Donald Burns shares five marketing strategies for restaurants: storytelling, influencer partnerships, menu engineering, loyalty programs, and community involvement. These tactics help fill seats and build customer loyalty.
Hey, is your restaurant marketing stuck or does it just suck? Never fear. The restaurant coach is here to help you break free from boring, average marketing and break on through to the other side. Hey, what's up, Donald Burns, the restaurant coach. And today I'm going to share with you some exclusive, top secret marketing strategies for your restaurant in 2023 that will skyrocket your business to new heights. I'm about to reveal some killer strategies that you won't find anywhere else. So grab a pen and paper and get ready. Take some serious notes, and if you're ready, let's dive right into it. Now, let's kind of clear the air that there is a lot of bad marketing advice out there, mostly from people who've never been in the restaurant industry. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that if you want marketing advice, get it from someone who works in the restaurant space and understands the challenges that restaurant face. Marketing is not a one size fit all approach. Even in my coaching programs, I have a process map that I follow, but that process map is adjusted for every single restaurant because every single restaurant is different. Now, the following marketing strategies I'm about to share are the ones that I teach my private coaching clients. So it's like you're getting a marketing coaching session with me privately today. All right, let's get into it. Number one, leverage the power of storytelling. Your restaurant story is what sets it apart from the competition. Share the inspiration behind your dishes, the history of your establishment, the journey of your team. By creating an emotional connection with your audience, you're going to build a strong, loyal guest base. A great way to share your story is through video content and social media. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are ideal for today's society. And don't forget to encourage your team to share their stories as well on social media. That's how you create a bootstrap marketing team within your four walls. Strategy number two, Hyperlocal influencers. Partnering with local food bloggers and influencers is a powerful way to gain exposure and attract new guests. Offer them exclusive dining experiences in exchange for a review, a video or a post on their social media platforms. Be sure to target influencers with an engaged audience that feels fit your ideal guest profile. That also means that you need to know your ideal guest is from the start. This will help you maximize your return on investment and attract the right type of guests to your restaurant. Strategy number three is dynamic menu engineering. Now you might be saying right now, hey Coach, what the hell does menu engineering have to do with my marketing. I'm so glad you asked. A proper menu engineering will allow you to make data driven decisions when it comes to marketing your menu and analyze sales and profit margins. Identify high performing dishes and adjust your marketing accordingly. Please don't market low profit items. Market those items that are stars on your menu. They're popular and profitable. This will not only boost your profits but also could create an ever evolving dining experience that just keeps your guests coming back for more and more. And don't be afraid to experiment with seasonal ingredients, LTOs or limited time offers or even secret menus to generate buzz and excitement. The fourth strategy is all about gamification and loyalty programs and you need a loyalty program these days. By offering rewards and incentives you can turn one time visitors into lifelong raving fans. What you want to do is create a point based system that offers exclusive discounts through an app or by SMS marketing. Or you can also host special events for your local guests and market them through your loyalty people. And remember, make it fun. Gamification can lead to friendly competition among your guests, encouraging them to visit your restaurant more frequently and also spend more money. So get creative with your loyalty programs. And for the record, like I mentioned before, you must have a loyalty program. And last but not least, strategy number five, community involvement or corporate social responsibility which they call csr. By giving back to your community, you're not only creating a positive brand image but but you're also fostering long lasting relationships with your guest and the community. Get involved with local charities, sponsor events or even host a fundraiser at your restaurant. And also don't forget to share these efforts on social media because it will only amplify the positive impact and showcases your restaurant's commitment to making a difference in your community. So there you have it. Those are my top secret marketing strategies for 2023 that will help your restaurant stand out for the competition and keep your guests coming back for more and more. If you implement these strategies, it's not only going to lead to increased revenue, but it's also going to help you create a strong, loyal guest base that is essential for long term success. Marketing is partly getting him in the door and then part getting him to come back more often. I hope you find this information valuable and I can't wait to see the amazing results you achieve by putting these strategies into action. That's the key word you got to take the strategies, you got to put them into action. Remember, the key is to be consistent and never stop learning and adapting. Thanks for joining me today and please make sure to subscribe to the channel to get more exclusive tips and insights to grow your restaurant business. In my next video, I'm going to show you how to double your restaurant sales and skyrocket your profits in 90 days.
If your restaurant only works because you work 80 hours a week, it doesn't work.
