One of the first actions that restaurant owners do to attract customers is to maintain profiles on social channels and use all the resources that these technologies offer – especially on times of social distancing because of the COVID-19 crisis. With more than 3 billion active social media users, people are used to posts photos of their dishes to their followers, and it is a great way to promote your business.
However, in digital marketing, there is much more to explore than only social media. To give a quick example, when choosing a restaurant, Gen Z and Millennials are 99% more likely to rely on online reviews than are Gen X and Boomers. How do they do it? They Google it! That is the reason why you should invest in SEO and incorporate it into your Public Relations strategy. At such times, combining spontaneous media and press relations expands your message and can be the formula for success!
Let us give you a practical example: amid the COVID-19 outbreak, you adjusted your menu, customer service, and logistics to offer takeout and delivery services. After all these early steps, it is time to bring the customers “in”. Here thinking outside of the box is key! Consider creating promos, competitions, new flavors, or any other thing that will stand up and calls media attention. It is also a time where people are craving good news. Promoting a kind action in your local area can also be an exciting alternative to engage with the community and, consequently, calls media attention.
Make sure that your audience finds your restaurant
After you set up your Public Relations campaign, you need to make sure that the potential clients will find more information about your venue, such as an address, menu, and opening hours, for example.
Coming back to the example of the new restaurant: imagine it is in the middle of a forest, with no access to streets, highways, roads, nothing. This is what happens when you create a website for your restaurant that is not optimized. SEO is the path that takes the customer to your business; without it, all investment in digital would be pointless.
Quick SEO tips
1. Optimize your title and meta-description
When optimizing your website, you need to define what will be the keyword, title, and meta tag that will appear when searching.
Check out the example below:
Title: Your Restaurant Name | Your tagline | Call-to-action
Meta tag: Consult the menu of the best restaurants and snack bars in the city. Place your order online, with convenience and security, and receive it at your home.
2. Mobile-friendly interface
Make things easy for your potential client. There are more than 3 billion smartphone users around the world, and your website must be easy to navigate on a mobile. Most of these people are browsing either on apps or on mobile-friendly sites. Make sure that your business is also available to users when they are browsing on their phones. Otherwise, the chance that he will leave our site due to a bad experience and go to a competitor’s website is enormous.
Author
Gabriela Damaceno is head of online content at Media Shark, an app development agency, Gold Coast. She is representing HK Certifiers, a company that offers Construction Certificates services. You can connect with her via Linkedin.
