In need of some creative restaurant marketing ideas?
See for yourself below, with my tactics for January, and then download the entire plan!
Restaurant Marketing Ideas for January
Publicity Ideas
- Email a story pitch to Eater to be included in their cities features, such as“Popular Eateries to Check out in {Your City}
- Check and submit daily to HARO (Help a Reporter) requests that apply (sign up for these PR requests for free).
Advertising Ideas
- Leave a flyer of your menu on car windshields in any parking lots near your restaurant.
- Add your restaurant to LocalEats.
- Add your restaurant to ChowNow.
- Add your restaurant to TripAdvisor.
- Check into sponsorship opportunities with any local winter festivals.
Social Media Marketing Ideas
- Share a photo of a busy night at the restaurant (or kitchen) for #ManicMonday.
- Post a photo of a beautiful winter #sunset or #sunrise with your restaurant clearly seen in the foreground.
- Share a favorite local blog every Sunday for #SundayBlogshare (tag the blog so they repost).
- Post a photo of an Irish coffee to announce that your restaurant will be offering them for half price today in honor of #NationalIrishCoffeeDay on January 25th.
- Post a creative photo or special offer for any of the other National Days that apply to your restaurant: January 1: Bloody Mary Day, January 4: Spaghetti Day, January 13: Gluten Free Day, January 15: Bagel Day, January 20: Cheese Lover’s Day.
- Post a #quote every Friday that has to do with food or eating for #FridayFeeling #FoodieFriday #FridayNight.
- Have your chef set up a YouTube or Tiktok cooking channel and post a video of them making one of this week’s specials.
- Comment daily on the Instagram and Facebook posts of local media, local sports teams & popular local businesses to get your restaurant name seen by local customers.
Email Marketing Ideas
- Create a free email signature (use WiseStamp) and include a linkable banner to your restaurant’s website, links to your social media sites and your latest blog post.
- Email your customers your winter theme menu as well as any early bird Valentine’s day offers or Superbowl party specials.
- Change up your email opt-in incentive on your website to include a free one-page printable calendar for the new year. Make sure it is clearly labeled with your restaurant’s name and url, as a frequent reminder, and even include a recipe from your chef.
Content Marketing Ideas
- Write a short article on “The Best Places to Visit When in {Your City}” and include your restaurant and submit it to Buzzfeed.
- If you haven’t already, create a blog to drive traffic to your shop. You can then circulate your blog posts on social media as well as on blog sharing sites like Medium. Your posts can even be something as simple as mentioning events going on in your city each weekend, such as “What to Do in {Your City} This Weekend“. It also gives you a reason to email your customers weekly.
Promotional Marketing Ideas
- Comment daily on the latest blog posts of popular local news media and magazines to get your restaurant name seen by your local market.
- Ask local hotels if you can leave a copy of your menu in their suites.
Get over 300 tactics and marketing ideas for the entire year in my 12-Month Restaurant Marketing Plan PDF making it super easy to market and promote your restaurant.
About Me
A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!
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© 2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Creative Restaurant Marketing Ideas
