Never underestimate the power of effective branding.
Creating a better brand for your restaurant can accomplish more than any individual marketing campaign could by itself. A better brand can inspire loyalty among customers, improve word-of-mouth advertising, and even help differentiate your restaurant from its competitors.
Whether you know exactly what your brand is, or you’re still trying to figure it out, here’s a quick guide to improving your restaurant brand.
Brand Storytelling. Every brand has a story. Restaurants included. Delving into how your restaurant started, where it’s been throughout its history, and how it’s all led to today can present some unique ideas and inspiration for marketing. The story of your restaurant’s brand can be used to fuel just about anything. It could be a cause you support, ingredients you use, or something else entirely.
A useful example of brand storytelling for restaurants is intertwining that story with an individual menu item. When it comes to food, people like to believe that there’s a personal element involved. I have friends who have raved about certain meals, mentioning that the sauce or the recipe is completely “homemade” or “their specialty.” Whether the food itself is that much better than an alternative is irrelevant. The food is special because it’s unique.
Cohesive Vision. From your menu, to your website, to the look and feel of your restaurant. Everything should feel as if it represents the same vision. A cohesive vision keeps your brand consistent. When you’ve formed a clear idea of what that vision is, maintaining your brand becomes a far more natural process. New marketing initiatives, menu items, specials, events, etc. are all easier to develop because you know exactly what being a part of your your brand entails. Here’s a list of elements to consider when shaping the overall vision of your restaurant.
- Menu Design
- Music
- Lighting
- Staff Uniforms
- Art and Decor
- TV and Digital Signage
- Exterior Design
- Website
- Social Media
- Brand Voice
A restaurant with a cohesive vision for its brand stands out. It doesn’t feel like just another cookie-cutter restaurant. It feels like a place that’s worth visiting.
Leverage Content. Another effective method for improving your brand is to start investing in valuable content. Well-developed content can help engage your audience and strengthen the perception of your brand. Restaurants in particular have a ton of interesting opportunities for content. From sharing recipes to cooking tutorials, there’s no shortage of fun ideas to make use of. Developing content is also a great way to make use of your brand story.
Better Branding With CoGoBuzz
With CoGoBuzz, our state-of-the-art marketing service, we’ll help bring out the best of your restaurant brand at the digital level.
With our service, we’ve devised an affordable solution to all of your restaurant’s digital marketing needs. Leveraging advanced WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, we get your restaurant more customers automatically. CoGoBuzz displays an interactive landing page on your customers’ mobile devices when they login to the HotSpot. On top of that, you’ll take advantage of a fully digital SMS-based loyalty program, letting you simplify engagement down to a text message.
Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz!
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Have any restaurant branding tips to share? Sound off in the comments!