Even if the restaurant has excellent cuisine, a chic interior and a good location, guests may well bypass it and not run in crowds for a business lunch. But banal advertising is to blame, or rather, its absence.
Pick your recipe
Idea
Stretching "We opened!" surprise no one. Everyone writes like that, and they also make photos of beautiful dishes, as if they were ugly. Effective promotion needs a reason, and one that no one has. People need nuances, a reason to talk, in other words, an idea: an ecological phytobar, an oriental DJ bar, a psychedelic restaurant.
There is too much advertising in the media, so only very bright, extraordinary advertising layouts can stand out. And noticeable should be not advertising, but an idea! You need to advertise a "chip", know-how, and not the restaurant itself as another nice room where you can eat deliciously. Do not sell the name, nor the slogan, nor the third roll for free - sell the legend, atmosphere, lifestyle. Do not focus on colleagues in this, do not be afraid to be the first.
Outdoor advertising
The most effective form of outdoor advertising for a restaurant is its sign. It should be combined with the facade group and stand out on it, highlighted in the dark, the information should be easy to read. Restaurants with a sufficiently large territorial influence or located in hard-to-reach (more precisely, hard-to-reach) places should allow themselves more: along the route to the restaurant (knowing the main transport interchanges), you can install billboards, billboards, light boxes or road signs. A relatively new type of restaurant advertising is in transport (taxis, minibuses).
media
Depending on the target audience, the restaurant can focus on either the business and informational, or on the entertainment press. If you plan to attract foreigners to the institution, then you can not do without English. In general, the press is more suitable for image advertising - promoting the image of the institution that corresponds to its concept. The original layout of the restaurant should contain just such an image and a minimum of text, literally: name, slogan, address and another short phrase, because when reading the press, people DO NOT READ the advertisement. If a restaurant wants to say something more about itself, you can think about an article, since many publications practice special sections devoted to restaurants. You can hold a master class in cooking sushi, for example, for journalists.
Letters
There are two main types of newsletters - mail, SMS and Internet mailing. Regardless, a successful one that is aimed at specific representatives of the target audience. Letters should be sent only to those addresses from where future customers will be able and willing to come to the restaurant. Web mailing is cheaper and often more effective. Regular customers can be asked to leave an e-mail themselves.
Gloss
In an institution of medium and higher than the average price category there should constantly be an informational printing: business cards of the restaurant, detailed booklets with the main dishes of the menu and the legend. Promotional printing is dedicated to certain promotions, events and is intended mainly for distribution or pre-distribution in the restaurant itself (on tables or in folders-account).
Present
In restaurants, souvenir products can be very diverse, the main requirement for it is originality, conceptuality. The role of souvenir products can be performed by: account folders that visitors can take with them, tin cans with the symbols of the restaurant, candles with symbols, chocolates with the logo of the restaurant, etc. - the scope for creativity is colossal. A good idea is matches with image advertising of the institution, but such products work only where they smoke.
Tv
The effectiveness of restaurant advertising on TV is a moot point. The difficulty is that TV, unlike a restaurant, is an element of mass culture. For restaurants on TV, a good option is to sponsor certain events: sports matches, concert programs. Successful experience - prize pools and participation in specialized programs about restaurants, designed for consumers. Only fast foods with a network of at least 8-10 establishments can count on a certain effectiveness of TV advertising.
Radio
Advertising a restaurant on the radio is effective in two cases: when opening a new institution (the campaign should last at least 3 weeks with 6-8 outlets per day) and when promoting certain advertising campaigns (invitation to a party, information about business lunches, breakfasts, discounts on the menu, etc.). In order for such an advertisement to really work, the video must be a game, with an interesting idea that reflects the concept and even the style of the institution. The more “jokes” a radio clip contains, the greater the likelihood of its effectiveness.
Word of mouth
In the fine dining sector (expensive, high-end restaurants), word-of-mouth advertising, holding various events, attracting famous people, creating unusual informational occasions, promoting a chef, etc. is very important. Arkady, a famous restaurateur and adherent Novikov, opening the "Cheese" restaurant, ordered the managers to respond to all calls of potential customers in the first week after opening: "All the tables are busy … you can make an order for the day after tomorrow." Working for some time at a loss, the restaurateur created a stir and the reputation of a popular place. The higher the cost of the average bill, the less direct advertising plays the role and the greater - PR. On the Web Advantages of the Internet over other methods: low price, speed of placement, broad target audience and its growth.
On a specialized portal about leisure and restaurants, information can be brought in full: a description of the restaurant (its concept, general atmosphere, specialties, information about the chef, interior photos), news (events, events and tastings, changes in the menu, opening new restaurants, the introduction of additional services), a full menu, including drinks with prices, coordinates (address, phone, location map) and opening hours, the ability to order a table or banquet online for both the B2B sector and B2C. In addition, the Internet is the only media environment where you can not be afraid of experiments, sharp turns and non-standard ways. Web design tools, HTML features, graphics, flash, Java, etc. are virtually unlimited for creating any kind of advertising materials.
Stick fish
It’s good to “tie” a restaurant to a well-known brand, in which case an associative relationship is established between them and the attitude to the brand is transferred to the restaurant. Therefore, promotion of a restaurant in boutiques and shopping centers (depending on the price category of the restaurant and its concept) can have a good effect - the so-called cross-promotion, when shops, salons and boutiques agree on a system of mutual discounts or mutual information support.