Basic Restaurant Marketing in Tough Times

Restaurant Marketing in tough times during a low economic is challenging when you're on a low budget. Its a question that we as a restaurant consultant get asked right now. What's important to know is you control how you want to market your restaurant. Here are some basics if you're looking to get some exposure the free way:

• Online Marketing - use the internet, get on the popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin. Create a profile and start conversations, engage, create some buzz noise about what you offer.
• Feedback - You can do this online and offline as customers comes in. Pass out a feedback form, and ask some specific questions about what you can do to make it better for them, of course for a price or maybe free that can make you money in the long run.
  
• Specials - Announce via word of mouth (twitter) about your specials and discounts on certain dishes.
  

These are just the basics, but don't overlook these simple advices. Within these basics are the advance application of marketing 101 for online and offline marketing. Here's an example and steps:

• Create a profile twitter, locate and join local groups in your geographic areas.
  
• At the restaurant, let your customer know that you're on twitter.
• Back to twitter, on certain days or random, announce any specials or discounts on a certain day, or time of day.
• At the same time you can collect feedback from customers.
• Engage
• Engage
• Think Outside the Box, Have a mascot stand outside with a big sign that saids "SPECIALS" go to http://twitter.com/steak_seasoning to find out about the specials!

Last thing to think about is track everything that you do to market, just like as if you were tracking your returns from tv, and radio commercials. Want to hear more push the big blue button in the top right!