Are you feeling the holiday spirit yet? We know that November isn’t even a week old. But, as a restaurant owner, it’s a wise choice to make your establishment a holiday celebration destination. In our last blog, we recommended decking the halls of your restaurant, making your menu festive and giving a gift with every purchase.
Here are three more holly jolly marketing tips for your eatery:
1. Give back to your community.
When you promote your establishment as one that is community-focused, it significantly grows its reputation. The holiday season is known as a time of year when charitable donations are most appreciated. Promote that you are offering portions of your proceeds to charities. It will generate greater support from your community. As well, consider holding a food drive that requests non-perishable food items from your guests.
“Try choosing a specific menu item, like a special holiday dish, and let customers know that a percentage of the profits from those dishes will go to a specific charity,” recommends WebstaurantStore.com, “Alternately, you could devote a whole evening to giving and promise to set aside a portion of the night’s proceeds to your favourite cause. Giving back to your community will put your customers in a cheery holiday mood and encourage new business.”
2. Create a multisensory holiday atmosphere.
Your restaurant shouldn’t just look the part. It should smell and sound the part too. Transforming your restaurant into a “winter wonderland”, of sorts, is an effective way to lure in lovers of the holidays. Cait Carter of Constant Contact points out that half the reason customers choose a restaurant is the ambiance.
“You can take that ambiance to a new level during the holiday season, she writes, “Consider selecting a theme for your restaurant during the holiday season, and then keep everything on the theme. Take special care to: Play holiday music softly in the background; create a unique social media schedule for the holidays; offer decorated gift cards for the holiday season; (and ) update your website for the holidays.”
3. Promote holiday specials on social media.
There really isn’t a time of year when using your social media accounts is a bad idea. During the holiday season, however, consumers from all walks of life will be flocking to the internet to locate special deals and discounts. Your social media profiles should make clear that holiday specials are abound at your eatery.
“You can either advertise your in-house specials on Instagram or offer separate deals specific to social media,” suggests WebstaurantStore.com, “For example, you could create a post that says, “Show this post when you pay for your meal for 10% off your bill.” Social media is a free tool that allows you to reach many people, so it’s always a good idea to share your special offers and promotions.”
Do you allow your customers to order food directly from your restaurant’s website?
Unity Payments can quickly set you up with your own online ordering system for your restaurant. It includes the creation of a website (if you don’t already have one) and an app! To get started, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca.
