Figuring out the right marketing mix for your restaurant is not an easy task, especially amidst all of the other responsibilities and challenges of running a successful restaurant business. When it comes to marketing your restaurant, the options can be endless and overwhelming. And while it may take some time to discover the right marketing mix for your restaurant, a good first place to start is to be aware of these biggest marketing myths to avoid and why.
1) Having a mobile-friendly website is a nice-to-have feature, but not mandatory.
If somebody tells you that your restaurant’s website looks ok or is good enough, if it’s not mobile friendly then you are missing out on important opportunities to attract new customers. For instance, research conducted by Chadwick Martin Bailey with SinglePlatform from Constant Contact reveals that 81 percent of consumers surveyed searched for a restaurant using a mobile app in the last six months. If you don’t give users an enjoyable browsing experience on their mobile phones you will lose them.
2) Discounts are the key to winning customers.
Sure, everyone loves a good deal, but if you are overly discounting your products you could be hurting your business. Yes, draw in customers with discounts but only if they make sense for your business. But also beware of devaluing your restaurant with too many coupons and promotions.
3) Having great food will make my restaurant successful.
Great food is, of course, an important must-have for any successful restaurant but it’s not everything. With intense competition facing today’s restaurants, you need to always be finding new ways to attract new customers and keep existing ones happy.
4) Marketing is just too expensive and not in the budget.
There are actually plenty of cost-effective ways to market your restaurant. Two great cost-effective marketing tools are email and social media, both of which are powerful ways to reach your customers.
5) Social media is too difficult to track and cannot be quantified.
Many businesses complain that they can’t tie their social media efforts to tangible ROI. While it has been an ongoing challenge to connect social media efforts to ROI, companies are increasingly reporting such connections and increasing social media investments.
6) Print marketing and advertising are a waste of money.
Even in today’s digital age, there is still a role for print advertising and collateral. A survey by the National Restaurant Association found that consumers welcome traditional marketing messages from restaurants more than they welcome digital ones: 73 percent of respondents would particularly welcome a newspaper ad or a menu in the mail, while 67 percent would welcome an email message.
7) Loyalty programs don’t work.
They do! According to the National Restaurant Association, 56 percent of family restaurants and 69 percent of fine dining establishments have detected increases in loyalty-program participation. Additionally, 57 percent of adult consumers are more likely to visit restaurants that offer reward programs.
Figuring out the best marketing strategy for your restaurant takes trial and error. But for starters, don’t fall into these common marketing myths that could hinder your efforts.
Article provided by Buzztime.
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