Restaurant Advertising and Promotion: What Makes Restaurant Advertising Effective

Restaurant advertising can be effective, but like all restaurant marketing activities, it must be applied the right way. The campaigns that only build a brand and do not have a specific reason for being are for the big restaurants that already have an image. And just ignore all those ad sales reps who come begging for your restaurant’s marketing dollars to put an ad in another guide or newspaper. Keep this in mind: if advertising isn’t about making a sale or achieving a specific goal, then don’t do it.

Your restaurant advertising should focus on performance; your customer must do something after your ad. That means you must first have a system to track and measure the success of a restaurant’s advertising campaign, a compelling message, and a clear call-to-action that motivates your restaurant’s customers to take action. By that we mean telling the prospect exactly what to do. For every piece of restaurant promotion, whether it’s an ad, the yellow pages, a brochure, or an email, you should ask the potential customer to contact you, make a reservation, come to your restaurant, recommend, or take some kind of action Otherwise, it’s a waste of your precious restaurant marketing budget and you’d be better off doing something else.

Be sure to follow these guidelines for all restaurant advertising and direct mail (flyers, emails, brochures, postcards, etc.):

– Your restaurant ad must be in a publication or place that is aimed at the type of customer you are looking for. If you are a family restaurant, be sure to put your ads in the local school newsletter or at the nearby child care center.

– The promotional piece should have a strong title that clearly shows the benefit to the reader. Your logo is not a strong headline. ‘Be our guest for pre-dinner drinks’ is a powerful, attention-grabbing headline. Or if there’s something extraordinary going on at your establishment, like the only waterside restaurant or early happy hour, then shout that out. What is the greatest benefit you can give your client? Identify it and then put it in your title.

– Have a compelling offer. An offer makes the reader take action and allows you to track whether or not the restaurant ad was successful. ‘Come celebrate our new opening with a FREE glass of wine.’ Your offer should be compelling enough to make the reader say to themselves, “Why wouldn’t I do this?” What do I have to lose?

– Make it personal. Include photos of yourself or your team and sign them with your name.

– Use conversational language that builds trust with your prospect and great compelling copy. If you need it, ask someone to help you; it’s worth the investment to get it right.

– Have a clear ‘call to action’ that tells the person exactly what to do. “Call 1 800 303 3510 to reserve your table.” “Book now, places are limited.” Add an expiration date to any offer, which will create a sense of urgency and encourage people to act.

– Overcome skepticism. Use a guarantee or have a perceived expert speak for you. The best sandwich in town or we paid for it. While there will be some people who will accept the guarantee, if you trust your product, you will find that the new business will pay the money back several times over.

– Use testimonials, especially if they are from the press, local critics or celebrities.

Like any marketing activity, if you can’t clearly measure the benefit of your restaurant promotions, stop doing it and shift your money toward something that clearly achieves your business goals. Don’t be afraid to stop advertising and regroup. There are many other effective restaurant marketing strategies that are just as, or more, effective than advertising.