic as they did before one started, and they’ll turn to whatever they have to to get it. Here are five unique marketing ideas that restaurants can use to survive during a pandemic.
Restaurant Marketing Strategy #1 – Influencers
Influencers are often bloggers, journalists, or other people who have large followings on social media. You can approach them to promote your restaurant, providing them with complimentary meals and other incentives. This strategy works best if you provide free food samples of items meant to be consumed quickly—such as sandwiches—as many influencers post pictures of their food moments after eating it. You must find an influencer whose tastes align with yours; if they’re known for being vegetarian, but you serve meat, there’s little chance they’ll promote your restaurant on their accounts.
Restaurant Marketing Strategy #2 – Giveaways
Let’s face it. The last thing people want to do is leave their homes during a pandemic. So restaurants can offer them something that makes them want to come out: free stuff! Giveaways are an easy way to get people interested in your restaurant. But make sure it’s not just flimsy swag—offer something valuable, like free meals or other deals. You might consider offering different deals at different times of day or days of the week because you probably won’t want to give away too many deals on a busy weekend night when plenty of other restaurants are open and marketing themselves.
Restaurant Marketing Strategy #3 – Micro-Influencers
Another unique marketing tactic restaurants can use during a pandemic is to enlist help from micro-influencers. These are bloggers or social media users with between 10,000 and 50,000 followers. They’re smaller than traditional influencers, but they often have strong followings around specific interests. For example, if your restaurant serves gluten-free food, you might want to talk to someone who writes about gluten-free recipes on their website. Pitch them your new menu items and ask if they would be willing to write about them on their website. The key with micro-influencers is that they already trust your brand because of prior interactions and will likely post about your product once you’ve pitched them an idea.
Restaurant Marketing Strategy #4 – Viral Food Videos
Video marketing is quickly becoming a cornerstone of restaurant marketing campaigns. As people spend more time watching videos on social media, restaurants can leverage them to show off their signature dishes and menu items. To do so, there are two best practices that restaurants should follow when creating food-based videos: 1) have fun with it! Make sure your video isn’t just an advertisement but rather something that customers would want to watch over and over again; 2) hire professionals. Creating high-quality food-based videos requires professional filming equipment (like Sony Cinema cameras) and software (like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro). If you’re interested in producing viral food-based clips, make sure you hire professionals.
Restaurant Marketing Strategy #5 – Coupons
Use creative coupons to attract customers during your pandemic. For example, if they print out and bring it into your restaurant, show them that you appreciate their business and provide them with 20% off of their total order. Or, if they get a friend to dine with them, give them $10 off of their next purchase. Ensure your creative coupon reflects your brand personality and has high shareability on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.
So what should I do first?
Running a restaurant is hard enough even when there isn’t a pandemic. Don’t get so caught up trying to re-engineer your entire marketing plan that you forget about executing some basic steps. Start by posting signs at your business, whether it’s on storefront windows or marquee displays outside, letting customers know about your food handling practices and assuring them that they can order safely. Then use social media to engage potential diners.