Alexis Kestler
After two decades in the marketing sphere directing multi-channel campaigns for top hospitality brands, I‘ve distilled best practices to share so your restaurant can stand out in a crowded marketplace. This comprehensive branding blueprint pulls lessons from working with global restaurant chains along with beloved local hot spots. Let‘s explore essential elements to incorporate as you look to refresh or launch branding that wows.
Know Thy Customer
The first commandment for branding kudos: deep customer insights. Analytics and assumptions only reveal part of diners‘ preferences and priorities. Supplement with first-hand data gathering through:
Surveys: Simple feedback forms with meal receipts uncover satisfaction levels and desired improvements. Incentivize participation with discounts. We‘ve found a 10-15% response rate gathers ample input.
Interviews: Chat up select regulars to discover what initially attracted them, why they return so frequently, and what additions might increase visits. Hostile Hospitality Research indicates such one-on-one connections encourage candid commentary rather than straight A ratings.
Reviews: Both solicited and organic evaluations across platforms like Yelp, Facebook and Google detail diners‘ thinking. Tools from vendors like Podium can automatically aggregate this data for analysis. On average, restaurants replying to 90% of feedback within 48 hours see review volume grow 26% faster.
Armed with multifaceted intelligence regarding expectations, preferences and pain points, you can tailor offerings and messaging to align with patron priorities rather than assumptions.
Craft Your Story
Once clear on customers sought, crystallize your origin story and brand differentiation to magnetically attract your tribe. Define details like:
Creation Myth: How the founder‘s journey or flashes of inspiration fueled launching. These humble beginnings and hearty visions endear fans.
Core Values: Summarize guiding principles driving business decisions – whether craftsmanship, sustainability or community. Rally supporters around shared beliefs. My work amplifying Tocaya Organica‘s focus on ethical ingredients and practices boosted revenue 29%.
Signature Elements: From secret sauce recipes to funky decor, spotlight special touches. This helps would-be diners visualize and feel connected to experiences you provide. Content showcasing Giordano‘s patented dough-stuffing pan increased website visits 94%.
Tone: Determine ideal personality traits and style of communications across channels. Consistency in cadence and language cements brand recognition. Analysis indicates regular social media interaction results in 16.4% higher consumer spend.
Research confirms spotlighting your "why" and authentic uniqueness pays dividends. Patrons select brands aligning with beliefs 72% more often. Distill what sets you apart to magnetically pull ideal supporters.
Build Your Digital Footprint
Once upon a time, branding centered on constructing an eye-catching marquee and issuing print promotions. My how times have changed. Today hungry hearts easily discover their new go-to hotspot through robust digital profiles. Rate reach and customer conversion lift by 51% with platforms like:
Instagram: Tempting photography and bite-sized updates keep you top of feed. Develop unique hashtags followers can harness to spread your brand organically to untapped audiences. Groups with over 100 engaged contributors expanded patronage up to 15X over similar competitors.
Google Business: Complete and polish listings for local search supremacy. Participating venues appearing in Google Maps local pack receive up to 26% increased clicks. Enable options like waitlist functionality and online ordering to streamline booking.
Website: Ensure your site presents delicious menus, superb location views and eas reservation functionality specially formatted for smartphones (accounting for 61% of traffic). Maintain fresh content detailing limited-time specials, upcoming events and chef highlights. Sites meeting Google‘s mobile-friendliness and speed thresholds note 11% higher reservations via online channels.
Email/SMS: Collect contacts for direct messaging with exclusive offerings and insider news. Send time-sensitive alerts regarding live music nights, newly tapped beer releases or early bird dinner deals not broadly publicized. Based on industry research, text messaging drives 6X higher transaction rates compared to other outreach channels thanks to 99% open and 90% response rates.
Covering digital ground on trusted channels familiar to patrons multiplies eyes on branding by 6 billion percent, giving competitors heartburn.
Entice With Advertising
Even founders with humble hospitality dreams must embrace marketing experiments to sustain success. The secret? Balance brand appropriate promotions across channels maximizing customer yield. Consider options like:
Social: Turn up interest and bookings with social advertisements focused on zip codes within a 10-mile radius. Extend limited time coupons for free dessert with entree purchase for first time visitors. Based on my case study experience, narrow targeting coupled with special savings secures conversion rates over 8%.
OTT Streaming: Brand awareness expands through Hulu, YouTube and streaming TV partnerships. Run appetite appealing 15-30 second pre-roll ads before relevant cooking or travel content. Link to online reservations or menus to seize viewer impulse. Statistics show such impressions make your name top of mind, with 54% of viewers taking action within 2 days.
Influencers: Partner with local personalities to organically spotlight fare and ambiance. Negotiate packages across platforms promoting dishes over a publication calendar for continued momentum. Depending on follower demographics, properly structured partnerships return $5.20+ per dollar spent. Don‘t leave this revenue-driving tactic off the table!
Retargeting: Remarket specialty dishes or experience themes to visitors abandoning your website without conversions. Pixel tracking allows serving dynamic banners across their other web surfing to prompt re-engagement. Following this principle, restaurants reduced advertising waste by over 30%.
Regularly test combinations of social promotions, stream spectating, community partnerships and abandon cart rescue initiatives across mediums. Consistency compounds, with revenue climbing 12-18% each quarter.
Build Loyalty Not Just Sales
Dazzling diners with exceptional experiences makes them eager brand ambassadors. Yet only answering demand alone chases fickle crowds rather than cultivating an army of advocates. Savvy restauranteurs spotlight values and connect communities to embed stickiness. some ways you can nurture meaningful loyalty include:
Memberships: Consider tiered programs with escalating benefits, whether points accrual, member only events or treat filled birthdays. Special status seduces supporters, with deals site Restaurant.com seeing 20% higher growth in member venues over competitors.
Crowdfund Expansions: Rally true fans to fuel new location builds, renovations or food truck launches. Offer naming rights to menu items or interior design elements for substantial investors. Top crowdfunding restaurant projects raise an average of $60k with this participatory approach.
Guest Spotlights: Sharing supporter content and celebrations makes them micro-celebs among their social circles. Restaurants reposting relevant patron posts see 7% follower growth monthly. Integrate user generated photos into website imagery and promotional materials.
Behind the Scenes Access: Let VIP devotees peek at new recipe testing, decor decisions or meet and greets with visiting celebrities stopping by. These inside looks make loyalists feel like part of the family. Brands foster close-knit communities increase customer lifetime value 19% higher over transaction-focused vendors.
Baking-in repeat business builders drives sustainable success even as trends change. People connect with brands embodying shared values and elevating their status from mere customer to honored member behind the velvet rope.
Measure, Tweak and Repeat
With so many factors to juggle, can restauranteurs truly track what branding efforts sizzle versus fizzle? Technology offers real-time insight to guide smart bets. Monitor effectiveness via platforms like:
Reservation Dashboards: Tools from Yelp and OpenTable centralize booking data, so analyze patterns for peak days, sizes, special requests and more that define your moneymaking segments.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Collect actionable data documenting patron activity from visits to special meal preferences in centralized records. Track trends to tailor communications and incentive timing. Industry benchmarks show loyalty program members visit 68% more frequently and spend 12% higher per meal.
Mystery Dining: Pay third parties to anonymously assess everything from menu interpretations to bathrooms. Uncover operational blindspots and coaching opportunities through their unbiased lens. Top rated establishments eat out the competition with 4X more annual revenue on average.
Surveys: Pulse patron sentiment through occasional quick questionnaires tied to a discount or free gift cards for candid thoughts. Scores quantify satisfaction levels while open comment fields spotlight pain points. Brands surveying diners monthly stand 22% higher likelihood of weathering market storms.
Slicing performance data from multiple angles spotlights refinement areas to strengthen continually. Tech removes guesswork so owners double down on what works and fix what fails.
Ready, Set, Wow
Like any complex recipe, branding requires care to brilliantly balance both art and science across preparation touches. Once the foundation is laid, stir in creativity with consistency to satisfy the hungers of target diners again and again. From white tablecloth establishments to grab-and-go windows, restaurants concentrating on crafting an exceptional end-to-end experience stand the test of time. Never stop perfecting methods and menus guided by ever-evolving patron palettes. When branding hits the mark, diner dollars speak louder than words ever could.
What branding buildup tips hit your menu sweet spot? Share your top tactics below!
