Are you too concerned about the sharp fall in your restaurant’s revenues because of the pandemic?
Due to the pandemic, you cannot expect your customers to dine-in in huge numbers like before, as they’re afraid of contracting the infection. So, your best bet is to understand how to promote your restaurant’s online ordering app with a fresh approach. Let’s look at the 5 most effective strategies to promote a restaurant’s online ordering app.
Also Read: How to say bye to aggregator commissions for your food delivery business.
1. Shift your Walk-in Customers to the App
Due to the safety concerns during the pandemic, restaurants are seeing a surge in online orders. With such a boost in this number, you cannot afford to lose out on this opportunity anymore.
As an initial step, you can attract a customer to the online ordering app by offering exclusive discounts on the restaurant app. For example, if you offer discounts for family meal deals starting at ₹200 and serving four people, it would interest your customers.
Two other effective methods include offering seasonal discounts and bundled discounts to your online customers. During the time of Christmas to New Year’s eve, you can come up with a discount offer of 25% for kids below 5 years. At a throwaway price of ₹350 per person, you can bundle a four-course menu of soup, burger, salad, and dessert.
You can set up your food delivery app with inresto Online Order.
2. Promote your Restaurant Brand via Social Media
Regularly posting photos of the tempting dishes on Instagram and Facebook is one of the effective strategies to promote a restaurant’s online ordering app. Posting an Instagram story of a mouth-watering hot dog on National Hot dog Day will definitely draw hungry customers towards your restaurant. Another method can include posting photos of your online menu and the signature dishes. Don’t underestimate the power of social media as a single viral post can reach out to numerous customers out there.
on your social media profile, add the links to your restaurant app so your customers find it easy to order online. You can also include important information such as the time of operation and the locations you deliver in your profile. One more way you can expand your reach is by launching paid campaigns on both Instagram and Facebook.
A video on Instagram that speaks about the safety measures adopted while preparing food at the restaurant can do wonders for your brand. You can also create videos on the various signature dishes prepared by your chefs in the kitchen.
3. Update your Google My Business Info
In your profile with Google My Business Account, you can add the links to your online ordering app and website. You can also mention a one-liner like “An ever-changing menu of sausage, pork, and chicken which caters to the authentic taste of Indian food lovers.” The photos of the dishes served, hours of operation and menu options can be included in this section. You can also add the link to the websites of the other online food ordering delivery platforms through which your restaurant will deliver food to the customer’s doorstep.
A customer who is searching the options of ordering food online will no doubt check for the Google reviews and star rating appearing in Google’s My Business Info. Besides that, you can include the reviews from Facebook and platforms such as Dineout. How to promote your restaurant’s online ordering app depends to a great extent on the customer reviews.
4. Have an Appealing Website that Stands Out from the Rest
According to a survey by MGH, a full-service marketing communications agency, 77% of restaurant-goers in the US are likely to visit a restaurant’s website before they dine in or order takeout or delivery. Some local and national newspapers publish write-ups about the delicious food, ambience, and excellent service offered by various restaurants. If your restaurant has featured in any such newspaper reports, post them on your website. One more effective method is to post blogs or reviews about your restaurant by food bloggers.
Nowadays, most customers check for the option of ordering food online on their mobile phones. Hence, your website should be optimized for a smooth user experience on mobile phones. On your website, display only the offers that customers can avail of at present. A special discount offer on pizzas during the Christmas season should not appear on your website after December. Outdated content can be a big let-down for the customers.
Writing SEO friendly content is essential to ensure that your restaurant appears at the top of Google’s search results. An effective SEO strategy includes promoting your restaurant’s online ordering app using targeted keywords to attract local customers. If your restaurant deals in Chinese dishes, you can use words such as Schezwan noodles, Chowmein, and Hot Pot in your website content.
5. Online reviews speak a lot about your brand
Review sites play a major role when a customer decides which restaurant to choose to order food online. You can link the online ordering page of your website to the reviews posted on these review sites. Irrespective of whether the customer review is good or not, you should always be prompt in providing responses. A good review by a celebrity guest can change the fortune of your restaurant forever! When every other brand is exploring the endless opportunities of digital marketing, you surely cannot miss doing that.
Final Remarks
The effective strategies to promote the restaurant’s online ordering app do not stop here. Your restaurant has regular customers, and your staff knows them well. Train your employees on how to promote the benefits of ordering online among customers. For example, if there is a long waiting queue, customers can make online reservations or the staff can guide them to book a table on the app while guests are waiting. Also, you could run a customer loyalty program that helps you build long-lasting relationships and more revenues. So, keep exploring new ways to promote your restaurant and you’ll get more customers to order online from you.
