Traditional Marketing and Branding for Restaurants
As a fully-integrated marketing agency, we see all facets of marketing as having value when done correctly. This means that, despite our heavy push towards online marketing, lots of businesses can actually profit and find immense value in traditional marketing tactics. Perhaps one of the biggest markets that can find success in traditional marketing is that of the restaurant.
Local restaurants, family-owned joints and mom-and-pop cafés have proven that these tactics really do work. When done well, these restaurants are employing a powerful branding avenue for the customers, offering them a tangible message and memory that draws them back again and again. Because of this, the traditional marketing scene can actually have a greater lasting effect for them. So, what are they doing that gets their name, brand and food in the mind of the consumer?
Direct Mail is Anything But Dead – Some restaurants find that marketing to the consumers via direct mail is actually incredibly effective. Those that do it right take a couple of main points into consideration though. They make certain to A) Target their direct mail pieces and B) personalize them. Let’s face it. We all hate spam. Whether it be online or in our post boxes, the last thing we want is another nameless, faceless brand telling us what we should and shouldn’t do. You should be looking for the ideal customers who become your client base, rather than simply blanket-marketing the entire world. Find those that are going to be potential repeat customers.
Don’t Be Fooled by Fliers – They aren’t always a relic. In fact, sometimes fliers manage to stay in people’s minds more than anything else. Make sure they tell people the benefit loud and clear. Nobody wants to read through a dissertation on an advertisement. They want to know the value and the benefit for them with as little hassle as possible. Also, remember that your flier is the perfect way to imprint your brand in the mind of the consumer. Where can they find you? What are your hours? What do you serve? What are the specials and offers you’re providing? Give them answers, and give them quickly and honestly.
Signs Sell – How many times have you driven past the restaurant you’re looking for because you just didn’t see the sign? Believe it or not, signs are one of the most powerful marketing tools a restaurant can have. If a consumer is hungry and doesn’t know what to eat, you’d better believe you want your sign to stick in their mind and entice them to come in. You want your sign to be loud and bold, but at the same time, it has to remain clear and straightforward. That message – that sign – is your biggest branding tool. Don’t squander it on something less than you’d hope to offer your customers.
The Customer is King – Your customers are valuable. They are the heart of your business, and they should be the heart of all your marketing efforts, whether traditional or otherwise. Make them feel as valued as they truly are. Something as simple as a comment card they can fill out and leave at the table or mail in for a discount coupon could end up being not only the greatest source of feedback to better your marketing tactics, but also strengthen your repeat customer base.
Melissa graduated from the University of Utah in 2008 with a degree in Editorial Journalism and a minor in French. After spending several years working in copy writing, grant writing and web marketing in Salt Lake City, Utah, she relocated to New Hampshire to work as the marketing coordinator for a non-profit ski destination. Melissa specializes in copy writing, web content, editing and social media.
