A marketing plan for restaurant development is crucial for growing the business by attracting new customers to your restaurant and maintaining customer loyalty of your repeat business. A successful marketing plan should feature several parts so that it reaches as many people as possible and its effectiveness is measurable.
Once a restaurant is open and word of mouth has begun to spread, a marketing plan for restaurant flexibility translates to a healthy bottom line. A marketing plan should be a combination of things, like direct mail, promotions, community activities, and radio, television and print advertising. Themed dinners, specials and other in-house promotions are also successful and inexpensive marketing activities.
A marketing plan for restaurant repeat business needs efforts that show your appreciation to your loyal customers. For example, a program that honors customers on their birthday with a special promotion would bring a large party to your restaurant for the celebration. This translates to more people knowing about your restaurant, which means more referrals.
When developing a marketing plan for restaurant success, look at your overall business. It’s important to know the environment in which you are doing business. You should be able to identify your market, compare your competition, define your customer base, explore other customer based opportunities, implement focused marketing efforts for new and repeat business, identify your competitive edge, determine menu price points, and implement up-sell strategies.
A marketing plan for restaurant lifecycles would bring you through busy and slow months successfully. A marketing budget should be set in proportion to your sales. A rule of thumb is 3% to 6% of sales. Advertising is part of a marketing plan and should encompass all mediums. On-site promotions, taking part in special events in the area, or holding a function in partnership with a charity or other company are also key marketing components. Take advantage of free marketing opportunities by introducing yourself to the local media. Think creatively and use holidays, community events and other opportunities to promote your restaurant.
A marketing plan for restaurant development can feature many components that work in conjunction with each other. Among the possibilities are targeted mailings, coupons, customer loyalty cards, an e-newsletter, a website and gift certificates. Start an email marketing campaign by collecting customer’s emails in the restaurant or through your website and send regular emails about specials and holiday menus, or offer them incentives for dining with you on certain times of the week that are traditionally slow. The goal is to better connect you with the customer so they feel part of your family and want to support you.
A marketing plan for restaurant continuity should be easy for all staff levels. They are the ones with direct contact with diners, so they need to be an essential part of carrying out any type of marketing effort. A trained staff is the best marketing strategy because they set the tone for a customer’s experience and whether they will return and refer your restaurant to others. Enhancing customer expectations through the dining experience is an inexpensive marketing effort.
A marketing plan for restaurant effectiveness means building upon a strong foundation that takes all areas into consideration, such as changes in the restaurant industry, your market, the competition in the area, your customers and other influences. A marketing plan, whether created internally or by an outside marketing consultant, should be flexible so when results are tracked changes can be made to enhance what’s working and modify what is not successful. A marketing plan is an important ongoing effort, just like the daily operations of a restaurant.
Jose L Riesco brought top proven marketing practices to the restaurant industry, making a unique contribution to this business by creating a unique client-focused Strategy. You can find more by visiting his web site: Restaurant Marketing Strategies
Tags: Business, restaurant business, restaurant development, restaurant management, restaurant marketing, restaurant strategy, restaurant success
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