Top Tips to Promote Your Restaurant

Use Facebook to Target Your Demographic
Did you know that you can place ads on Facebook to reach people who work at specific companies or students at the local university. You can even target only those who are 21 years old and up. Yes it’s true and it’s VERY effective. Imagine being able to direct ad to EXACT target market you want. It does not get any better than this. Check it out at: facebook dot com.

Do a Sales Blitz!
What’s a sales blitz? It’s a one or two day ‘blitz’ of your immediate market area where your staff goes out to local businesses and hands out a flyer, business card, Free Appetizer card or whatever to secretaries, clerks or anyone else they can talk to. Pick a slow day, like Monday or Tuesday, pay your staff to come in, have them wear uniforms, pair up in teams and tell them to go out into the community. Pay your staff a decent wage, buy them lunch, give them money for mileage, ask them to make note about their best sales calls and offer prizes for the ‘best lead’ of the day, ‘best potential future booking’ for a party etc. You’ll be amazed at the success of this and the new business it will generate.

Mobilize Street Teams
Recruit customers for a “Street Team.” This is a great low cost way to promote your restaurant. Customers can be recruited to blog, write reviews, sidewalk chalk the local college campus etc. and can be used effectively to get the word out on the street. Thank them with free stuff, drinks, appetizers etc.

Email customers a birthday card!
Remember your customer's birthdays and send them a "free appetizer" or other freebie to get them into your business. Birthdays are the top reason customers to go out for the night. Plus, birthdays usually mean several people are celebrating the event. Don't have their email addresses? Then use old school snail mail postcards or mailers. The bottom line: Start collecting information about your customers today, especially their email address and begin that online relationship.

Make Some NEWS!
Make News! Then send out a creative press release talking about it. A release can accomplish a lot of things. It can be used to announce information to the public, your investors, the media, your customers and even your competitors about you and your activities. Send a release to: 1) Announce a new service. 2) Announce a new product. 3) Tie in with a national holiday, a birthday or anniversary. 4) Celebrity sighting at your place. 5) Charitable donation by your establishment. I once got NBC and ABC TV affiliates to cover a story where we introduced a new type of beer! Want more reasons to send out a release? Check out my article called "55 Reasons to Send Out a Press Release."

Opening a New Restaurant? Tell The World. With all the bad news in the economy these days anybody who opens a new restaurant is making some good news which is in short supply. Westwind Communications recently promoted the opening of the Frankenmuth Brewery in Frankenmuth, Michigan. We first announced the job fair which attracted 1000 people in person and another 500 who applied online. The local media promoted the event in advance and covered the turnout. NBC, ABC TV covered the job fair extensively with live shots and print and radio did their share as well. Then we announced the grand opening and again TV did live shots from the brewery, The Detroit News ran a full page story and the media continue to mention the opening now weeks later. National Beer Magazines are doing stories and more will come. Why did it happen? First, its a good story in a down economy in an economical depressed state. Secondly... its the secret sauce we use... no really... its the beer... actually its the angle we took and the fact that we went out and got the PR. We "told the world" and so can you. Don't be shy about your opening. Shout it from the roof tops!

These are just a few ideas to generate new business. There are hundreds of market segments you can attack to promote your restaurant and bar. The most important thing to do is to start NOW.