Paid advertising is a key part of a successful restaurant marketing strategy. The saying “You have to spend money to make money” really rings true. The best marketing for restaurants does require some investment, but it more than pays off in the long run.
Restaurant Advertising Overview
What do we mean when we say advertising? We’re not talking about organic marketing methods, like posting on social media or word of mouth. Advertising refers specifically to ads that you pay a set amount of money to run.
Advertising for restaurants can come in a variety of forms. As a part of your restaurant marketing plan, your advertising strategy may include platforms like Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Yelp Ads, TV commercials, billboards, or radio ads.
Why To Run Ads For Your Restaurant
As we said, you have to pay for ads. Why use part of your restaurant marketing budget for ads? Because they work. If you choose the right channels for your restaurant, you’ll be reaching many times more people than you could with organic marketing efforts alone.
Ads also allow you to target more specific audiences. So your budget is being spent only on the people you want to reach.
Additionally, paid advertising on various channels has capabilities that can help you drive conversions. For instance, on Facebook you can connect your online ordering website to your ads to direct people straight to checkout.
Where to Advertise Your Restaurant
As we mentioned above, there are a number of different channels through which to run ads. Which channels to include in your hospitality marketing efforts will depend on your specific business and goals. But in general, most of your ad budget should be dedicated to digital marketing.
Digital advertising reigns supreme in today’s landscape. Sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook have tons of features that are great for restaurant advertising.
And if you’re overwhelmed by the options and not sure where to spend your ad budget, a restaurant marketing agency can help. They’ll walk you through the options and make sure your marketing budget is being optimized on the best channels for your small business.
How To Run The Best Restaurant Ads
Once you’ve decided to run ads and know what platforms you’ll be using, you need to actually create your ads. Digital advertising should include images and videos that are eye-catching and really highlight the features of your restaurant that you’re most trying to show off. Professional photos tend to work best for food, but you can also capture great content yourself if you adhere to food photography best practices.
Either way, both the visuals and the written content for your ads together will determine your advertising success. Keep your written content short and to the point, and always be clear about the call to action you want people to take.
With the tips above, you should be able to get started advertising your restaurant the right way. And if you want even more info, be sure to download our free restaurant marketing guide, the Restaurant Marketing Recipe Book. It includes great info for paid ads and all other forms of restaurant marketing.
