Social distancing practices in place across the globe, have turned the hospitality industry upside down. Sadly, the health crisis has forced some restaurants to close, whilst others resort to takeaway and deliveries services to keep their restaurants afloat.

There certainly aren’t any new restaurants emerging on the scene either. Any expert hospitality and restaurant interior fitout and design company will agree the pandemic has led to a decline in enquires for new restaurant builds and renovations.

Currently, the coronavirus remains an imminent threat to society, with no clear end in sight. This is why it is more important than ever to make sure your restaurant has a reliable and competitive marketing strategy to help your business through such trying times.

To get you started, we have collated some creative marketing tips you can use that will not only boost your sales but will set you apart from your competitors too.

1.Take Advantage Of Social Media

Most people are cooped up in their homes right now so you can bet they are spending more time on social media in an attempt to keep their minds occupied and help pass the time.

This is the perfect time to flood your socials with new and engaging content. Utilise your Instagram and Facebook feed and stories by posting the following:

• Delicious food from your menu
• Promote your takeaway or food delivery services
• Introduce your staff to your audience
• Film behind the scenes snippets of content your audience wouldn’t usually see. For example, filming the cooking process of one of your signature dishes
• Update menus regularly and share teasers with your audience

2.Fine-Tune Your Online Presence

Your website will be receiving more traffic than usual during this time, so you need to make sure online presence is optimised and as user friendly as possible. To do this, clean up and fine-tune your Search Engine Optimisation and also B2C advertising and marketing approach to guarantee your existing material is as present as feasible. Ensure to look over and adjust:

• Your website
• Your Blog
• Your Google My Business
• Plus, any third-party websites you use.

3.Promote Curbside Pickups

Use the current quarantine situation to your advantage by promoting your curbside options to your customers.

Consider offering complimentary curbside pickup for all orders placed straight through your restaurant’s website or over the phone. Enabling you to save money on paying for third-party services such as UberEats or Deliveroo

To further encourage, you could throw in an inexpensive freebie such as a small drink, side or dessert.

4.Secure Repeat Business

One of the best ways to boost your current sales is by improving your customer retention. Consider offering your customers coupons, loyalty cards, and gift vouchers which they can use not only during this crisis period but for future dine-in visits as well.

In doing so, you retain the loyalty of your customer base to help keep you afloat during this time and guarantee regular customers once everything goes back to normal.

5.Free Kids Meals

With most children also stuck indoors due to school closers, a great way to entice families to order from your restaurant is by offering free kids meals with every adult meal purchased. This is a great marketing strategy that offers families an incentive to choose your restaurant over other business.

As we are all aware, the coronavirus has not only affected the hospitality industry but has seen the closure of many businesses across the globe, leaving some families in a situation of financial instability.

Therefore, allowing children to eat for free is a perfect way to give these families the helping hand they need during this time.

6.Support Your Community

Medical and health care are putting themselves at risk to battle the Covid19 pandemic. Doctors and nurses are often working long and strenuous hours with many pulling extra shifts without taking breaks or stopping to eat.

Some restaurants are offering free or discounted meals for health care workers and hospital staff. Not only is this great for business exposure, more importantly, but this also allows you to show your gratitude for the generous essential workers who are on the front line.

It’s understandable that not every restaurant has the financial security to do this, however even the smallest gesture of gratitude. For example placing a sign out the front of your premise, thanking medical workers can have still make a possitive impact.

7.Gift Card Marketing

Despite the current situation, many loyal customers have expressed a desire to support their favourite local restaurants to get through these tough times. Gift cards are one of the ways that they’re showing their support. Gift cards are great because:

1) They provide your restaurant business with instant cash flow which will assist with the wheels turning.

2) They help you retain your loyal customers by ensuring they return to your restaurant once everything has settled.

8.Bulk-Order Meal-Preps

Inevitably, people will soon realise that their increased cost of regularly delivery and eating-in is not economically viable. Wise restaurant owners could prepare for this by offering discounts to customers who bulk order their meals. For example, you could consider offering a discount when a customer orders a pack of 7 meals or more.

To truly impress, you could go one step further by packaging the meals conveniently, so they’re ready to be popped into the freezer and supplying instructions on reheating and serving the meals. This is an excellent way to upsell and the perfect time to offer meal-preparation services.

Conclusion

Now more than ever, marketing is crucial for your restaurant. As such, restaurant owners should do their best to strengthen the loyalty of their existing customers and find creative means to obtain new customers.

There are a lot of ways you can adapt your restaurants marketing to accommodate the world during the pandemic. Hopefully, the tips mentioned above act as a starting point for you, on your path to ensuring the longevity and success of your restaurant business.