Discover The Recipe To A Successful New Restaurant Marketing Plan

I can’t help but get annoyed at how most restaurants are willing to pay hundreds—no, thousands of dollars for marketing campaigns that don’t work.

I have friends in the business who tell me their clients continue to pay the same sales people who bring up the same ineffective strategies again and again: magazine and newspaper ads, Yellow Pages, blanket mailing of restaurant coupons to the wrong audience, radio ads, etc. These ideas would’ve worked twenty years ago. Twenty years ago.

These days it’s a different playing field altogether.

It should be noted that new restaurants are immediately at a disadvantage. They haven’t found a place in the market yet, and while they’re busy establishing their own niche, big name restaurants are hogging all the hungry diners in sight. Which is why it is critical that the new restaurant’s marketing plan is focused and efficient and fool-proof. Anything less is a recipe for disaster.

An effective new restaurant marketing plan incorporates several different components to attract a wide range of people. It should also be measurable so you can track its failures and successes.

Running a restaurant is much like coaching at the NBA Finals. When putting together a new restaurant marketing plan, consider the dynamics of your business. This includes identifying the market, defining the customer base, checking out the competition, identifying your business’ competitive edge, and implementing focused marketing efforts for new and repeat business. Remember every decision is critical. A wrong move could mean the end of your business.

Those are just some of the things you need to keep in mind.

A good new restaurant marketing plan should address slow and busy months. You should set a marketing budget based on your profits in a certain span of time. Here’s a tip: around 3% to 6% of your sales is good enough. Think creatively and always be looking for opportunities to market your restaurant.

However the most important part of a new restaurant marketing plan is the part that promotes repeat business. For example, cook up a special event that honors patrons on their birthdays with a promotion encouraging other customers in the restaurant to join the celebration. This should get people talking about your new place, which in turn leads to more referrals. Now that’s repeat business ala mode.

This is simply a basic overview on what makes a great new restaurant marketing plan. For more in-depth tips, check back on some of my previous articles in the online and offline marketing sections.