Saturday, September 11, 2010

Online Restaurant Marketing

Restaurant marketing has changed dramatically over the last twenty years due in large part to the internet and the proliferation of cell phones and PDAs such as Blackberry devices. In the old days restaurants depended on good word of mouth and reviews from such publications as Zagat and Bon Apetit. With today’s market saturated with chain restaurants like Chili’s, Applebees, Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse, Denny’s, and a host of others, small restaurants need to step up their restaurant marketing. These small entrepreneurs need to explore the new and brilliant ways that restaurant marketing has changed over the years.

Restaurants come and go and many more fail each year than succeed. Obviously the number one thing that a restaurant needs in order to succeed is a great kitchen and a terrific staff. Assuming that the establishment already has these put together (and this is no small assumption) they then need to get the word out to the general public and bring in the new customers that they hope will be enthralled by their food, atmosphere and hospitality and become regular, loyal clientele. One of the worst things for a restaurant is for customers to come in once and never return. Word travels fast and it really is a small, small world when it comes to hearing bad things, or good things about a place.

One of the positive things for restaurants these days is that most people no longer read the newspapers at all and don’t put much stock or even notice when the local newspaper writes up a review, good or bad. This is great for local establishments because in the old days restaurants practically lived or died by the stroke of the critic’s pen. This is not the case anymore for most of the U.S. except for perhaps Manhattan where the ultra chick eateries still want to have their review on Page Six.

For a restaurant to really succeed these days they need to get the word out and the best way to do that is to post blogs and post a lot of them. Restaurant marketing online is by far the best way to draw new customers but it does take time and a lot of effort. Restaurant owners should seriously considering one of several online marketing companies or freelance wizards to help them with this otherwise daunting task. They need to make sure that the solidly good reviews by many, many people appear regularly and frequently on sites such as Yelp.com or yellowpages.com or any of the other various directories and nightlife guides that are available online for each particular city or town. These restaurant marketing gurus will weave a wave of positive blogs and back links and articles that over time will result in more and more first time epicureans visiting the eatery.

After the client comes through the door, however, no amount of restaurant marketing is going to make them come back if the food and service is not up to snuff. Restaurant owners need to make sure that all of the pieces are in place and that the food and service are excellent before beginning the restaurant marketing campaign. Otherwise it is just a waste of time, money, and effort.

Marketing Consultant in Kansas City