Tips for Marketing a Restaurant in a Downturned Economy

In a downturned economy, restaurants are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a steady customer base and keep their tables full.  However, there are several tips you should follow when the economy isn’t looking its best—they will help keep you sane (and your restaurant afloat) through the worst of the economic crisis.  

1.       Focus on low-cost marketing strategies.

There are many effective marketingstrategies that cost little to no money, and can help boost your sales more than most of the higher-cost strategies such as print, television, and radio ads.  Since most customers are making online social media and group discount opportunities like Groupon, start with those avenues to attract customers and keep in constant contact with the ones you already have.  

2.       Increase your visibility.

Again, this doesn’t have to cost a lot but can have enormous benefits for your restaurant.  Increasing your visibility means reaching out to your customers on a daily or weekly basis through email campaigns, social media posts, blogs, direct mail, or any other strategy you can find to get your restaurant’s name “out there.”  Getting involved in community efforts also helps to increase your visibility, while also showing your customers that you care about the well-being and progress of the community.  

3.       Update your menu. 

If there are items on your menu that do not sell and/or have a low profit margin, get rid of them.  Do this before you adjust pricing, and if you must adjust the price of your items, do so subtly.  Also, if you feel you need to raise prices, consider other things such as reducing portion size.  In an increasingly health-conscious society, the reduced portion size will be less negative from your customer’s point of view than an increase in price will be.  You can be sure that your customers are feeling the weight of a downturned economy to the same extent you are.