Running a successful restaurant is really hard work, and a lot goes into it on top of good food and service. After all, people have to walk in the door to experience what you have to offer, and for that, marketing your restaurant is essential.

The restaurant world is a highly competitive one and you can’t depend on word of mouth, loyalty of patrons, and having a great menu with delectable food and drink to achieve success. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, marketing your restaurant is no longer an option, but a necessity. With all the hard work you and your team have put into creating the restaurant, you want to give it every possible chance to succeed. Here are five ideas to market your restaurant.

1. Have drool-worthy photographs

Pretty much everyone today is online. Whatever the service or product, we tend to look it up online and this is true for dining out as well. We head to a restaurant’s website/page /Instagram to see the menu before making the decision of whether or not to dine there. You can have the best POS system, the best business insurance, the most amazing staff and a great sound system… but people eat with their eyes. Having drool-worthy photographs of the dishes and drinks on your menu should be something you invest in.

And we say invest, because food photography is an art, and there is a lot that goes into getting that enticing picture, including lighting, angles, focus, colouring and what not. To this end, unless you have a budding or professional photog amongst your staff or family, we recommend spending a bit of money to hire a professional food photographer (and even a food stylist is required) so that you have the right pictures to promote your restaurant.

2. Embrace social media

We live in the age of social media, and there is no greater proof of its reign than the trend of Instagrammable food and drink. Aside from influencers and bloggers, even regular patrons are likely to whip out their phones to snap a couple of shots of their meal. This is of course a double edged sword. A decent meal will get less social media love than an excellent or bad one.

If you have an Instagram or Twitter handle for your restaurant and a Facebook page, don’t think that just setting it up is enough. An unmanned page or handle can do more harm than good. It is essential you have someone (a social media person) to monitor and respond to comments and photos and reviews posted online. Aside from the social media channels, you will want to be active on Yelp/ Zomato and have your up to date menu and those professionally shot photos, up on the site, alongside user generated content. And again, remember it is important to respond to all feedback, positive and negative, in a polite and professional manner and refrain from getting into a war of words with an unhappy diner.

3. Enrol in loyalty programs

Loyalty programs are a great way to keep visitors coming – and coming back, to your establishment. Whether it is a percentage discount on a subsequent visit, a free dessert or drink after a certain number of meals, this is definitely enticing for today’s diners. You can sign up on popular foodie apps, many of which offer patrons the option to book a table online or offer a discount for paying the bill through the app. Consider which one works for the kind of clientele you pull in (or if looking to break into a new demographic, then what appeals best to them) and sign up.

4. Engage through geo-targeted advertising

Unless you have an infinite budget for marketing, there will always be a struggle as to where to put your dollars to work the best. We recommend using geo-targeted ads since for most restaurants, local and neighbourhood traffic is the backbone of the business. Geo-targeted ads will help you get the most out of your online marketing, since non-relevant clicks which cost you are eliminated, and the focus is on a specified target audience within perimeters like distance and towns/city limit. You can make the most of your online marketing by taking up the free (with their service) geo-targeting offered by online advertising services offered by Google Ads, Facebook and Twitter.

5. Partner with online delivery services

You have a brick and mortar establishment, yes. But today some diners are choosing to stay home and order in. And you should not miss out on this burgeoning market. The best way to get your slice of the order-in market is to partner with one or more online delivery service. This is also a way to reach a new audience who may not have stepped into your premises.

Above all, continue creating consistent, delicious food and deliver it with a smile. Because the best patrons are repeating ones, and they don’t need any advertising spend.