Great Ways to Market your Restaurant Online Successfully, Part 2-More Tantalizing Tidbits
Hungry for more? Right on the heels of last weeks blog are more juicy tidbits for restaurateurs and the importance of having a website. Whether a Mom & Pop or listed at the top of Zagat…tuck in the napkin and get ready for another serving!
* Taking it to Go ~ Because Smartphones have almost become an appendage, it is essential for people to be able to look you up while on the go. When people hear about or pass by a fab restaurant which offers a favored cuisine, the first thing they do is get on the internet and look for more information. Whether that’s the menu or a recent review – if you don’t have a website chances are that those folks might pass you by or pass you up when making their selection. An important point to make here as well is to ensure that your restaurant is easily searchable. You want your entire menu online, dish by dish. Using a PDF may seem like an easy, cost-effective solution as they are easy to download on a computer/laptop. However, in order for someone to find you using a search engine and make proper use of “tags”, you must have an itemized online menu. If possible, you should also try to have a mobile version of your website which will make reading the menus easier if opened on a Smartphone device.
*Cater to the Customer ~ If you are one of the many restaurants that offer catering services in addition to your in-house offerings, people should know this. But guess what, many probably don’t! Aside from your physical menu or waiting for a catering gig call, your website should be used as another promotion tool and done so in a prominent area. The goal is to build greater awareness of the expanded services you offer and generate more business. This way the customer might come to sample some food initially for the catering gig, but might become a faithful fan for other times. And the reverse has happened many times as well – someone comes in and loves a particular dish or your culinary style and wants you to cater an event. It’s all about using each opportunity and tool available to build your customer base – to be in mind for dinner time or party time.
*The Bottomless Cup of Possibilities ~ There are so many layout and design options it’s like a never-ending cup of good Joe. The restaurant web design business has become big business. WordPress designers have capitalized on this and it has become a great website option especially since it’s super easy to manage the content and update regularly. This is “muy importante” for a restaurant with a changing menu and daily/weekly specials. But keep in mind that clean designs are best and adding vibrant, crisp images will make customers eat with their eyes first. An attractive yet informative website with regularly updated content and promotions is a place where customers return time and again – good for their bellies and great for your pockets!
