There is so much more to a busy and growing restaurant business than great food and incredible ambiance. Behind every great restaurant is an incredible advertising plan. The best plans are multifaceted and always evolving. That’s why the most successful restaurants around work with professional restaurant advertising agencies.

Eight Tips for Restaurant Advertising

There are a few things that restaurant owners and managers should keep in mind when they are putting together a marketing and advertising plan for their business. The restaurant industry is incredibly competitive and these tips can help any business to stay ahead of the crowd:

1) Determine the Brand and Message

The first step towards a successful advertising campaign is for restaurant owners to ensure that their brand and message are on point. The graphics and design should be eye catching and the message should be enticing. The brand should accurately portray the message and story that the restaurant is trying to tell. Is the restaurant casual and fun or fine dining, does it serve innovative food, is it a meeting place for friends, or a romantic date spot? The branding should tell the story in a glance. Finding the right brand and message can be quite difficult and is best left to a professional restaurant advertising agency.

2) Harness the Power of Social Media

Once the branding and message have been worked out, then it is time to incorporate them into online messaging. Social media is a powerful tool that many restaurants embrace. Creating a vibrant online presence on social media platforms requires time and skill, but it pays off when it is done well.

Restaurants that are active on social media are able to engage with both regular customers and potential customers. Serving instagrammable dishes means that the customers themselves will often advertise for the restaurant in order to take part in the online conversation. A successful social media campaign is often backed by a restaurant advertising agency that understands digital marketing.

3) Encourage Word-of-Mouth

Word-of-mouth these days is not just verbal. Oftentimes, word-of-mouth advertising includes online reviews and recommendations. Encouraging happy customers to leave reviews on online platforms will help new customers find the restaurant.

4) Use Professional a Food Photographer

Smart phones have pretty good cameras these days, but nothing compares to the photos taken by a professional photographer. Professional food photographers can bring any restaurant’s menu and advertising to life. A successful restaurant advertising campaign always includes incredible images for both digital and off-line advertising.

5) Make Sure Your Ads are Visually Appealing

Restaurant advertisements should be as visually appealing as the food is on the plate. Subconsciously, customers are more apt to trust a restaurant with a great looking ad over an ad that looks unprofessional.

6) Create a Buzz

People will stand in line for hours or make reservations weeks and months in advance for a place with a great buzz. A great advertising plan creates a buzz around the restaurant to make people feel as though they are lucky to get a seat at the table.

7) Think Outside the Box

Creating a buzz is a great, but the best chatter comes from restaurant advertising agencies that think outside the box. Finding new and innovative ways to get people talking and excited about a restaurant is one of their most important jobs.

8) Increase Your Web Presence

Increasing the web presence for any restaurant is important. Through the use of SEO, banner ads, targeted social media advertisements, and placements on directories, restaurants can increase their growth quickly. Full-service restaurant advertising agencies are able to offer these digital services to their clients.

Hiring a Restaurant Advertising Agency

Professional restaurant advertising agencies bring together a team of creative and strategic thinkers to help their clients’ build businesses that show continued growth over many years. They are able to help restaurant owners tell their stories through branding and digital advertising. These agencies bring together the best story tellers, photographers, digital marketers, and strategic experts to grow restaurants and help them to achieve their goals.

In the end, in-house restaurant advertising plans can only take a business so far. In order to really grow and thrive, they need to work with an innovative restaurant advertising agency who has experience in both the advertising industry and working with restauranteurs.