How To Market Your Restaurant On A Small Budget
When you first set up your dream restaurant, you might have a vision of the theme for the place and the menu that you will serve. Once you have got everything in place – the staff, the menu, the décor and the opening date, you still have a few more things to consider including marketing. How will you market your business and get those valuable customers in the door with a small marketing budget?
The good news is that it is possible to become a successful restaurant on a small budget, but you will need to put the work in. Below, we are going to give you some tips that you can use to make this a reality. Read on to find out what they are.
Invite Some Influencers Over
In 2021, influencer marketing remains one of the best options for businesses who want to spread the word about their brand. When it comes to restaurants, you’ll find that there are so many influencers already out there who head to their local restaurants and review the food and experience. While you may get lucky and have some influencers come in by themselves, due to the launch, you can also create partnerships to encourage them to do so.
For example, if you are hosting a launch party for your restaurant, why not invite some local foodies along? They might require payment for posts on their channels but if you stick with micro-influencers, you can achieve the desired result without breaking the bank. Start small and you’ll build up an audience along the way with their help.
Use Your Mailing List To Your Advantage
Once you start getting bookings in, or have people showing interest online, you can start to build a mailing list. This can be an incredibly useful resource for restaurant owners who have a small budget but still want to engage in some restaurant marketing. With emails in a list, you can send out reminders about your restaurant, details of new promotions, menu changes and much more.
There are some excellent email marketing services that you can use to build these emails in no time at all. Additionally, when you target customers who have already visited your restaurant, you can have more confidence that they will take note of your emails and possibly return.
Make Use of Free Tools
Another great way to market your restaurant business on a small budget is to make use of free tools that are at your disposal. You don’t need to pay an expensive graphics designer to work on things like your logo, flyers or even content for social media when free tools exist. If you have any kind of creative flair, you can easily use tools like Canva to create graphics that stand out. Just add your logo and photographs of your food and you are good to go!
This kind of content can save you a lot of money and it can help you to create some brand awareness on social media. Just make sure to create a cohesive style and use your brand colours. That way, you’ll be posting out some instantly recognisable content. On top of graphic tools, you can also find free video editing tools, email templates and website builders online.
Try Video Content on Social Media
Social media is arguably the best tool for restaurants to use in 2021 when it comes to marketing on a low budget. Social media is not only free to use for anyone, but it can also be very effective when it comes to targeting a new audience. One of the best ways to really increase your reach on social media and stand out is to use video content. The good news is that you don’t need to hire a videographer to help you create and edit this content as often, raw footage works well on these channels.
So, for example, you can simply use your phone or camera to film live cooking demonstrations, host live giveaways or even show some sneak peeks of the restaurant. Maybe you could even feature some of your staff members and show them to your followers! Use your free video content wisely and you could really build your brand online.
Try These Tips
If you are planning on marketing your restaurant in 2021, you should try to take on board the tips that we have given you. Influencer marketing should be your first step but remember to budget a bit if you want some excellent content out there. Additionally, you should try out email marketing and start targeting those who have already visited your restaurant. Over time, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t and will have a successful restaurant soon!
