Tips for improving your restaurant’s digital image and attracting more customers

For some years now, most hospitality businesses have had a digital presence, either through social media, websites or online advertising. But sometimes it is difficult to obtain a direct return from these marketing actions, so we want to share a series of tips that will help to boost bookings and traffic at your premises.

1. Use online booking portals

There are multiple platforms, portals and apps, both free and paid, that you can use to channel online bookings. There are people who, out of laziness or necessity, prefer to use this method of communication with your business and making it available will differentiate you from other businesses that have not yet implemented this technology.

1. Send birthday greetings or reminders of past bookings

Although many of these emails end up in the spam folder, some people may like to be wished a happy birthday or reminded about an occasion when they had a delicious meal at your restaurant. It is very common for customers to rate you highly, but to forget about you when planning a meal out. Therefore, sending these emails will ensure that your businesses is at the top of their minds over the following days, and they may be more likely to book a table with you than if they hadn’t received the email.

1. Make the presentation of your dishes more Instagrammable

Many of your potential visitors take inspiration from other customers when deciding where to eat out. And in the Instagram era, image sells. If you want your dishes to attract more attention from potential customers, we recommend that you place particular importance on presentation. Ensure that plates are sent out clean and think about how the ingredients are arranged. If it’s too pretty to eat, it means that youre on the right track. It is also important to take care of the lighting at the table, use warm lights that will enhance the photos of the food.

1. Post booking links on social media and Google Business

In the first point we mentioned that it is key to have a presence on booking portals, but all that effort will be wasted if your customers can’t find those links. In addition to adding the links to your company website, it is also useful to include booking links in your Instagram bio and on Google Business. If you offer a delivery service through a portal, it is also essential to include that link so that customers can place their orders as easily as possible.

1. Create experiences that inspire people to share photos and videos on social media

The décor of your venue can be your best marketing tool when it comes to turning your guests into promoters who will attract more customers.

Another great way to help with the organic distribution of content about your venue is to serve dishes to diners in a very visual manner, from bringing dishes out under a smoking cloche, on eye-catching crockery or simply by making a show out of preparing and plating up the meals. These are techniques that appeal to a certain type of audience who are more likely to share their experiences on social media. Image is important, but remember that the food has to taste good too!

Human habits and customs are changing with technology but, fortunately, we all still need to eat and drink to survive! And what better way to do it than at a restaurant table with good company. We hope these tips will help you to boost your brand on the internet.