By Michael Gorman, Contributor
The entire hospitality industry lives and breathes marketing, but restaurants are particularly dependent on promo activities. Restaurant marketing comes in many forms and you are probably using several methods already to help popularize your outlet. But is there a way to attract customers specifically to your restaurant’s delivery service?
The short answer is: Yes, there is.
As a matter of fact, there are lots of things you can do to promote this aspect of the business and it is very important to test each one – especially since COVID-19 has skyrocketed the popularity of delivery. Our goal is to help you with that, so let’s take a look at seven tips to attract customers to the delivery service of your restaurant.
How to Promote Your Delivery Service
If you are wondering why a restaurant delivery service would need additional promotion, remember the benefits it can get you:
Reach more customers
Revitalize your business in the age of COVID-19
Boost customer loyalty
Handle peak delivery periods more conveniently
Increased check sizes
Less overhead
There are obviously more than enough reasons to promote your delivery service, so let’s see how you can do it in seven practical steps!
#1 Boost Frequency by Focusing on Loyalty
There are only three methods of marketing: find new customers, encourage your guests to spend more while they visit, or entice your guests into visiting more often. The third choice can only be done by rewarding their loyalty. Unfortunately, too few operators have a defined and managed loyalty program.
Well, the good news you can rely on at least one of the third-party delivery service to facilitate building the loyalty of your delivery audience. Uber Eats has a feature that allows their delivery partners to make special offers to their loyal customers; in fact, their program allows you to address all three types of marketing.
The Uber Eats loyalty system helps you attract new delivery orders, maximize the orders of your existing customers, and reward your guests for their loyalty when they choose you over your competitors. With so much to worry about, it’s a relief to have a fully baked suite of options for increasing your delivery sales through loyalty.
#2 Promote the Your Delivery On-Premises
Delivery service promotion starts right at the front door of your restaurant. Every guest who walks in should learn that you are delivering meals. You can place flyers on tables, on a bulletin board, or in the front door/window, but a more subtle solution is to promote the service through restaurant Wi-Fi or business cards or with the check.
With on-premises guest sizes still trying to fully bounce back from 2020, it’s paramount to make up the difference with delivery, so make sure every guest who walks in and leaves knows they can enjoy your meals from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
#3 Execute a Local SEO Strategy
Your restaurant must have a website already, so one of the tips is to execute a local SEO strategy aimed at promoting your restaurant’s delivery service.
The idea is simple: find the best keywords for your delivery program such as “food delivery” along with your cuisine type and location, make sure those keywords are on your website, and create useful content that attracts a lot of online searchers. Hungry diners who are looking for a great meal without leaving their homes will easily find your website via Google or other search engines.
Executing a well-honed local SEO strategy also includes making sure your website is SEO optimized and that you’ve set up a Google My Business account.
#4 Promote on Your Social Networks
We don’t have to tell you how important social media networks have become for all types of businesses, including restaurants. Apart from publishing stunning visuals and showcasing your finest meals, you can utilize social platforms to:
Add a link to the delivery page on your website
Show business-related information like phone numbers and links to the menu
Get reviews from your guests
The key is to post regularly onto your accounts and make it a mix of interesting, informative, or entertaining content as well as your promotional material. No one wants to follow an infomercial.
#5 Drive More Sales with Promotions
When it comes to delivery, it can be difficult to communicate a special promotion or offer and be sure your guests are close enough to qualify for delivery from your location. That’s the beauty of partnering with a third-party delivery platform like Uber Eats. They know exactly where your ideal, targeted guests and how to get them to notice you through promotions.
In fact, you can use their platform to create outstanding offers that are highly personalized and go to the right target. Let’s face it, a partner with the reach of Uber Eats has already created the exact market you want to access. It just makes sense to leverage that access to deliver your promotions to the audience that is most likely to take advantage of them.
If you are an independent or small chain operator, then you need all the advantages you can get. Uber Eats delivers on that need with several ways to get the attention of consumers in your trade area and entice them to make an order.
#6 Keep in Touch via Email
Email is still the most popular business communication tool globally, and typically outperforms social media campaigns by a lot. The key lies in that it’s easy for your followers to either ignore your posts or never see your post at all on social, while you will capture their attention (if only briefly) when they check their email. So make that subject line count!
First, you’ll need to collect your guests email addresses. This can be done on-premises, on your website, or from your delivery orders. Once you’ve captured that info, send your guests regular newsletters to keep them informed and your business on top of their mind.
How often you should send a newsletter really depends on how much you have to say that’ll keep guests interested and not just hitting delete when they see your from-line. Anywhere from weekly to once a month should suffice. Be sure to tell your followers about your latest offers, special deals, discounts, new meals, and, of course, your delivery and pickup service!
#7 Provide a Standout Delivery Service
This is the last tip on our list, but it is by no means the least important. You have to deliver as promised and maintain the highest level of quality long-term. This goes both for the quality of your meals and the speed and accuracy of the delivery.
If you are able to fulfill these conditions, rest assured customers will stick to your delivery service. If not, it doesn’t matter how good you are at promoting your delivery service, guests will use it once and then never again. And your restaurant will suffer for it.
This means you need to make sure your food travels well in the right containers, and arrives at a reasonable time. That’s why it’s paramount to team up with a quality third-party delivery provider. Otherwise, all the marketing in the world won’t matter.
Sponsored by Uber Eats.
