There are really only three ways to increase your restaurant or bar sales:
1. Attract new guests
2. Increase guest frequency
3. Increase the average check per visit
1. Attract new guests
People are constantly moving. People move into a city and out of a city for jobs, for family, for pleasure. People are regularly traveling to other cities and so there is an endless stream of new potential guests for your restaurant. Even if you’ve been around forever, there are tons of people who have never heard about you.
How to do it:
The best ways to attract new guests are Facebook and Instagram advertising. Maybe you’ve tried boosting posts, which I recommend you don’t do. To get the most out of your advertising dollars you need to use Facebook’s backend ad management system, which will allow you to reach potential guests in hyper-targeted ways. Want to reach someone who has a birthday in the next week? Want to reach people who buy catering? Who have an upcoming anniversary? Who love BBQ? Engaged? Married? Craft beer enthusiasts? People with only a particular income bracket? People who have expensive purchasing behavior? Some combination of these? It’s all possible on Facebook and there is no other platform than can do this.
Instagram is owned by Facebook and you can advertise on Instagram through the Facebook Ad Manager. You need to get on these platforms, post regularly, and advertise or your missing your biggest opportunity to attract new guests.
2. Increase guest frequency
In order to get people to come back to your restaurant or come more frequently, you first need to have awesome food and service. That’s given. Assuming that’s your priority and something you take seriously, make sure you keep your bathrooms clean. Sometimes that keeps people away, even if the food and service are great. So how do you get people to not just come back, but come back frequently?
How to do it:
Email marketing, SMS (Text) marketing, Facebook and Instagram. There are other ways but this is a good start. If you aren’t adding hundreds and thousands of emails to your email list through creative social media marketing campaigns and in-house promos then you are missing a big piece of the retention puzzle. Younger generations prefer text over email so you can also do it through SMS marketing. You can also upload your email list to Facebook and market to them via Facebook and Instagram. Use Facebook Live and Instagram Stories. If you aren’t doing these things you are behind.
3. Increase the average check per visit
Sure, you could raise prices. But many restaurant owners are missing out on fully utilizing the time they have with the guest while in the restaurant.
How to do it:
In-house promotions and server training. This is one you have to do. Great in-house promotions and specials (that they can learn about when they visit) can consistently increase the size of the check. Many times it’s just a matter of training your staff to gently and persuasively up-sell guests. “What appetizer can I start you off with? I always recommend the Pig Pen Nachos. They are a guest favorite here.” This presupposes the sale and it’s not asking, “Can I start you off with some appetizers..” which is a yes or no question. It’s asking which one they want to start with. Small adjustments to language can make all the difference in a sale. Don’t forget to do the same thing with dessert!
Instagram is owned by Facebook and you can advertise on Instagram through the Facebook Ad Manager. You need to get on these platforms, post regularly, and advertise or your missing your biggest opportunity to attract new guests.
Remember to plan
I’m consistently shocked by how many businesses and restaurant owners have no marketing plan, let alone a digital marketing plan. Social media and the other strategies discussed here get real results and increase sales. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.
Implement the advice in this post properly and you’ll get more traffic, more leads, more customers, and more revenue. If this all seems a little overwhelming, let us know. We’re here to help. We’ll work with you to assess your current situation and give you a roadmap in a complimentary 30 minute strategy session. You’ll leave knowing what you need to do to take your business to new heights. http://bit.ly/39DafCC
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