Prioritize Evaluating Relevant Restaurant Promotion Indicators Instead of Misleading ones
Hey there, restaurant marketer! You're the one who handles the marketing for your restaurant, or maybe you're the restaurant owner yourself, trying to get a grip on the value of your marketing efforts. Well, if that's you, then this guide is just for you!
Let me tell you something, restaurant marketing can be a tough nut to crack... But it doesn't have to be! That's because every restaurant brand is unique, and each location is part of a distinct community that sets it apart. Plus, let's face it, restaurant marketing is always changing and adapting to keep up with evolving consumer habits and preferences.
Add to that the pressure cooker atmosphere of needing to deliver sales results, which are not always easily tracked at the register. And I bet you've heard questions like "how do we get more followers," right? But the real question here is "what's the value of a follower?"
This question isn't just for marketers, it's for the person asking the question. If they can't answer this, it means they don't understand what is measurable with restaurant marketing, and how to measure it.
Restaurant marketing is different from e-commerce. With Amazon or Walmart, they can target you with an ad, track whether you purchased online or not. But restaurant marketing is about building awareness, driving acquisition, and boosting retention. Simply put, it's about getting people to discover you, choose your restaurant, and keep coming back.
To reach customers across various channels, we need to be omnipresent in our approach, meeting guests where they want to be met.
So, what marketing channels should you focus on? Here are five key channels, complete with the golden metrics for each one:
INSTAGRAM 📈
Funnel alignment: retentionPeople who follow a restaurant on social media have either already had a dining experience or are planning to. We call those guests.
What to measure: Profile visits, clicks to links in bio, shares and saves. You should be making calls to action in your content and tracking high-intent actions.
GOOGLE SEARCH ADS 🏮
Funnel alignment: acquisition
People use Google to search for what they crave (e.g. "burgers near me"). If you want to be at the top of those searches, use Google ads.
What to measure: CPC (cost per click). Optimize for the lowest cost possible. Under $1.00 per click is good. Under $0.50 per click is amazing.
EMAIL 📧
Funnel alignment: retention
Acquisition costs dollars, but retention costs pennies. Email is the easiest, most scalable, and affordable way to increase returns, frequency, and average order value.
What to measure: CRM growth and open rates. Email is about staying top of mind and to be in the consideration set; clicks are great, but they will be low.
Step 1: Grow your email database.
Step 2: Optimize for opens.
META AWARENESS ADS 📲
Funnel alignment: awareness
The easiest, most affordable, and scalable way to get people who have never heard of your restaurant to find out about your restaurant is by using awareness ads on Facebook and Instagram.
What to measure: CPM (cost per thousand impressions). Choose awareness as the goal for your ad and try to stay under $3 per CPM.
GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE 📅
Funnel alignment: awareness and acquisition
People who land on your Google Business Profile after having done a search for what they crave, are at the bottom of the funnel and ready to make a purchase.
What to measure: Business Profile interactions. Calls, messages, bookings, directions, and website clicks etc. - these are high-intent actions.
Now, don't get overwhelmed! Most of these actions are easy to set up, easy to measure, and easy to track. But if you're not doing the last part, tracking, you won't be able to measure what is working, what isn't, and to optimize for what to do next.
If you have any questions or need help, don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected].
What does REV do?
- I help restaurants build guest marketing programs.
- I help hospitality tech companies with lead generation and content marketing.
- To effectively market your restaurant, you should focus on building awareness, driving acquisition, and boosting retention through various channels.
- For instance, Instagram is a great platform for retention as people who follow a restaurant are either returning guests or planning to visit. Measuring profile visits, clicks to links in bio, shares, and saves can help track engagement.
