Walk down any busy street and you’ll see many diners pausing on the sidewalk, phone in hand, scanning reviews and menus before they even think about stepping inside a restaurant. These days, a restaurant’s first impression doesn’t happen at the door. It happens online. That’s where digital marketing for restaurants comes in.
The good news is, building your online presence doesn’t always require working with restaurant marketing firms or a massive budget to make it work. With the right habits and a bit of consistency, you and your team can handle most of it yourselves.
How to Do Digital Marketing for Restaurants Yourself
A strong digital marketing strategy for restaurants can turn your online presence into real-world foot traffic. Here are some effective strategies you can employ yourself. With these tips, you don’t need to spend money on digital marketing services for restaurants.
Claim and Polish Your Google Business Profile
Every digital marketing plan for a restaurant should include a Google Business Profile (GBP). Think of it as your digital welcome mat. It’s what shows up when someone searches for “best pizza near me” or asks their phone where to find a good brunch spot.
If you haven’t claimed and updated yours, you’re missing out on easy, free exposure. A well-maintained GBP makes you look good and pushes you higher in local search results.
Here’s what to do:
- Claim and verify it at google.com.
- Make sure your name, address, phone number, and website are accurate on Google and anywhere your restaurant is listed online.
- Fill out every field you can, including hours, menu links, service options (e.g., takeout or delivery), and special attributes such as “pet-friendly patio” or “live music.”
- Post high-quality photos regularly. This includes dishes, the dining room, the team, or anything else that captures the feel of your place.
- Use the Posts feature to share daily specials, seasonal menus, or upcoming events.
- Respond to customer questions directly in the profile so others can see your answers.
Ask For and Respond To Reviews
A glowing review is worth more than online advertising for restaurants. People trust other diners, and even a half-star improvement on a review site can make a measurable difference in traffic.
The trick is to make asking for reviews part of your routine:
- Train servers to invite feedback at the right moment. This might be right after a guest compliments the meal or the service.
- Put a review QR code on receipts, table tents, or even your takeaway bags.
- Follow up with an email after online orders, thanking guests and linking them directly to your preferred review site.
When reviews come in, reply to every single one. Thank people for their kind words. Handle criticism with grace by acknowledging the issue, apologizing, and offering to talk privately. Your responses show future customers that you care about their experience.
Additionally, when you get reviews, don’t forget to highlight the great ones. Share them on your social media or website to give prospective diners a taste of what’s waiting for them.
Keep Your Website Fresh and Mobile-Friendly
There’s a reason why keeping your website optimized and updated is one of the most important online marketing strategies for restaurants. Your website should answer the three questions diners have in their heads:
- What do you serve?
- When are you open?
- How do I get in touch?
If it’s outdated or hard to use, people won’t stick around. Instead, they’ll move on to a competitor whose site makes life easier. Here’s how to keep your restaurant website in shape:
- Optimize for mobile: Most visitors are checking your site from a phone, especially when they’re deciding where to eat next. Menus, reservations, and contact info should be easy to find and read without pinching and zooming.
- Load fast: Compress images and clean up slow-loading scripts. People won’t wait too long for your menu to appear.
- Keep it current: Update your menus promptly, remove expired specials, and post new photos regularly. If you change your hours, make sure you update them online before you lock the doors.
- Add clear calls-to-action: Buttons for “Book a Table,” “Order Now,” or “Call Us” should be front and center. They should also be legible and easy on the eyes.
- Make it accessible: Use easy-to-read fonts, high contrast between text and background, and descriptive alt-text for images so everyone can use your site.
Post Regularly on Social Media
Social media is today’s version of word-of-mouth, and internet marketing for restaurants is incomplete without it. A single post can travel far beyond your neighborhood, and you never know when a video or photo might take off.
You don’t need to post every day, but you do need consistency. Best of all, it doesn’t require a social media agency for restaurants. Aim for three to five posts a week, and use a mix of content types such as:
- Behind-the-scenes moments that show your chef plating a signature dish or your team prepping for the dinner rush.
- Promotions for specials and events such as happy hours, seasonal dishes, or live music nights.
- Food holidays such as National Coffee Day and Taco Tuesday to give people a reason to celebrate with you.
- Staff spotlights to build loyalty and a human connection.
- Short videos and Reels, especially on Instagram and TikTok.
Social media is about connection, not just promotion. In addition to posting, reply to comments, thank people for tagging you, and reshare their posts when they show off your food.
Use Email and SMS to Reach Your Regulars
Digital marketing for restaurants is also about engaging your existing customer base. Your regular customers are gold. They already love your food; you just need to give them reasons to come back more often. Email and text messages are the easiest way to do it. However, relevance is key. If your messages feel useful and timely, customers will keep reading and acting.
When utilizing email:
- Collect addresses with a sign-up form on your website, a loyalty program, or even a paper sign-up sheet by the register.
- Send a monthly newsletter with upcoming events, special deals, or a story from the kitchen.
- Include exclusive offers to make customers feel like part of an inside club.
When it comes to SMS text, use them sparingly for time-sensitive deals. Keep the texts short, friendly, and actionable. Also, you should always get permission before adding someone to your text list.
Strengthen Your Local SEO and Listings
When someone searches for “Thai restaurant near me” or “best burgers in town,” you want to be in the top results. That’s why digital marketing for restaurants should always include local SEO.
Beyond your GBP, claim your listings on other key platforms such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Facebook, and the major delivery apps. Make sure your name, address, phone number, and hours match exactly everywhere. They all feed into local search rankings.
Use location-specific keywords on your website and in your descriptions. For example, “family-friendly Italian restaurant in Chicago” is more powerful than “great Italian food.” Also, add fresh photos and encourage reviews on each platform.
Offer Loyalty Programs and Digital Tools
A one-time customer is nice. A repeat customer is priceless. Loyalty programs keep your best guests coming back, and they don’t have to be fancy.
Options include:
- Digital punch cards: Simple apps track visits and reward guests after a certain number of meals.
- Birthday perks: Send an email or text with a free dessert or drink during their birthday month.
- Referral rewards: Offer a discount when a regular brings in a new guest.
Also, consider adding digital tools that make dining with you easier and save you time. These might include a QR code menu, contactless payment options, and reservation widgets on your website and social profiles.
Work With Influencers (Carefully)
The right influencer can put your restaurant in front of thousands of local food lovers. The wrong one can waste your time and possibly even damage your reputation.
If you want to try this route, here’s what to do:
- Focus on local micro-influencers with 5,000–20,000 engaged followers. They often have a stronger connection with their audience than big-name accounts.
- Invite them for a complimentary meal and ask if they’d be willing to post about their experience.
- Be clear about expectations such as the kind of post, when it will go live, and how they’ll tag you.
- Choose influencers whose style and values fit your brand.
Plan, Measure, and Adapt
Digital marketing for a restaurant is a habit rather than a one-off. To stay relevant, set aside time each week to keep things moving and to see what’s working.
It helps to start with a simple calendar. Here’s an example:
- Week 1: Update your Google profile and send your monthly email.
- Week 2: Post a behind-the-scenes video and encourage reviews.
- Week 3: Promote an upcoming event on social media.
- Week 4: Share a customer testimonial and refresh website photos.
Track results using free tools such as Google Analytics for website traffic, your social platforms’ built-in insights for engagement, and your email provider’s reports for open and click rates.
If you see a spike in traffic after a certain kind of post, do more of that. If a tactic isn’t delivering after a few months, adjust or replace it.
Turn Your Online Audience Into Diners
Running a restaurant is hard enough without trying to master every marketing trick out there. The beauty of restaurant online marketing is that you don’t have to do it all at once. Pick two or three of these tips and commit to doing them well. If you find yourself in a crunch and struggling to keep up, consider working with a digital marketing agency for restaurants.
Frontier Marketing helps restaurants turn their online presence into a true taste of the brand. Need help with strategy, content creation, page optimization, or simply posting consistently across platforms? We’ll make digital marketing for restaurants easy, effective, and tailored to your goals. To learn more, call (847) 254-0837, email info@frontiermarketingllc.com, or message us on Facebook.
