Restaurant marketing plan in 7 steps
To compete and succeed in the gastronomy sector, it is necessary to build a specific identity, analyze the market, define objectives and satisfy customers: in short, a good marketing plan for restaurants is needed.
Una winning marketing strategy In the food and beverage sector, it does not stop only at the start-up and opening phase, it must continue with promotional activities over time. Only then can you guarantee the success of your restaurant.
Find in this article how to make a marketing plan for your restaurant in 7 steps and maintain a sustained growth of your business.
What is a marketing plan and why is it important?
A marketing plan is the strategy you develop in your restaurant to promote your brand, acquire new customers and improve their experience.
It usually covers topics such as who your ideal customers are, how you're going to reach those customers, and who your competitors are.
Creating a marketing plan for your restaurant allows you to better understand your business, to know how it compares and positions itself with other similar businesses in the area and what your competitive advantages are.
Keep in mind that in the gastronomy sector, competition is very high. Once you open your restaurant, you need to differentiate yourself by building your own identity.
You should also continue to analyze the market to define your growth objectives. And you achieve all this with a marketing plan suitable for your restaurant.
How to make a marketing plan for restaurants in 7 steps?
The more robust and well-thought-out a restaurant marketing plan is, the more likely it is to succeed.
Learn in 7 steps how to prepare your marketing plan:
These 7 steps will help you develop an effective marketing plan.
1. Define your target audience
Defining your target audience is essential. The better you know him, the more targeted your marketing can be.
Knowing who you want to target with your marketing efforts will help you create marketing campaigns that resonate with that audience.
2. Analyze the current business situation
You should analyze the specific strengths and weaknesses of your business. A SWOT analysis of your restaurant is very valuable for the marketing plan.
It's essential that you know what you're doing well and where you need to improve in order to focus your marketing plan properly and thus be successful in your restaurant.
3. Research and study your competition
Not only will this help you make decisions such as pricing and menu ideas, but it can also serve as an inspiration.
Analyze their social networks and what type of content they share there: Analyze how they promote themselves online and on social media. As well as what type of promotions they carry out during the week, so you can apply unique and attractive strategies to your restaurant.
Check your website and search engine rankings: It's important to know what your competition is doing to have an online presence. Check your site Web, see what positions it in search engines and use that information to your advantage.
Find out what your customers are saying (reviews) and how they communicate with them: One aspect from which you can get valuable information is the reviews they give to your competitors. From there, you can get data to make your marketing plan successful.
4. Set your goals with the SMART methodology
Make sure that all the objectives you pursue in your restaurant's marketing plan follow the SMART criteria: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound objectives).
Examples of objectives for your restaurant
Position your restaurant in Google My Business: It's a way your restaurant can attract the attention of local customers who browse online. It's measurable, attainable and can be determined over time.
Building a community through social networks: Create a community and promote your restaurant by taking advantage of user-generated content. Set a goal for the number of people you want in your community in a given amount of time.
Build customer loyalty: Set a goal to create quarterly loyalty programs and set a% of the number of loyal customers at the end of the quarter.
5. Define the action plan: digital marketing strategies
A fundamental part of any communication plan concerns web marketing for restaurants. Customers should be able to find your restaurant online, so you should work on your web presence.
Promote your restaurant to reach more customers: use all available communication channels and promote yourself on them. This way you will have more visitors and customers in your restaurant.
Use social media to engage your audience: uses Facebook and Instagram to share updates and encourage customers to make reservations and place orders online.
Streamline communication via WhatsApp: Make sure that your application of WhatsApp count on a real human being on the other side to streamline it, promote sales, solve problems and engage your customers to the fullest.
6. Calculate the budget of your digital marketing plan
Your budget shouldn't be the reaction to your plan. It must be an important component of it. You have to determine exactly how much you commit to spending on marketing in advance.
7. Constantly analyze and optimize
This is the last, but one of the most important steps in your marketing plan. You need to analyze all the details and measure marketing results and ROI.
By understanding and analyzing the results of the marketing plan for the restaurant, you can take a step towards improvement or updates where necessary.
How Can Picker Help You Boost Your Business?
Many online delivery services simplify the ordering process at your restaurant, and Internet savvy users often love taking advantage of such delivery services.
With Picker, your customer's attention and experience will be the priority. With our application, you give your customers a real tracking experience that increases their confidence and helps you increase your sales.
At Picker, we focus on allowing customers to enjoy the gastronomic experience you offer at the right time and maintaining the same dish conditions, as if they were in your restaurant.
Complete Guide to Marketing for Restaurants
Conclusions
If you want to be successful in your restaurant, you need a restaurant marketing plan.
From branding to budget to advertising, there is a careful combination of tactical and high-level decisions that a restaurant must make to position itself in the market, and serve the largest number of satisfied customers.
Following the 7 steps mentioned above will help you prepare the best digital marketing plan for your restaurant and have sustained growth in your business.
