Restaurant marketing trends indicate websites and social media should be key components in best practice restaurant marketing for attracting More Customers.

2 in 5 Australians who use a smart phone use mobile search daily. 40% of mobile search users visit or call businesses they find online. 3 in 5 Australians search for information from their computers. 13 million Australians are on Facebook.

To kick off 2012 here are 3 Things you must do now…!

1. Google yourselfI don’t mean just your restaurant name, but also the type of cuisine you serve and restaurant location.For example: “Seafood restaurant Brighton” and “Seafood restaurant Bayside”

   A more targeted term search might be “Sustainable seafood restaurant Brighton” or “Gluten Free seafood restaurant Bayside”.

   Search niches are often forgotten even though restaurants may serve that type of cuisine. Dietary driven or value-based searches are niches customers often look for when booking a table for groups.

   If your restaurant doesn’t come up on the front page and you have a website, then there are a few things you should investigate straight away.

   1. Your website keywords – do they mention your cuisine, specialities and location?
   2. Your website design -are there too many pictures and not enough words? Search Engine Optimization only works if the words exist on your website.

   I also highly recommend you read Top 10 Mistakes for Restaurant Websites for easy to follow tips.

2. Claim your Google Place and FREE Yellow Pages online listingEver wondered how businesses end up on Google Maps? It’s as simple as claiming their Google Place. Go to https://www.google.com/places/ and follow the instructions.Google Places and Yellow Pages online are critical foundations of being found online, as both share their maps to other online directories and websites. Do it now! Its FREE!
3. Search for your Restaurant or Cafe on FacebookLocation Check-ins and identifying where personal photos are taken is a growing trend on Facebook. Whether you know it or not, customers can “Check-in” to your restaurant or add a picture on Facebook identifying your restaurant or cafe location.This is a great word-of-mouth marketing! Facebook check-ins should be maximized by every location based business. Afterall, who’s going to publish photos or tell friends they’re going to a restaurant or cafe they don’t like?

   Here’s how to Search in Facebook.

   First you need a Facebook personal account. Once you’ve logged in, type in the name of your restaurant or cafe in the top SEARCH bar.

   Once you find your restaurant, you can Claim it.

   Take charge of your own online marketing! After claiming your business you can create your own Facebook page. Facebook provides simple steps to follow.

   In social media marketing, we call Check-ins and LIKES “social validation”. If lots of people are checking in or liking your place, then it must be good! Make sure you add in your website URL.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s 3 marketing tips to take control of your Restaurant marketing.

You may also like:
Food Trends – latest trends to attract more customers
Why Yellow Pages doesn’t work for Restaurants
Best Tips for Groupon and Living Social Marketing for Restaurants and Cafes

---