The importance of online marketing for restaurants

In the 21st century, in an era dominated by brands, technology and an almost infinite diversity of products and services available to consumers, finding a niche in the market is not easy. Having a fantastic product, an extraordinary idea or an original and innovative concept will help you along the way, but if you don't know how to sell it, you're out.

Companies in all sectors are at this point fully aware of the importance of a good marketing strategy as one of the fundamental pillars within their business plan, and in the case of Catering and Restaurants this need is especially evident. It is no longer enough just to take care of prices, pay attention to promotions or actions at the point of sale, your potential customers can be anywhere and you must be present wherever they are. This means that your strategy must be broad and cover all areas, the offline part and, now more than ever, the online or digital part.

In recent years, the hotel and catering sector has also had to deal with the use of social networks and online users.

If once upon a time good food, courteous service and word of mouth could be enough to stand out, now it is no longer enough. People's habits have changed, they inform themselves and share the online experience in a different way than in the past. being present on the web is basic, but often mistakes are made that can compromise the reputation of a business.

Welcomefamily gives you 5 valuable tips for a successful web marketing strategy.

1 - Online Uniformity

Being present on multiple channels is important. What really matters is that you present your business in a uniform way on all portals and social networks.

It sounds trivial, but make sure that each of your accounts has the same identical data everywhere, starting with the name of the activity. Also the images of the various profiles must be uniform and generally must represent their logo.

These small but fundamental accuracies are not to confuse users, who look for information on multiple channels before booking a place in a restaurant or a hotel room.

2 - Reply to reviews

The web has given great resonance to the old word of mouth allowing people to share with everyone their experiences and it is precisely on the review portals, first and foremost TripAdvisor, that users are informed before taking any action.

Responding to reviews with a professional and never rude tone can really make a difference, showing attention to the customer and also allowing you to clarify any doubts following negative reviews.

3 - Claim your Google My Business 

You may have noticed that when you type the name of an activity on Google, a box with images, information and directions for that structure appears on the right hand side of the results page. This is the tab that Google automatically creates when it recognizes that an activity exists at a given address. However, the information Google finds may be incorrect or outdated. By claiming the card you will have the opportunity to manage the information and respond to reviews.

The My Business  is completely free, why not take advantage of it?

4 - Update social network profiles with quality content

Creating a Facebook page or an Instagram profile and not keeping these accounts constantly updated can undermine the reputation of your business, a bit like keeping the restaurant open, but with the shutter half down.

Similar to the subject of the reviews, a bare page with poor quality content will tend to distract a likely customer and bring him closer to competitors who offer it more information. That said, it is not essential to be present on every possible social network on the net, the important thing is to follow well the channels most frequented and loved by its customers.

5 - Investing in advertising

If you have newly created profiles or you want to increase the visibility of your brand, invest your budget in advertising platforms.

Carefully analyze the purchasing process of your customers and choose the right channel.

Facebook and Google, the two most important players in online advertising, can be very effective if used in the right way.

Each activity has its own clientele with different characteristics and interests, to be studied before implementing a (web)marketing strategy.

These simple tips may seem trivial to you, but there are still many restaurants that do not put them into practice. It's necessary to invest time or turn to someone to properly manage your online presence.