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How Can Digital Marketing Be Beneficial to Restaurants and Bars In Nigeria.
Every business including restaurants and bars in Nigeria, can benefit from digital marketing strategies regardless of whether it is an online or offline business. This is even more beneficial to offline businesses as they will always be ahead of their competitors who have no idea of digital marketing, or who are yet to leverage on digital marketing. Most restaurant and bar owners are comfortable with doing everything traditionally and might not buy the idea of digital marketing. If you are a restaurant & bar owner and you fall into this category, please take a few minutes to read this article and see how digital marketing can be beneficial to your business.
Restaurants and bars are scattered across Nigeria. You have to do something to make yours stand out from the crowd especially if you are new in the business. You can take advantage of the numerous opportunities the digital world has to offer by being open to new ideas and doing your marketing differently; doing more of what works.
The following are the various ways Restaurants and bars can benefit from digital marketing
1. Branding
This digital marketing strategy will help your restaurant and bar stand out from the rest. Create a unique identity for your restaurant that will leave a lasting impression on the minds of your prospective customers. Your branding will be evident on your signboards, doors, windows, signage, menu, apron, t-shirts, business cards, websites, letterheads, invoices, social media and more.
Branding helps you to maintain the identity of your restaurant and bar, and shows professionalism on your part. This will not only maintain your brand’s credibility but also attract more customers. Most digital marketing agencies in Nigeria offer branding as a service.
2. Website Design
We are in the era where people research and read reviews about restaurants and bars online before setting out to patronise them. The absence of a website means you have lost out completely on the majority of prospective customers continually searching for restaurants and bars online. Your website should contain much information about your culture, menus, special offers, reviews, testimonials and tips on healthy living. You can also have a booking form and online payment functionality, where your customers can check for table availability, choose and pay for their food and drinks even before turning up at your restaurant or bar. That helps your business to handle less cash and makes your more prepared before your customers arrive. This will improve the overall customer experience and feedback.
Nothing good comes easy, so you should also be wary of amateur web developers as they will cause more harm than good. Always look for a reliable and professional website developer with experience in your industry and niche to help achieve even better results.
3. Social Media
The social media is one of the best things that have happened to this generation. It has made running a business easier and more fun. When most people go out to restaurants & bars, they take photos, upload them on social media instantly and say nice things about the place or the food. Having social media pages mean your customers can tag your business when uploading images taking in your restaurant, follow your pages and even leave reviews on platforms like Facebook. This is a FREE advertisement and will result in more popularity for your restaurants and bars.
The social media has also offered a platform for restaurants & bars to post lovely photos of their mouth-watering menu and friendly environment that will leave people with no other option than to check you out. You can also attract customers by frequently posting about promotions and offers. Social media is perfect for lead generation and getting customer feedback. Also, be careful of what you do on social media as it can come back to hunt you.
4. Local SEO
Having local SEO done for your restaurant means internet users will be able to find and contact you with ease at your local area. People are no longer interested in burning fuel and wasting precious time driving around town trying to locate restaurants and bars when they can easily get all the required information by searching on the internet using their phones and laptops.
Local SEO is a ‘must do’ for restaurants and bars that are serious about gaining more customers online. The idea is to make sure your business comes top when potential customers are looking for restaurants and bars in your location.
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing helps you to know your existing and potential customers better. As people patronise your restaurant or contact you online via your social media pages or website, it is a good step to keep their contact details (name, telephone number and email address) as this can be used for sending marketing email newsletter, requesting for feedback and sending offers and discounts later down the funnel.
Emails have its way of connecting with people more intimately, hence, the reason why it is a good digital marketing strategy for restaurants and bars.
