Digital Marketing for Culinary and Restaurants

Restaurant owners and culinary schools often do not think of their businesses as being ultra-competitive. A pizza restaurant usually doesn’t compete with a steak restaurant or a vegan restaurant. While many people know what they want before leaving their homes, many do not – and many are on the road and may stop at the first restaurant they see. Some may even Google “Restaurants near me” to find a good place to eat while on the road. Some know they want to go out to eat but have no idea what they are in the mood for. Creating a well-optimized website helps your business rank higher in search engine page results, which in turn, puts your business in front of those who are undecided.

5 Star Restaurant? 5 Star Marketing

Actually, it doesn’t matter if you are a 5-star restaurant – your digital marketing needs to be 5-star. Even if potential customers know they want to eat at a seafood restaurant, they have many options. You need a way to entice that customer to visit your establishment instead of your competitor’s. Creating an information-filled website with enticing photos can increase your customer base. People are often hesitant to try something new once they find a local restaurant they like. A digital marketing plan that targets these potential customers can increase your customer base.

Digital Marketing for the Culinary Industry

Whether you are a small café that serves the best paninis or a Michelin-star restaurant that serves everything from filet mignon to healthy options to French cuisine, you need a digital marketing plan that leads customers to your restaurant just like the smell of fresh bread lures people into a bakery.

Culinary schools, baking schools, and even places that offer cooking classes also need an excellent digital marketing plan to entice students to choose your chef courses and cooking classes.

The Sales Funnel for Restaurants and Culinary Schools

A digital marketing plan includes attraction, capture, closing the sale, and retaining the customer.

Attract Customers to Your Culinary Establishment

Attract people to your establishment with a well-designed website that shows your expertise and experience in preparing their favorite dishes. In the case of culinary schools, you have to show potential students that you have the best chef courses and programs to make them successful.

Capture the Minds and Hearts of Potential Customers and Students

Once you attract potential customers, you have to capture their minds and hearts. Colorful, enticing photos of your dishes, informational content, promotions, food pairings, and other interactive in-person and online activities keep your website and your restaurant or culinary school in the forefront of a person’s mind.

Close the Deal!

But: You don’t have that person yet! You still have to close the deal. Even if you don’t get that person into your culinary establishment right now, you can get a future claim with lead generation forms, emails or registration with your business for emails, specials, and other forms of digital communication to “remind” the potential customer of your business.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Finally, the coup de grâce: You entice the customer to return time and time again. Digital marketing is just one of the ways you can get a customer to visit your restaurant over and over or continue cooking classes after the first one – or in the case of culinary schools, to continue with the next semester.