Beginning entrepreneurs and businessmen often face the question of how to attract attention to their project potential clients. Today we will talk about how to promote a cafe. Practical advice and recommendations you will find in this article.
Why do small or outlying cafes have so few customers?
Owners of small single cafes located on the outskirts of the city often face the problem of low attendance. This is no coincidence: residents do not like to look into establishments located “nearby”, and for exits they choose those that are closer to the center. There you can look at others, show yourself off, stroll along the beautiful streets, and stop in for a tasty snack. In general, most people combine business with pleasure. However, this does not mean at all that the owners of peripheral cafes and restaurants have no chances, and their establishments are uncompetitive. In order to understand how to promote a cafe, it is necessary to determine which category of consumers the main system of innovations, changes, innovations will be aimed at. This will be discussed further.
Introduction of additional bonuses, promotions, offers
Obviously, for outlying establishments the main contingent is residents of nearby houses and the surrounding area. What can attract such clients? System of discounts and nice bonuses, which include:
- Loyalty programs. For example, accumulative points, which will ultimately allow the visitor to purchase a free dinner, drink, snack, etc., or a “refer a friend” promotion, which will also allow the client to activate some interesting add-ons.
- Programs for football fans. Many men do not want to travel far from home, but getting together and watching a match with a group of friends and comrades is still a sacred thing. This is exactly what a cafe or restaurant can play on, especially if in honor of the event special paraphernalia, thematic elements, etc. are introduced in order to create a special atmosphere that is different from other establishments.
- Introduction to the business lunch menu. Such a step can help when there are shopping centers, offices or just places of work large quantity of people. As a result, well-thought-out dish recipes coupled with affordable prices will attract new customers to the establishment, who may well become regular customers in the future.
- If the manager is faced with the question “How to promote a cafe?”, introducing a delivery service to homes and offices will also be useful, and this system should not stand still - it must be constantly developed, improved, changed, modified in order to cover the desires of as many clients as possible.
- For weekends, the implementation of the “Open Days” project may be effective: everyone passing by can be offered a free taste of new menu dishes. The important thing to remember here is the quality and taste of the food on offer, and the fact that people may not stay right away. But if everything is done correctly, they will nevertheless notice the establishment and take note of it.
- Introducing drawings of free gifts for visitors with the largest receipt.
- Carrying out celebrations of national cuisines (European, American, Caucasian and others), especially those that are not represented by competitors and are something qualitatively new and unique.
So, these are the very beginning tips on how to promote a cafe. Let's move on!
Competent marketing policy
Unfortunately or fortunately, not a single business project can be started without investing in its advertising. How to promote a cafe in a residential area? The answer is simple: you need to involve advertising distributors in the region, create flyers, leaflets and business cards, order advertising on the Internet, on signs and billboards, and, finally, spend time developing the establishment’s website. An accessible interface will allow visitors to easily learn about all new products, promotions, menu offers, location of the establishment, etc. Effective communication channels also include various publications in in social networks, ordering an article in a local newspaper and other printed publications, distributing coupon services. 
Price policy
How can you promote a small cafe so that it becomes even more visited than establishments in the city center? In fact, this is possible, but with the condition that a more democratic monetary policy in relation to clients will be implemented in the establishment on the periphery. Residents consider the main disadvantage of restaurants and cafes in the center to be their exorbitant prices, because of which many people no longer want to go to them. Today, from 70 to 83% of visitors look at the cost of dishes. This is exactly what outlying establishments can play on, but everything must be calculated so that expenses do not exceed income. 
We pay attention to families with children
Today, an important point in the instructions on how to promote a cafe without alcohol (after all, the topic concerning such establishments is also relevant today) is paying due attention to the desires and needs of families. Neighborhood cafes and restaurants are often places where parents and children want to come, relax, unwind and be together, but very few managers today can correctly grasp this desire. In order to attract as many clients of this category as possible to your establishment, it is recommended to introduce various family holidays, as well as promotions for children's birthdays with discounts on the menu or inviting a children's animator.
Often, the so-called “word of mouth” works even better than specially paid advertising: parents who enjoy the day spent in the café will definitely recommend the establishment to family friends, who will recommend it to their friends, and so on and so forth. 
Timely response to customer requests
Among representatives of an already established customer base (even if it consists of only a dozen people), it will be useful to conduct a survey on what the main advantages and, conversely, significant disadvantages they see in the establishment. This should be a short questionnaire that will not take visitors much time. Depending on the results obtained, the manager and his managers will be able to decide which vector of future development to choose and how to promote the cafe. Methods involving constant analysis of feedback are now used even in large restaurant chains intended for food, entertainment and recreation. 
If all of the above provisions covered what could stimulate the influx of visitors to the cafe, then this section will talk about what without which any discounts, promotions, innovations and business plans will be ineffective. What else can you advise entrepreneurs who are wondering how to promote small town or your own cafe in a residential area?
The main thing is to be able to prioritize correctly! It will not be possible to cover everyone: families will look at some provisions, groups of friends - at others, business people - at a third; The older generation will appreciate the coziness and comfort, while the younger generation will appreciate cheap but high-quality drinks and energetic music. In principle, it will not be possible to please everyone, and therefore you need to plan and focus on some specific direction. Above, an option was proposed for the development of an establishment mainly for families, but this, of course, is not an axiom.
Points to always pay attention to
However, regardless of the chosen path, the fundamental ones will be:
- Quality of service. Low scores on this item are unacceptable for most clients; Just over 87% of experts think so.
- Good taste of the dishes. This is important for 85.1% of respondents.
- Low or average prices for dishes. 78% of people disapprove of the high cost of items on the menu.
- Stuffy, stale air, the presence of cigarette smoke in the room (72.3% of clients do not like this) and excessively loud music (51% of people were against it) negatively affect the impressions of visitors.
All this must be taken into account by a manager who wants to make his establishment popular, prestigious, and visited.
Impulse demand products, which include beer, are very difficult to promote. Relying on emotions, loyalty to traditions, even black PR – virtually anything can work in the beer market. They're talking about it successful examples various technologies for promoting beer products.
There are more emotional, often humorous beer advertisements on TV. The most recent examples of successful work include advertising for the Argentine beer Norte, which has now appeared on Russian market. Marketers have explored the theme of male friendship with renewed vigor in rather funny pop songs about mutual assistance.
Here, for example, is one of the verses of a song about a programmer friend: “When I have problems with my computer, I know that you are there and will help me. I pressed Escape, tried to reboot, but I couldn’t, what should I do?” – “I offer you a quick backup...” – “This friendship is so big that it won’t even fit on a flash drive!” (see review "When an advertisement turned into a music video").
Or a song about a doctor friend: “Hi Ricardo, how are you?” – “I want to say thank you for your pills that you gave me yesterday...” – “The pharmaceutical companies gave them to me. I have tons of these pills in my closet. Let me know if you need a helping hand” – “Sick leave for a few days!" - “It’s so good to have friends!”
The originality of this advertising move is that Norte beer is not mentioned anywhere except in the packshot, but the video works! Sales of the brand almost tripled after the launch of videos with songs.
The Bud Light Lime brand has also decided to lift consumers’ spirits. With creative support from DDB Chicago, he focuses on how the taste of beer changes with the addition of one small lime. Lime in the videos is shown to be lively and funny: he rides a skateboard and throws coasters.
But the advertising agency Lew Lara/TBWA relied on black humor. And it didn’t go wrong either. Specialists promote Primus beer with the help of advertisements in which a group of friends finds themselves in the most extreme conditions - shipwreck, war and even the apocalypse.
But, despite everything, young people continue to have fun because Primus is with them. The slogan is also good - “It doesn’t matter what happens!” In essence, the campaign is not as easy as it might seem. After all, something terrible is constantly happening in the world, and this doesn’t stop us from drinking beer.
TRADITIONS AND CULTURE
The second most popular way to promote a foamy drink is to show consumers sophisticated beer brewing technologies and talk about the “good old traditions” of its preparation. Numerous videos are designed to convince people that brewing beer is beautiful. In a modern brewery, the charm of old traditions is combined with urban lightness and scale, and the naturalness of ingredients with high technology. And, of course, drinking such beer is prestigious and pleasant.
Nothing prevents you from imagining a little. For example, in a commercial for Guinness beer created by the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, consumers are assured that this foamy drink originates from a tornado that rushed over a wheat field. The grains were fried by lightning, then the purest water from the lake was added, and, in the end, the drink ended up in the bottles of the hunters.
However, the image - a dark whirlwind, similar to the process of pouring beer into a glass - is remembered immediately. According to experts, this particular one, highly professionally made using computer technology visualization decided the more than successful outcome of the advertising campaign.
Of the Russian beer brands, the Stary Melnik company most often uses the “good old traditions” method. Endless fields, picturesque huts, old mills and Russian ruddy “husky men” with huge foaming mugs - such scenes in the videos of “old millers” appear with enviable regularity.
An important sign of the maturity of the beer market is the emergence of a culture of consumption of a foamy drink. Russia has made significant progress in this regard over the past 5 years. The domestic beer market has already announced a topic that became popular on the global market in the early 2000s: the connection between beer and “street” art (graffiti, tattoos, modern dances). Marketers widely use this theme to promote “youth” beers.
The most telling example here is the advertising campaign for the Miller Midnight brand. So far it is non-standard only at the creative level. The carriers themselves are quite traditional - this is the usual outdoor advertising and television commercials, but executed as an art project.
For example, I recorded music for the video youth group"Manicure", and fashion designers Protei Temen, Yanuk Latushka, Maxim Zhestkov were involved in creating visual solutions. This marketing idea is now actively developing. Brewing companies not only cooperate with representatives of the artistic and musical communities, but also invest advertising campaign in the form of art projects, concerts, circus performances.
PR ACTIONS
Many beer producers now prefer “live” events aimed at representatives of certain consumer groups. They carry out so-called “unification actions”.
For example, the “Beer Relay Race” competition, which the Australian brand Tooheys New organized for its consumers at the instigation of the Saatchi&Saatchi agency.
“The whole world needs cold beer,” marketers reasoned reasonably and made a proposal that was unexpected in its originality and scale - to carry a glass, like the Olympic flame, from New York to Madrid, from Madrid to Cape Town and... everywhere else!
Now Tooheys fans from all over the world send letters to the company with wishes to host the relay race at their place too. Find out who's next at fortheloveofbeer.com.au .
Do you want something quiet and not so global? Please. Beattie McGuinness Bungay agency has developed a special program for iPhone. Stunning visual and sound effects turn the phone into... a virtual “beer mug”, supposedly filled with Carling beer, for which all this was invented. The reception is also good because the consumer, showing such an outlandish thing to friends, willy-nilly advertises the beer brand.
The recent initiative of the Bulgarian advertising agency Noble Graphics Creative Studio is from this series. For Shumensko beer, marketers have developed environmentally friendly paper bags, decorated like beer crates. Shoppers walking around with these “bags” essentially become free advertising billboards.
No less original is the interactive billboard equipped with motion sensors that the advertising agency Fisher America created for the Brazilian beer Nova Schin in Sao Paulo. When a person walks by, the bottles attached to the carrier rise in time with his steps!
PROHIBITIONS
This may seem strange, but all sorts of “anti-beer campaigns”, as well as bans on television advertising of beer, can even help promote the brand. They push "rebellious" companies to create provocative advertising.
Thus, Bud Light beer recently ordered an obscene video with the following content from the Omnicom DDB Chicago agency. In a certain office, employees are fined for using swear words. But suddenly they find out that all the fines will go towards buying Bud Light beer. Since then, the office has been filled with continuous curses. Of course, the video was not shown on TV, but this did not stop it from becoming popular on the Internet. But among network users there are a great many fans of the foamy drink.
The beer (almost alcoholic) theme generally implies many different prohibitions, sometimes not related to alcohol itself. And this can also be used. A great example is the work of the Brazilian agency Nazca S&S Publicidade Ltda for Brahma Chopp beer.
Marketers came up with a video with such a very frivolous plot. Beach, heat... "It's so hot!" – the girl in the swimsuit sighs heavily. And a small drop of water flows from her wet hair, down her neck, down her tanned back... It runs under the strings of her swimsuit, then ends up on her thigh and, finally, freezes in the dimple under her knee. But then the girl takes a sip of beer, and the droplet begins to slowly move upward. They say that after the first showing of such an impressive video, many Brazilian men made Brahma Chopp their favorite brand.
And in the plot of the Brazilian video for Schin beer (Fischer America Comunicacao Total agency), the bartender almost provokes a serious traffic accident. He opens a beer to the beat of the music, and the entire beach begins to dance to it, raising their hands in the air. Including drivers of beer trailers moving on the sand. But - as in the above-described stories with shipwreck and apocalypse - the great mood that drinking a foamy drink should bring is stronger than any dangers.
To promote your own beer bar, you need to carefully consider all advertising steps before opening the establishment. At the same time, the main factor that the owner should focus on is the target audience of the bar. The entire concept of the establishment should depend on who will visit it most often: students, hipsters, rockers, or middle-aged men and women living nearby. Having decided on the format of the beer bar, you can begin to think through the main advertising projects, from developing the design of the facade to promoting it on the Internet.
Point design
Facade
If you are planning to open a stylish bar that will be frequented by wealthy clients looking to relax in a relaxed atmosphere, you should definitely look for a good architect (if the building is being built from scratch or is being redeveloped) and designer. The appearance of the establishment’s premises and its design forms the necessary idea of the concept of the establishment. If you are targeting fashionable youth, make the façade stylish, install open display windows - this is guaranteed to attract the right customers. If you are opening a bar that is aimed at the widest segments of the population, you should not spend money on too elaborate design, as this may not only not attract your clientele, but also scare them away.
Signboard
Entry group
Signposts
Signposts are something that won’t hurt anyone beer bar. Recently, signs on which you can write with chalk have become popular. Some establishments rely on humor, offering “beer as cold as your ex-girlfriend’s heart,” while others prefer to write unique signs on the pillars. price offers. In any case, no matter which sign you choose, it will attract additional attention to your establishment.
Signposts
Whether or not to place signs is a matter that must be decided by the owner or marketer himself. In general, there will be nothing wrong with saving money on this type of advertising, while on the other hand, making a sign will not require significant material costs. If you have a themed bar or establishment with a certain style, it is better to make the sign in the appropriate style.
Internet advertising
Website
Having a beer bar website is advisable if you are targeting young people. Photos of the establishment itself and its visitors, its staff profiles, price offers, etc. can be posted there. However, exactly the same can be done on social networks, which will be even more effective.
If you decide to create a website on your own, be sure to read our articles:
Here we have laid out our experience and opinions on the use of various tools that you will simply need in your work. This will allow you to reduce the time it takes to select the necessary resources for its creation and get profit from the site as quickly as possible.
Groups on social networks
If the majority of your audience consists of fans of Twitter, Instagram and VKontakte, you should definitely create accounts on the above social networks. At the same time, it is worth paying for the initial promotion of a group or bar page on larger platforms - groups and accounts of the city where the establishment is located, or thematic communities. If you have a sufficient number of subscribers, your establishment will be promoted online almost effortlessly, thanks to customer reposts.
Printable advertisement
Flyers and Leaflets
One way to notify customers about promotions or events is to distribute flyers or leaflets. If you are preparing a show or large-scale discounts, you can order a batch of leaflets and distribute them throughout the area in which you are located. However, this should be done with an eye to the feasibility of such an event - if we are talking about one of the regular promotions, for example, “2 mugs of beer - a snack as a gift”, it is not worth spending money on printing leaflets and distributing them; a corresponding note on a sign or shop window will be enough .
Other
Carrying out price promotions
Conducting price promotions in beer bars is mandatory, but they need to be carefully thought out. So, if you want to increase the number of visitors to weekdays, try introducing a discount on beer at 5-6 pm, when people return from work (this is especially true for bars located in residential areas). You can also offer a snack (quite voluminous) with a glass of beer, and if the snack remains, the visitor will most likely buy another beer. In other words, promotions need to be thought out in such a way that they bring real profit to the establishment, taking into account the characteristics of demand at a given time and, of course, the factor target audience and her needs.
So you have a great restaurant—with gourmet cuisine, loyal and satisfied customers, and amazing employees—but you're hungry for more. You see your establishment's potential far beyond your initially projected goals. Marketing your establishment is the first step towards achieving this goal. Thanks to technology and the ever-important social dimension, marketing efforts are not necessarily expensive or time consuming.
We have developed 15 simple ways to promote a bar or restaurant in 30 minutes or less.
Repost (retweet) and respond to people’s posts about your restaurant on Twitter/vk.com/instargam
Using social media management tools like www.babkee.ru makes it easy to track conversations about your bar or restaurant online. Getting involved in the conversation about your bar or restaurant on social media is a quick and effective marketing tactic. For reference: the abbreviation RT means repost (retweet, retweet).
Responding to Negative Online Reviews
You should never ignore positive reviews, but you should also not ignore negative reviews on social media platforms. Interact with customers who complain about something, responding to their complaints with suggestions for ways to solve problems.
Monitor your reputation
It is no secret that the modern consumer in 80% of cases bases his choice on the basis of reviews of people who have visited a cafe or restaurant. Where to look for “other people’s impressions”? In the Internet! Think about the reputation of your cafe in advance, work professionally, and https://100review.ru/otzyvy.html will take care of positive reviews. This service is an ideal reputation solution if you work in Russia and the CIS countries.
Post a photo of a special dish or drink online
Engage your visual fans by posting photos of menus or drink specials on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. A photo can not only promote a heated discussion, but also whet your appetite!
Hand out business cards or free samples at popular locations
According to the Young Entrepreneurs Council, people are still enjoying face-to-face interactions. By dedicating half an hour to participating in a public event, you can quickly, economically and effectively promote your bar or restaurant.
Launch of offers on the Foursquare network
Foursquare offers are very easy to use. Take advantage step by step instructions to launch your own offer online, quickly and with minimal effort. Let your customers know about the promotion by sharing links on Facebook and Twitter.
Offer the first 25 customers to "Like" your Facebook post a snack at the house's expense
Create a Facebook status offering free snacks or a gift certificate to the first 25 customers who click “Like” or comment on your status. This way, you will attract your customers, and their friends will see your offer in their social media news feeds. This strategy will create a ripple effect in attracting customers.
Offer a “secret” menu item that is only available to those who mention you on Twitter and Facebook
Bring out the inner spy in your customers, like Safe House does, and offer a special menu item that is only available to those who know the secret code. When customers mention these special words (code) on Facebook or Twitter, offer them special food and drinks that are not available to the general public. This will also help encourage your customers to be more active in following your social media updates.
Conduct a survey on Facebook
Creating a questionnaire on Facebook will only take a few seconds. Ask your customers questions and act on their opinions. Questions like “What seasonal dishes would you like to see on the menu?” represent an opportunity for feedback and will help keep your Facebook fans engaged. What could be better than making changes based on customer feedback and wishes?
Share positive media reviews on social networks
This seems like a natural process, but many bars and restaurants do not receive positive press. If you are mentioned in the news, share this news with your fans.
Emphasize the prestige of employees
Take a few minutes to recognize your Employee of the Month and share a short story about that employee's accomplishments with everyone in your establishment. Spreading positive news about your employees will not only improve the morale of the rest of the team, but also the level of your establishment.
Create a blog post
Get in touch with local bloggers and invite them to a special evening at your restaurant. Offer them a free appetizer or dessert and ask if they would mind mentioning your establishment in their next blog post. Building good relationships with local bloggers will definitely help you in the long run. Maybe in a year you will hold an event that coincides with the theme of the blogger and then he/she will write about you on his/her blog. It's free advertising!
Install Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a free and easy way to get regular updates and alerts about things that interest you. To be an effective leader, you must be aware of all the news and events that interest you and your business.
Make sure your restaurant's online information is correct
About 97% of customers search for local businesses online. Make sure your business is registered on Yahoo and Google - these are the two most popular search engines. Google offers a service called Local Business Center, while Yahoo offers a similar service called Yahoo! Local.
Do more than just sell – cover current events, share videos and photos
You have to be more than just another money-hungry business. Find ways to engage more actively with your customers. People love photos and videos of events that evoke emotions. Make your establishment more “human” and reduce the gap between you and your customers.
Hold a competition “Conquer time!”
"Conquer time!" is a popular and widely used theme among many bars and restaurants. Holding such a competition is a great way to increase sales, as well as create a positive atmosphere in your establishment. Price one drink for 50 cents starting at 8 p.m., and increase the price by 25 cents every hour until midnight. Competitive customers will enjoy this offer.
The current generation is drowning in traditional approaches to promotion and advertising. Every day we are bombarded with countless messages on different information platforms. How can you approach this situation and use unconventional, creative and cost-effective measures to promote your business? We hope this article has helped you think of new ideas.
What marketing strategies do you use in your activities?
According to statistics, in Moscow alone, 10 establishments open and close Catering for a day.
Competition among restaurants is very strong, and restaurateurs have to bend over backwards to succeed.
In this article, we'll look at restaurant promotion ideas and marketing strategies that can help you improve your business and attract customers!
Photos of your dishes
Probably the most The best way Advertise your restaurant online - post high-quality, mouth-watering photos of your signature dishes online. Visual content is in high demand these days, and having amazing photos on your website and various social media platforms is essential. Using Instagram or Foursquare, you can help new potential guests find your great establishment by regularly posting new photos of your food.
Create a feature in your establishment
For example, the Goodman steakhouse restaurant chain has a chamber for dry and combined aging of marbled meat. This complex technology is unique for Russia and is presented only in steakhouses of this chain.
Work on your local market, your product, your geographic history
Develop your own interesting and original cuisine. People love to consume food from the region they are in. All over the world, people eat their local cuisine. And only in Russia, we eat pizzas, rolls, burgers, pasta and everything that is not related to us. For example, on the shores of Lake Baikal it is much easier to find a sushi bar than a restaurant with fish from the largest natural fresh water reservoir on planet Earth. Now people are beginning to understand that they need to eat their own, regional food. Create dishes based on traditional recipes, modify them, for example, using modern technologies or additional ingredients.
Lunch specials
Steakhouse chain Goodman increased its revenue by introducing special offers for lunch during the day.
Combo sets
Offer your gourmets combination offers at a special price, for example: Steak + side dish + drink for 990 rubles.
Positive emotions
For restaurant guests, positive emotions that will remain after visiting the establishment are very important.
You can arrange the interior of the establishment in an unforgettable way, for example, invite guests to sculpt plasticine figures, and then display the best ones on the shelves of the establishment. You can create a photo gallery with photos of visitors.
Working with social networks
At first, try to work independently on social networks, adhering to certain standards and rules. By entrusting this work to an SMM agency, you risk spending your budget by attracting the wrong people. interested audience.
The main advice is to dialogue with your audience as transparently and sincerely as possible. You can turn your restaurant, cafe, bar into a popular place if you approach the issue with your soul, and be sincere and open with the audience. If you can build your communication on social networks correctly, 2% of subscribers can become real visitors to your establishment.
Working with applications
Download nice photos your restaurant is sure to be full of happy guests. Include opening hours, location on the map, menu and dishes available to order, price range, Wi-Fi, outdoor seating, parking availability, etc.
If you receive negative feedback, always respond in a polite, professional manner. Handling negative feedback is very important.
If you publicly respond to a negative review, thank them for the feedback, apologize for the incident, and promise to improve in the future. You can also contact the individual for more information about any negative incidents. Some business owners suggest sending Gift certificates and second chance vouchers. This works for the most part, and a customer who has had a negative experience at your establishment often remains flattered, replacing his anger with mercy, knowing that the restaurant owner values his opinion and is making every effort to improve.
People come to people
Try to create a pleasant, friendly atmosphere in your establishment. Select positive and friendly staff and create a friendly internal work environment.
Gastronomic events
If the level of your establishment allows, feel free to organize fashionable gastronomic festivals and sessions. Invite famous show business personalities to the party,
Geo-targeted contextual advertising ads in Google AdWords
Help local users find out about your establishment, your “hot” offers, and promotions for Saturday evening. Targeted contextual Google advertising AdWords can help you get the most out of your online marketing efforts by investing primarily in geo-targeted advertising. Geo-targeted ads help you save money by ensuring that only your potential establishment audience in a certain city or radius sees your ads (eliminating unwanted clicks that can cost you a lot of your advertising budget).
Here's a couple more for you interesting ideas to attract visitors to your restaurant, cafe, bar:
- Regular master classes in your own kitchen
- Live music on certain days, for example: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 20.00.
- Children's animator on weekends
