Blog & Resources

Restaurant Marketing Blog

Restaurant Marketing Blog

Blog & Resources

How to Market your Business During the Off Season

We all know just how important implementing a marketing strategy is for a business to be successful. Businesses are constantly doing whatever it takes to get their name out to the public through multiple facets of advertising. It’s safe to say that promoting your business is crucial, but when should you put a little extra effort into your marketing strategies?

While some businesses advertise year-round, the off season is when it becomes a little more difficult to gain consumer interest. During these unfortunate lulls in business, there are a few tactics to promote your business and gain new customers.

One thing to do is always stay focused on your customers. This can be accomplished through email updates, sending fliers and connecting on social media. Sending emails to contacts regarding any company information or updates will help keep your business top of mind throughout the months. Always keep a list of your company’s email and mail subscribers in order to stay in touch with information regarding deals, new additions to menus or brochures or events that may be held in the upcoming future. The name of the game is to keep your name out there and stay active with your subscribers.

Another useful tool is having a current website that is always being worked on and updated. Your website should be interesting and should follow whatever motif you choose to go for. Companies with signature colors, fonts or taglines are more likely to attract people. So, if your company doesn’t have an updated, current website or blog, use the off season to work on it. For example, writing blog posts and newsletters can not only inform consumers but make them aware as to what your company represents.

Social media is necessary to expand your business in this digital era. Try taking this time to make your company’s social media accounts informative and current by staying on trends, hashtags and memes. Knowing the vast world of social media and incorporating current events/trends can help to stay relevant. Having social media accounts makes it easy to connect with potential customers or other businesses with the click of a button. It also can give you ideas for your own business as well as staying on top of your competitors.

The off season is a good idea to offer deals, promotions or discounts to consumers. You can promote deals, updates and events through a creation of a social media post. Once you gain followers or subscribers on all social media platforms, it is time to expand your audience while keeping current followers updated. Updating your page with pictures, videos or flyers can be effective to your more social media active customers. Also, getting your staff to share your business’s posts on to their social media is sure to gain attention from even more potential customers.

These are just a few steps you can take to ensure a healthy future for your business. You should always have a plan on how to optimize growth for your company no matter what. Don’t be afraid to try new techniques when it comes to promoting or advertising. The time and effort you put in now will help your business perform better during the off season.

For more information on how we can help you advertise during the off season, please contact us at 631-207-1057 ext. 107 or email us at johnzaher@diningoutli.com.

Using E-Blasts to Promote Your Business

Send e-blasts regarding events and specials to market your company and gain visibility.

E-blasts are great marketing tools that can help get the word out about your business’ upcoming events, specials, discounts, or company news. They can also be used to send greetings to your customer and prospective customer databases. For instance, for holidays, you can use an e-blast to send special offers and holiday greetings.

How to Design an E-Blast

Depending on the content of your e-blast, you need to work to create a design that highlights the main purpose of the blast. For example, if the purpose of the e-blast is to inform customers about an upcoming event or discount, be sure to display that information directly at the top. This way, it is the first aspect of the email people see and read.

Check out these e-blasts we’ve created for some of our clients recently:

For e-blasts that serve as holiday greetings, they can be a little more informal and fun. One great thing about sending holiday greetings is that it promotes your business without directly talking about your business. Therefore, customers won’t view the email as a promotion (even though it works in a similar way). It also reminds customers of your business during the holiday season and might increase your sales. When appropriate, include a special offer as part of your greeting.

How to Send E-Blasts

To send an e-blast to a wide range of customers and clients, it would be beneficial to use a service such as Constant Contact or MailChimp. These allow you to send emails to a large database of email addresses at one time. You can even separate your customers into different lists such as current customers and prospective customers. With these lists, you could send an email regarding a discount for first-time customers to only the prospective customer list. Another email describing a deal specifically for current customers can be sent to that respective list.

To learn more about how to create and utilize e-blasts to promote your business, please contact us at 631-207-1057 or email us at johnzaher@diningoutli.com.

Spring Cleaning: How to Run Your Business More Efficiently

March on Long Island this year came in like a lion. But as the spring softens, sunny skies and high temperatures will pull customers out of their wintry blues and into shops, restaurants and destinations. Now’s the time to take a critical look at the way your business is run, and how to tailor your marketing plan to accomplish your goals. Give your company’s marketing strategy a makeover that will renew it with simplicity, efficiency, and freshness. Continue reading “Spring Cleaning: How to Run Your Business More Efficiently”

Make Back the Money

How to Optimize Your ROI with Call Tracking

With any marketing campaign, there is one thing all business are interested to know: what’s my return on investment (ROI)? In other words, ROI determines how much profit is made from a business’ marketing efforts after its costs are factored out. Continue reading “Make Back the Money”

Too Cold to “Chill” at Home?

Getting Consumers off the Couch and into Your Store During Bad Weather

This year’s bitterly cold temperatures seem to have cooled the enthusiasm for popular winter activities, such as sledding, ice skating, and – even to a certain degree – going out to dinner, the bar, or the movies. Restaurant and destination managers are well-aware of the reluctance of their consumers to come out during unseasonable weather, but that doesn’t mean these businesses need to hit the brakes. Continue reading “Too Cold to “Chill” at Home?”

Marketing Your Restaurant During the Holiday Season

The “most wonderful time of year” opens heart and wallets, offering great benefits to restaurants and destinations; but, thanks to fierce competition, it also presents great challenges. Follow these steps to make your business, small or large, stand out from the crowd this holiday season. Continue reading “Marketing Your Restaurant During the Holiday Season”

New Features in Google My Business

Earlier this year, Google added insight reports, tailored actionable buttons (think take-out ordering or hotel reservation booking) and bulk upload spreadsheet functions to its Google My Business features. Though all are especially helpful to restaurants, the latter is a great tool for businesses with more than one location (and, thus, more than one listing on Google) as it enables page owners to collect information for all locations to one central location. Continue reading “New Features in Google My Business”

How to Rebuild Customer Trust After a Crisis

Online reviews and forums have made it much easier for people to communicate their experiences with products or places, which, for businesses, can be a blessing and a curse. Although reviews are a reliable mode of expanding brand awareness, one bad streak in online reviews could scare potential customers away. Management must act quickly and respond thoughtfully to customers in order to protect the company’s brand reputation, but also want to avoid appearing overly eager to please. It’s a delicate balance between satisfying an unhappy customer and standing up for the business you believe in. Continue reading “How to Rebuild Customer Trust After a Crisis”

Using Video Ads on Facebook

Facebook video ads allow you to reach more people who matter to your business. With over 50% growth in viewing, video ads on Facebook are a great way to drive awareness, capture lead generation and close online sales for your company. According to an IDC “Always Connected” report, people return to Facebook’s news feed on average 14 times a day. By advertising on Facebook with video, you can target real people based on their interests, behaviors, age, gender and location across a range of devices such as desktop, tablet, or smartphones. Continue reading “Using Video Ads on Facebook”

Contact Us

For more information about our services or to find out how we can help you attain your restaurant marketing goals, click here to email us or call us today at:
Toll Free: 1-855-776-4123 .: Phone: 631-207-1057

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