How To Promote A Restaurant: The 6 Biggest Mistakes To Avoid Online

June 28, 2013 10:45 am Published by

How to promote a restaurant? More and more restaurant owners find very difficult to answer this question.

Why?

The competition is getting more and more aggressive.

Customers do a lot of research online before going to a restaurant, or before booking a table. They take their time before taking a decision.

In fact, your image is very important inside and outside of your establishment.

However, you can’t afford to be only visible offline: this would mean that other restaurants will grab your market share online.

Also, You can’t afford to leave your customers taking ownership of your digital image.

You need to take control.

Finally, there are 6 common mistakes that you should avoid when promoting your restaurant online. Avoiding those big mistakes will increase your exposure online and will lead to more tables booked, and happier customers.

Mistake #1: Your restaurant is not registered in Google Places

One statistic to begin with: 43% of ALL online searches are location-based.

What does it mean when it comes to promote your restaurant online?

It means that you have to tell Google your restaurant’s location so that people can find you when they are searching on Google.

How do you do that?

By simply registering your business on Google Places.

Take the time to fully complete your profile. You’ll thank me later.

Mistake #2: You’ve caught the “Find us on Facebook” virus

How to promote a restaurant with Facebook

Do not cath the “Find Us On Facebook” virus!

This is possibly the worst virus on Earth.

Ok, maybe not.

How do you know if you’ve caught it?

If you’ve included the “Find us on Facebook” logo everywhere in your restaurant, you’ve definitely caught it.

Fortunately, there is a cure for it.

  1. You need to give a reason for your customers to find you on Facebook. Why on Earth should they find you on Facebook Replace the boring headline with something more compelling such as “Like us on Facebook for a chance to win a meal for 2, every month!”.
  2. You need to tell them how to find you. Chances are that you’re sharing your restaurant name with multiple other locations in the World.

Be specific.

Why would your clients bother about opening Facebook, typing your name, looking at the search results, checking if your restaurant is in the list, making sure it’s your restaurant, going to your page, and then finally liking your page.

Give your precise Facebook URL: Facebook.com/YourRestaurant.

Mistake #3: Customers can’t find you on the major review sites

Set up an account on every single review sites relevant to your location.

The major review websites for restaurants are:

Fully complete your profile for each.

Add pictures of your food and restaurant.

Mistake #4: You don’t ask for your customers’ feedback

The more reviews you have on the websites above, the more exposure your restaurant will have, the more authority your restaurant will have on Google, the more people will find you easily.

Ask every single customers to leave a review for your restaurant in one of those websites.

You will be amazed by the amount of people who will do it.

Mistake #5: You don’t display your menu in your website

How to promote a restaurant online with your menu

Your restaurant’s website should have a menu!

Visitors will go in your website for three major reasons:

  • To book a table,
  • To know when your establishment is opened (more on that below),
  • And to look at your menu.

Upload your beautiful, tasty menu onto your website.

Is it a simple PDF document? It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s easy to find.

Mistake #6: You don’t communicate your opening hours

That’s the last huge mistake you can make when promoting your restaurant online.

As I stated earlier, customers will check your opening hours to make sure that they won’t find a big, red “CLOSED” panel on your front door.

Especially when they are hungry.

Add your opening hours to your website, Facebook Page, and other social media accounts.

Restaurant owners, did you learn anything from this article? What are you planning to do to avoid those big mistakes?

www.haycafe.ruwww.rossianka-m.rubestfromnet.ru
Louis Grenier



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