By Cynthia Avery, Contributor
Whether you’re operating on a franchise level or are managing your little restaurant, investing in a blog is a smart idea. According to published reports, 90% of guests check out restaurants online before visiting, with 91% using Facebook and 78% Instagram to promote their restaurant businesses.
Similarly, based on data, 35% of guests go through all reviews and the restaurant’s website content before deciding whether to visit or order for delivery. With so many restaurants available out there, standing out is difficult enough, and blogging can make that easier. Let’s take a look at how you can write great restaurant blog content which will increase your sales in 2021 and beyond.
Benefits of Writing Great Blog Posts for Your Restaurant
Before we dive into restaurant blogging, let’s discuss why you should invest time and resources into doing so. Judging by recent statistics, 72% of guests place “food” above all else when deciding whether to visit a restaurant. Meanwhile, 95% of restaurant owners stated that technology has made it easier for them to run establishments and attract new guests.
Blogging has become a staple of online marketing no matter the industry we discuss. In addition to a well-designed website and clean, modern interior design for your restaurant, blogging can bring new guests to your establishment more easily. What are the benefits of blogging about your restaurant?
Establishing your brand’s position in the restaurant industry
Consistently engaging your online followers and curating brand loyalty
Easily support social issues, communities, and causes through blog posts
Showcase your restaurant’s cuisine, employees, and atmosphere
Cheaper and easier to manage than printed marketing, with bigger market penetration
Writing Great Restaurant Blog Posts to Increase Sales
Assemble a Reliable Writing Tools Stack
To deliver the best possible content for your guests, you will need to use specialized writing tools to do so. While you may be able to write rudimentary blog posts through offline text editors and WordPress’ CMS, this won’t do any good for SEO purposes.
Writing tools such as Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and Evernote are specifically designed to allow for digital content writing and editing. You can order blogpost writing when you are short on time and need professional help writing, rewriting, and editing good restaurant articles on short notice. Don’t write your posts manually and without any online assistance, and their quality will reflect on your foresight.
Offer a Sneak Peek into Your Kitchen & Staff
As we’ve mentioned previously, restaurant guests want to know about the quality of food served in whichever restaurant they might visit. The quality of said food is reflected in the restaurant's staff more than anyone else.
Thus, you can create amazing blog posts talking about your employees, chefs, produce suppliers, etc. Similarly, you can write blog posts about certain dishes on your menu or describe the cooking process of your specialties. People love hearing and reading about food, which, in turn, makes them likely to visit the restaurant and order that meal.
Invite Influencers & Food Critics to Your Restaurant
There are many social media influencers, food bloggers, and critics who would love to be invited to your restaurant in exchange for online promotion. Look for local food influencers and bloggers with a sizable following and reach out to them. They can visit your restaurant pro bono, enjoy some of its food, and then write about their experience either on your blog or their own.
This is a great two-way promotional tactic as both parties will enjoy each other’s online following without any monetary resources spent to do so. However, keep in mind that the coverage of your restaurant and its cuisine should be positive to increase your sales and attract guests. Inviting an influencer out of the left field and without any passion for food will often result in a poor experience for both sides.
Share Your Blog Posts on Social Media
Social media is an undeniable king when it comes to promoting your restaurant. Writing blog posts and subsequently sharing them on your social media channels is a great way to reach new guests fairly quickly. Establish a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram while also claiming your Google Business.
Allow people to review your restaurant online and make time to respond to each message in due time. Blog posts shared on social media will let you engage your followers, discuss food through comments sections and gain access to user-generated content.
Make Good Use of User-Generated Content
Speaking of user-generated content (UGC), it’s undeniable that guests will trust the reviews of other guests who have already visited your restaurant. As such, testimonials, reviews, quotes, photos, and videos about your restaurant and establishment should be collected for future marketing purposes.
UGC can be a part of your regular blogging schedule, and you can interview your guests, photograph them (with permission), and write about their stay. People who haven’t yet visited your restaurant will be thrilled to see positive guest content coming from individuals satisfied with your food and hospitality.
Include Coupons in Your Blog Posts
A great way to encourage guests to check back with your blog regularly is to hide goodies such as promo codes in blog posts. If you are writing a blog post about wines present in your restaurant, you can add a small 5-10% discount code somewhere in the article.
This can work well as a small thank-you to people who come to your blog regularly and would like to visit the restaurant again soon. Other types of coupons can also work, such as giving free samples of new deserts to customers or having them collect parts of a code. Making your blog about more than just written content will engage your readers and ensure that they come to your restaurant sooner rather than later.
Restaurant Blogging Mistakes to Keep in Mind
Now that we’ve covered several ways, in which you can write engaging content for your restaurant’s blog, let’s also address some elephants in the room. There are certain mistakes that you can make when writing marketing content for your restaurant.
If left unchecked, these can cause your restaurant’s reputation to plummet. Make sure to address the following issues if they crop up for your restaurant, and the blog content you create should perform as intended.
Poor or non-existent use of SEO tools such as Google AdWords and SEM Rush before publishing posts
Lack of interaction with guest comments, messages, and emails sent to your restaurant
A poor website which makes it difficult for guests to access blog posts or restaurant menu
Lack of original multimedia (images, videos, etc.) in restaurant blog posts – original content matters
Failure to follow trends in the restaurant business industry in terms of blog post topics
Wrapping Up
No matter how good your food is or how hospitable your employees are, online marketing is an essential part of attracting guests to a restaurant. Go over which writing tools you’d like to use and come up with a list of topics worth writing about concerning your menu.
As you create more blog posts, you will spot what works and doesn’t work for your audience, allowing you to course-correct as you go. Before you know it, you will have guests flocking to your restaurant thanks to the blog posts they’ve enjoyed reading before making an order.
About the Author
Cynthia Avery is a professional marketer and content creator with a passion for writing blog posts and articles. Her career consists of numerous contributions in digital marketing, social media, and business development niches. Cynthia enjoys cycling and cooking in her spare time as well as journaling to improve her writing skills.
