Small Restaurant Marketing Ideas That Works in 2024

What are the small restaurant marketing ideas that will change your business in 2024?

Most small restaurant owners know the importance of all the popular marketing ideas they understand needs implemented in their business, such as:

• Website updates
• Social media tactics
• Email campaigns
• Progressive web apps

But the problem is the lack of budget to implement all those great ideas.

You may be left feeling frustrated or disadvantaged every time your competition implements a new mobile app or a kicks-off an attention-grabbing marketing campaign.

Don’t despair.

There is an option for you which doesn’t cost much but just as effective. We reveal the secret behind getting more powerful marketing leverage – word-of-mouth marketing or WOM in short.

Word of mouth marketing is nothing new, but today is both online through social channels and through face-to-face person interaction.

How Word-Of-Mouth marketing works?

To get WOM working for your business, the first step is getting your customers who are not just satisfied but thrilled with their dining experience.

In order for this small restaurant marketing idea to have the desired result, your customers need to be wowed. That means streamlining your menu and operations to make sure that every customer receives excellent food and prompt, friendly service. When you have both perfected, online reviews improve and a buzz is created.

WOM happens when satisfied customers verbally tell their friends through the course of conversation. Reviews happen when they use Google, Facebook, Yelp, or another platform to talk about their experience.

These are the most affordable, and effective ways for a small business to market and compete with their larger counterparts. You can talk about how great your restaurant is all day long, but it will only carry so much weight. When your customer does it, that amounts to social proof, and a powerful way to let the word carry throughout town about your establishment.

As the owner or manager it’s always good to assess the types of experience that your diners are having.

• While you talk with your customers, keep the end goal of word of mouth and restaurant reviews in mind. If they tell you everything was wonderful, that’s great! You can ask people who enjoyed their visit to please come back. You can ask them to tell their friends, or write a review. This is the easy part.
• When your customer has had a problem with their service, it’s always good to have a direct, but polite conversation right there. Listen attentively to the customer. Find out what you can do to rectify their experience, and do it. This is a situation to be a problem solver. Sometimes there are simple solutions to complex problems. Some customers who had trouble at the beginning may even be won over to tell their friends, or leave reviews as well.

It’s not reasonable to ask someone who had a less than stellar experience to put in a good word about your business. Fixing your product is the best foundation for this small restaurant marketing idea.

Conclusion

When you do this right, you are able to compete with larger counterparts effectively. This small restaurant marketing idea lays a critical foundation.

It’s important to remember, there are additional resources available. When you get stuck, contact us for a free consultation, and we can help you get your restaurant moving in the right direction again!