21 Tips on How to Improve Your Restaurant Brand Online
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance your restaurant is looking for ways to improve its online presence. Maybe you’ve been thinking about upgrading your website or social media strategy? Or maybe the marketing team has been asking questions about why some of the company’s digital efforts are not working as well as they had hoped? Regardless of what stage your business is in, these 21 tips on how to improve your restaurant brand online can help.
Restaurant Website Optimization
Give your customers a stellar experience from the get-go, make sure you have these items available on your website.
1. A unique, simple, and easy-to-remember URL (website address).
2. Mobile-friendly website design. Make sure your website looks great on a smartphone. This will help streamline the customer experience and show your guests how committed you are to going above and beyond.
3. Use a clear call to action. Be sure visitors know where to place an order online, or download your app.
4. Images of food that make your guests salivate. Popular menu pics are an incredible way to market your business.
If you’re looking for a few more ideas on how to improve your restaurant’s digital presence, we’ve got them.
21 Tips on How to Improve Your Restaurant Brand Online
Facebook for Business Page
This is another channel for you to boost your online ordering revenue. What are your customers doing when they’re on Facebook? They’re scrolling. What’s a simple way to get them to order right then and there? Use the app!
5. Add an easy-to-find link for mobile users.
6. What’s the best way for customers to know what you have on offer? Images. Share photos of food that make people drool (don’t worry we won’t tell).
7. Use the chat function to make people feel like they’re being served by your own team. Messenger has some easy-to-follow automated messages you can send to visitors.
8. Daily posts to promote something from your menu, the experience of your restaurant, or your online ordering solution.
9. Try Using a Facebook Live video to show your restaurant’s atmosphere and feature items on the menu for that day.
Online Ordering/App Menu
10. Your entire menu doesn’t have to be on the platform. Not everything makes sense for takeout or delivery. Streamline your online menu and choose items you know package well and are popular with regulars.
Food Photography
Images are integral to your customer’s online app experience. You should have an image for each item on the menu. A well-shot photo of your food may be the difference between a sale and a no-sale online.
11. Simple backgrounds are a great way to start. Your pictures should have a theme and a consistent background. Make sure that you take pictures with a clean background, and that you don’t have too many other items in the photo. Keep it simple!
12. Appealing plating and food styling are also important. Keep in mind that you want to show the customer what they are getting when they order, not just a picture of food on a plate.
13. Use as high-resolution images as possible. The higher-quality your images, the better they will look on a customer’s phone screen. It is also important to have good lighting for all of your pictures. When shooting food at restaurants with natural light, make sure that you are capturing the true colors and textures of what you’re serving.
–> read more restaurant photography tips here
14. Use the same amount of garnishes as you would if your food were sitting on that plate at the restaurant, but never add anything out-of-season or unrealistically large to make it look more appealing; this will only draw attention away from how good your dish tastes.
21 Tips on How to Improve Your Restaurant Brand Online
Customer Data and Insight
15. Make sure you have an idea of who orders, users that are new to your restaurant, who orders food once a week every week, who orders once a month, and so forth. This information should be easily accessible in your restaurant’s POS system or online ordering app.
16. You can use this to understand how often customers order from you and what they tend to buy when they do come into the store, giving you an idea of which dishes may need tweaking for increased profitability.
17. Some key statistics to keep an eye on:
- Total Users and registered users -This will indicate the number of people who ordered from your app and how often users typically register.
- Acquisition/traffic sources – This will detail where your users come from and measure your online marketing efforts.
Leverage the Inbox
You can find creative ways to boost the number of online orders and therefore increase your profits thanks to regular newsletters and email marketing.
18. Email is a great low-cost way to engage your customers and remind them of specials, discounts, or other news you might have for them.
19. Inform and promote dishes of the week, top-rated meals, discounts, specials, etc.
20. It is best not to exceed two emails a week unless they are high-priority announcements or deals.
21. Loyalty and rewards programs: This will encourage sign-ups and help promote and entertain.
Finally, online ordering built just for your business
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