Restaurant specials keep things interesting. Regardless of how good your menu is, there’s always an element of excitement when ordering something well, special. Specials can help keep your current audience interested, encourage lapsed customers to return, and even attract new customers.

In order for your specials to get the most bang for your buck though, you’re going to want to keep them promoted.

Here’s a list of top 8 ways your restaurant can get the word out on its specials.

Outdoor signage. When people walk or drive by your restaurant frequently, they start to get used to it. Start leveraging your curbside appeal to change that. There are plenty of ways to improve your curbside appeal from an aesthetic standpoint, but if you really want to grab their attention, try showing off your restaurant’s latest special. It just might get them to come on in.

Digital signage. If your outdoor signage isn’t doing the trick, maybe a screen will get the job done. Digital signage is particularly effective because it allows you to show off large, vibrant imagery of your latest specials in a dynamic way. If you have multiple specials, you can switch between them so that you don’t have to commit to just one.

WiFi. Speaking of screens, there’s another screen your customers probably spend a lot of time staring at when hanging out at your restaurant. I’m talking, of course, about their mobile devices. By taking advantage of your in-store WiFi, you can effectively promote your specials (and a heck of a lot more) via smartphones. With a service like CoGoBuzz, you can set up your restaurant with a branded landing page, which your customers can check out once they’ve logged into your HotSpot. It’s a great place to show off everything there is to know about your restaurant.

Text promotion. So we’ve covered in-store engagement, but how about when customers are off premises? If your restaurant has a text club, you can leverage it to promote your specials in creative ways. Texts can be timed strategically to let customers know that a special is currently available. You might use it for daily specials like Taco Tuesday and Wine Wednesday, encouraging customers to stop by on impulse.

Email newsletter. Another great way to keep your customers in the loop is through your email newsletter. Customers who are subscribed to your newsletter are looking for this type of information. They want to stay informed on every aspect of your restaurant, including your specials. A big advantage email has over text is that you can leverage appealing imagery to help seal the deal.

Social media. Whenever you’re introducing a new special, you can’t go wrong with announcing it on social media (with an appetizing image). Create an element of urgency by letting your customers know they’re not going to want to miss out while it lasts.

Capitalize on a National Day. People love to celebrate National Days. Not only are there tons of them, celebrating them is an easy way to gain some social media traction. And they’re a great excuse for special. Head over to National Day Calender’s website to find a National Day for your restaurant’s next hottest special.

Direct mail. While you probably won’t send out direct mail for every single special you’re about to run, there are many cases where it can prove to be pretty effective. For example, let’s say you’re unveiling your holiday specials menu. Show off your most popular special on the postcard, mention that the full special menu can be seen on your website, and attach a discount offer to give them some extra encouragement to stop by.

Promote With CoGoBuzz

Promoting your specials is about to get a whole lot easier. With CoGoBuzz, our state-of-the-art marketing service, we’ll digitally promote your restaurant specials – both in-store and out.

Our service leverages powerful WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, giving your restaurant a wide range of ways to promote. CoGoBuzz gets started when your customers login to your in-restaurant HotSpot. After logging in through email, social media, or phone number, they’ll be taken to a custom landing page tailored to your restaurant. There, they can access your specials menu, sign up for your brand new text-based loyalty program, and more! Once they’ve left, you can promote your specials menu via text or email!

Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz!

How does your restaurant promote its specials? Sound off in the comments!