In today’s competitive restaurant industry, it’s more important than ever for independent restaurants and small restaurant groups to have a strong marketing strategy. With so many options for diners, it’s essential to stand out from the crowd and attract new customers and create customer loyalty for repeat business. Over the last 15 years, I’ve seen some big mistakes when it comes to restaurant marketing.
Let’s dive into 5 of the most common restaurant marketing mistakes
#1 Relying on Word-of-Mouth Restaurant Marketing & Reputation
While word-of-mouth marketing is still important, it’s not enough to rely on it alone. A comprehensive marketing strategy will help you reach a wider audience and build brand awareness. Even if you have incredible food, drinks, and atmosphere, if you don’t get enough “butts in seats” fast, it is much harder to win business back later. The initial reputation of a restaurant is imperative. If you don’t get enough customers in the door early on, it will be much harder to attract them later. That’s why it’s so important to have a strong marketing strategy in place from the start.
#2 Spending Too Much Money on Advertising
There are many affordable marketing strategies that restaurants and small restaurant groups can use to reach their target audience. Some effective strategies include:
- Harnessing your SEO and content keywords
- Partnering with social media influencers for trades
- Email marketing
- Food sampling to local businesses
- Creating a strong online brand presence
- Participating in community events
These above strategies and others will only be effective if you have someone with strong restaurant marketing experience.
#3 Only Promoting Specials Inside the 4-Walls of the Restaurant
I know, this sounds obvious but you would be shocked at the number of times I have seen this. The original intent comes from wanting to increase guest frequency. But the truth is, you’re only discounting your captive audience that was coming to your restaurant anyway and decreasing your check average and overall sales. I’ve also seen a ton of work go into creating a special menu item and only promoting to your guests already inside the restaurant. Discounts and specials can work, if promoted strategically, outside of the 4-walls of the restaurant to draw customers inside, then increasing guest count, increasing sales, and not affecting the check average as significantly as the alternative.
There are best practices that we can talk about later to ensure your efforts are not wasted and don’t lose the restaurant money.
#4 Having Your Staff Manage Your Social Media Accounts
Your online presence is your first impression. I’ll say it again for dramatic effect, your online presence is your first impression. In today’s digital age, everyone within your target demographic is checking you out online first. Your website, your reviews and yes, your Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok if you have one. As much as we love our staff, they have their own bank account in mind, not the restaurants. These two items are not mutually exclusive.
Not to mention, posting photos on social media is not the same as social media marketing. When done correctly and effectively, social media has a ton of strategy and planning that goes along with an overarching marketing/promotional calendar like LTOs, menu updates, seasonal trends, market fluctuations to monitor profit margins, etc.
#5 Restaurant Owners or Managers Managing Their Own Marketing
There are so many small details that go into a successful restaurant marketing plan. A restaurant owner or general manager oversees all functions of the restaurant and can’t get caught up in posting on social media or making sure our menu is 100% accurate online.
I also know a ton of restaurant owners work with marketing agencies directly, which can work, for a time. Even with the best agency out there, you as the owner or manager still have to meet with the agency, provide direction and feedback, approve invoices and deliverables, etc. It seems manageable most of the time, but how many times has something needed to be delayed because you didn’t have time to meet or approve something?
But, I don’t have the budget for a full-time restaurant marketing person…
A small business trend started in Business-to-Business organizations called Fractional Leadership (you may have heard of Fractional CFO, CMO, COO, etc.) and I’m helping bring it to restaurants when you need it most. With the recent political uncertainty and tariffs causing sky-high food costs, you’re watching your spending almost as closely as you did when COVID hit in 2020.
Your answer is having a Fractional Marketing Director for a few hours a week. You’re getting the expertise of a senior-level marketing executive for a fraction of the cost and it can be much more affordable than you think. Having a Fractional Marketing Director who specializes in restaurant marketing ins-and-outs will pay for itself through efficiencies, planning, and increased revenue.
Having a fractional resource means they become a part of your business, more so than an agency relationship. Your Fractional Marketing Director will actually manage your marketing agency on your behalf and take on all of the marketing conversations and duties as if they were a W2 employee.
Why Small Restaurant Owners Should Partner with Me
Hi! I’m Callie Murray, owner and founder of Wade-Murray Consulting. With 15 years in the restaurant industry, I know what it takes to succeed. You will appreciate I worked in almost every position from hostess, to corporate trainer, accounting, payroll, operations, and marketing. I’m incredibly passionate about helping independent restaurants and small restaurant groups reach their full potential whether that means capitalizing on their current footprint or expanding to new concepts and/or locations – I specialize in it all.
I offer a variety of marketing and branding services, including:
- Marketing Strategy Development
- Annual Planning & Budgeting
- Streamlining Marketing Operations
- Branding and Identity Development
- Social Media Marketing
- Promotions & Advertising
- Grassroots marketing
- Menu Engineering, Design, and Development
- Website Design and Development
- SEO and Keyword Research
- Public Relations
- Team Member or Marketing Agency Management
I work closely with you and operations to develop a customized marketing plan that meets their unique needs and budget. I’m also committed to providing ongoing support and guidance to ensure that my clients are successful.
If you’re looking for a marketing partner who can help you take your restaurant to the next level, contact me today for a free consultation. I’d be happy to discuss your needs and show you how I can help.
Cheers! – Callie Murray callie@wademurrayconsulting.com (704) 298-1512
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