Restaurant & Bar Marketing Articles: Secrets to Growing Your Business

I’ve been very fortunate to have Bar Business Magazine ask me to write several articles for them which I was excited to do.  See my published articles on the subject of Restaurant & Bar Marketing Articles: Secrets to Growing Your Business here.

Implementing these marketing strategies will help your restaurant or bar attract more customers, increase brand loyalty, and ultimately grow your business. By focusing on local SEO, social media engagement, review management, and customer loyalty, you can ensure long-term success in the competitive hospitality industry.

Effective marketing is the key to success for restaurants and bars in today’s highly competitive landscape. By leveraging well-researched marketing strategies, businesses can enhance their visibility, attract more customers, and drive revenue growth. Here’s a breakdown of some essential marketing secrets that can help grow your business:

1. Master Local SEO

Local SEO is vital for restaurants and bars, as most customers search online for places near them. Ensure your Google My Business profile is optimized with up-to-date contact information, menus, and high-quality images. Keywords like “best restaurant near me” or “[city] bar” should be incorporated into your website to improve search rankings.

2. Utilize Review Management

Online reviews play a significant role in attracting new customers. Actively manage and respond to reviews on platforms like Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor. Address negative feedback professionally and thank customers for positive reviews to demonstrate that you value their input.

3. Create an Experience

In today’s market, diners want more than just food and drinks; they want a memorable experience. Host events, live music, or themed nights to create buzz around your restaurant or bar. Offering unique experiences makes your establishment stand out and can lead to more word-of-mouth referrals.

4. Monitor Analytics

Track the success of your marketing efforts using tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and email marketing platforms. Analyze data to understand what campaigns work and where improvements are needed, allowing for continuous optimization.

Watch more marketing tips on our Restaurant Marketing Video Tutorial & Guide

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Jump out of the Fishbowl and into the Ocean of customers looking for your restaurant or bar

Check out my article on the importance of leveraging Google and online review sites like Yelp.  These days Facebook is all but dead unless you pay for each post.  Instagram is still effective but social media is a “fishbowl” and a finite number of customers who have opted in to see your content.  Google and review sites are the OCEAN of people who have probably never heard of your restaurant or bar.

Especially if you are in a tourist market, you are INSANE if you aren’t leveraging search engines and review sites.  Read the article by clicking the magazine cover.

Don’t make your website the prettiest thing no one’s ever seen

Your bar or restaurant’s website is made for one thing – making you money.  The more often you’re found in an online search the more money you make.  Yet most restaurant owners are obsessed with how the website looks with little to no regard of how many customer’s eyeballs actually see it.  Being found in a Google search or a voice command search via Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant or the GPS systems in the newer cars is absolutely crucial to success.

Don’t create a stunning looking website that can’t be found online.  Spend your money in getting found and making MONEY!

Leverage the customers already sitting in your restaurant or bar with wifi marketing

Since email blasts are pretty much a thing of the past, start trading free wifi access in exchange for your customer’s email address or phone number. When Smart emails are used, you can often get around spam filters because you have a legit message tailored to the one person it goes to.

Also you can now use text message auto-responders to sell in-house promotions that will always be 1000% more effective than your staff remembering to tell the customer. (Because they won’t) Not everyone reads emails, especially promotional types of emails but everyone reads their texts. Just keep it short and offer something of value.

Here are the most effective marketing tools I’ve seen lately

I’ll take a meeting with anyone who asks. Some are a total waste of time but once in a while I stumble upon a great piece of new technology and highly effective marketing tools. These are my top picks of 2018 for tools that drive business and put butts in seats. From new tricks to market to your captive audience to wifi marketing routers that send messages to your actual, real clients, here is what works.

I’ve weeded out the valuable tools form the snake oil for you. My new list of tools to pay attention to in 2019 coming soon!

It’s not your father’s social media!  How the power of social media has diminished over the years.

The power of social media has been reduced to almost nothing over the years.  Twitter is worthless for us and Facebook is quickly joining them in the irrelevant zone.  In 2018 “social media” means “Instagram” when referring to bars and restaurants.  Your content is only seen by a finite amount of followers who are being more and more restricted by Instagram’s algorithm.

Here is the info the “social media experts” won’t tell you (or may not even know themselves).  Don’t expect Instagram to be a magic wand to bring in customers by the droves.  Those days are far behind us.

The do’s and don’ts of online review response.  The only thing worse than a 1-star review is a 1-way conversation.

Responding to online reviews is the art of saying the same thing in 1000 different ways. The last thing you want is to come across insincere and robotic. Make sure ALL reviews are responded to, not just the negatives. Thanking your 5-star fans is one of the most important parts. Chances are your competition is ignoring them as well so now’s your chance to shine.

If you don’t have time for this, I get it. Professional review response is one of the services Bar Marketing Basics offers.