By Owen Baker, Contributor
Like any other business, a successful restaurant must be promoted properly.
In previous years, word of mouth may have been enough in terms of restaurant marketing. Not anymore. A good restaurant marketing strategy must also leverage public relations (PR). Just look at the statistics. A staggering 94% of diners choose restaurant establishments based on a restaurant’s reputation.
But how can you leverage PR for your restaurant and, ultimately, grow your business? Let’s start from the top.
What is Restaurant PR?
Restaurant PR focuses on creating awareness and maintaining the offline and online reputation of your food business. The aim is to create the right kind of buzz and ensure guests, potential guests, and the other members of the public always see your brand in a positive light.
For this, PR specialists resort to a wide array of strategies, including creating quality content that pushes the business’ narrative and cultivating good relationships within the industry.
4 PR Strategies Every Restaurant Can Implement
Let’s take a deeper look into these essential PR strategies for any type of restaurant:
1. Engage with Local Media
The media narrative around your restaurant plays a huge role in PR. So, to ensure a positive narrative, engage with local media as soon as possible.
Learn what kind of content local newspapers and radio stations are looking for and help them out whenever possible. For example, they may need expert quotes and insights from food and restaurant industry professionals. This kind of input opens up opportunities for collaboration. You could use email finder software to get their contact details and send them your helpful content.
You can also engage with the content local journalists publish on social media as part of your local marketing efforts. Your aim is to get them to recognize you. So, when you ask them for news coverage of your restaurant PR event, for example, they’ll gladly oblige. You can rely on them to publish your press release in times of crisis as well.
2. Leverage Email Marketing
Email marketing is highly effective in restaurant industry PR. About 60% of consumers complete a purchase after receiving an email from a brand. That’s because when you leverage email marketing, you show potential customers you care about nurturing relationships with them. You can also use email to promote your brand’s positive image.
You can easily build your email list through online bookings. Customers give their email addresses when booking. Another option is to incorporate opt-in forms into your restaurant website. Upland, a New York-based restaurant, uses pop-ups like the one below.
Once you have their contact details, you can send them newsletters that promote offers or announce your newest dishes, as shown below.
You can also use email to invite them to your special restaurant event:
Or even greet them on their birthdays and offer them a special gift:
You can also send follow-up emails to your customers after their meal. Just thank them for coming and then ask for a review. With this approach, you don’t just make them feel heard. You also get valuable feedback you can use to improve your products and services.
3. Create and Share Other Compelling Content
Apart from emails, you can create other compelling content that promotes your restaurant as the place to enjoy a great meal.
Why not write a press release to spread important news like your newest offers, like Restaurant James Randall did below?
You can post your press release on your site and/or send it to local media outlets for publication. Just use an eye-catching heading and display all relevant contact details in case these local media outlets have additional questions. Using quotes from the restaurant owner is a good way of adding a personal touch to your press release.
You can also create blog posts that announce these updates. Gotham, based in New York, for instance, writes about its upcoming events on its blog:
When writing both your site press releases and blog posts, make sure you incorporate keywords so they’ll likely appear in search engine results pages given a relevant search query.
Sleek social media videos and photos showcasing your delicious dishes on these online platforms can also enhance your reputation as a restaurant business.
However, make sure to mix it up. Your social content should provide value for users, not just promote your product. For example, as part of your social media marketing, you could have a weekly post offering cooking tips each week. Or show how some of your dishes are made, like the example below.
You can also ask your customers to create relevant social media content themselves. People love to take photos of their delicious food. You just need to create your hashtag and encourage customers to post their snaps. Then share these on your own social media platforms.
4. Get Involved in the Community
Getting involved in your local community is essential in the restaurant industry. This can help you build positive relationships with locals. It also shows you’re a brand that doesn’t just care about making a profit. You also care about the community.
So, why not sponsor local organizations such as sports clubs that bring locals together? Something like a shirt sponsorship for your local football team would work well to raise awareness for your restaurant every time they play a match.
You could also host events like a clean-up drive or a tree-planting activity. That’s exactly what vegan restaurant Le Botaniste did.
If your neighborhood is hosting a local festival or fair, offer sponsorship or set up your own food stand at the special event. When you get involved in these community events, you can easily gain restaurant publicity, too. After all, these are the types of events local news channels typically cover.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to getting involved in the local community. The key is to stay abreast of local developments that can open up opportunities for you and to be proactive.
In Closing
Effective restaurant PR is key to the success of your business. PR helps you promote your brand and maintain your good reputation.
You learned four PR strategies to follow for the best results.
Reach out to local news outlets and radio stations and build lasting relationships. Similarly, get involved with local events to get your name out there. Combine these with a great online strategy to see results. Use social media posts, press releases and blog posts on your website that enhance your reputation and attract restaurant clients. You can also leverage email marketing to provide menu updates and promote new offers.
Now go promote your restaurant like a pro!
About the Author
Owen Baker is a content marketer for Voila Norbert, an online email verification tool. He has spent most of the last decade working online for a range of marketing companies. When he’s not busy writing, you can find him in the kitchen mastering new dishes.
