How Mobile Marketing Will Help Your Restaurant To Gain More Exposure

Before we start talking about how mobile marketing helps your restaurant gain exposure, let’s first define mobile marketing:

It is marketing done with a mobile device such as a smartphone. Mobile marketing provides your customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes your restaurant. These ads appear on smartphones and tablets.

Mobile marketing is the key to your digital marketing moving into 2015. You don’t have to look very far to find someone looking at their smartphone. People use them in public, at home and at work. Smartphones and tablets are taking over the market. The mobile phone and tablet make for incredible marketing opportunities that restaurants should take advantage of. Consider the following statistics:

• According to a survey, 75% of Americans admit to taking their cellphones to the bathroom. This statistic portrays just how attached Americans are to their phones.
• Restaurants are the most searched for industry. More than 80% of people have searched online for a restaurant.
• 45% of smartphone users use mobile search daily. They are looking for restaurants online!

We think it’s important to note one more vital statistic: Americans spend about 162 minutes, that’s more than 2 hours/per day on their mobile phones. With this last fact in mind, the time is now to begin your mobile marketing strategy.

You’ll find a wide variety of mobile marketing strategies to try to increase your exposure. The one that works best for your restaurant is the one that fits your budget and your target audience. In this blog post, we’ll discuss a few ways mobile marketing can help your restaurant gain more exposure.

Responsive Website

An important, yet sometimes overlooked step to your mobile marketing is the responsive website. Even if your website is just a few years old (but isn’t mobile friendly), it is vital that you build a new one that “responds” to different browser sizes.

According to a study, if a smartphone user lands on your website and is frustrated with the non-responsive navigation, there’s a 70% chance they will leave immediately and go to another website. This certainly isn’t your goal and doesn’t work in your favor to increase exposure.

When designing your responsive website, make sure your key information is at the top – this includes phone, address and access to your menu.

A responsive website increases your exposure by offering easily accessible information across devices and platforms. (tweet this)

App-Based Marketing

Consumers spend more than 80% of their mobile time engaged in apps, but you don’t have to create an app yourself to increase your exposure.

Consider Facebook. You can use Facebook advertising and create ads that are integrated into Facebook’s mobile app. Facebook integrates ads so seamlessly in users’ mobile news feed that people often don’t realize they’re looking at ads. You can also boost your posts to show up more often in users’ news feed.

When marketing on Facebook, personalize your ads for your audience. You have the ability to very specifically target your audience to gain exposure, increase your brand awareness and inform users.

Marketing in Games

In-game mobile marketing refers to the mobile ads you see when playing games on your phone. These ads can appear as banner pop-ups, video ads in between screens or full-size images. Before you use in-game mobile marketing, make sure you have the right audience.

QR Codes

Your customers can scan a QR code with their smartphone. They are then sent to a specific page on your website. There’s a sense of mystery that encourages users to scan QR codes for the “reward.” Here are some tips for using QR codes:

• Add QR codes to your business cards.
• Include QR codes in your print advertising.
• Having an event? Include your QR code on the ticket with a link to a Google map, RSVP or other information.
• Add a QR code to your receipts that link diners to a webpage with tailored information.

SMS Marketing

SMS marketing presents you with a huge opportunity for increased exposure since the open rate of text messages is over 90%.

To maintain a proper SMS list, have users do something very deliberate to begin receiving your texts. They can text a keyword or snap a photo of a QR code with their smartphone. Every text you send should also include simple instructions for opting out – such as replying with the word “stop.”

As you get started with SMS, remember that text messaging is a more “disruptive” form of communication than email or social media since it isn’t easy to avoid a text message. Here are a few strategies to make sure you do it right:

• Promote your SMS program on your website, email and social media to help grow your list. Add a sign up to your emails and print marketing. Be sure to include a call to sign up for text messaging on your website and inside your restaurant.
• Use your SMS for time-sensitive alerts. Running a last-minute dinner special? SMS is super for this kind of announcement.
• Be tempting. Provide information to your users on-the-go. Promise them information before anyone else.
• Ask your customers what they want and give it to them. Customize your texting to their preferences. Be thoughtful. Don’t send texts between 9 pm and 9 am.
• Develop seasonal strategies. Starbucks experienced great success with their holiday SMS program designed around holiday specials.

Apple Passbook/Apple Pay and Google Wallet

Mobile payment systems offer you new possibilities. Incorporate the mobile wallet into all of your marketing such as email, SMS and print. Optimize for mobile wallets by adding a clickable “add to passbook” button.

Having your restaurant alongside someone’s wallet is an incredible mobile marketing opportunity. Again, let’s talk about Starbucks. They’ve been reaping the benefits of Passbook for years by linking to their loyalty cards. Users can store your restaurant loyalty card on Passbook, and since it knows their location, your card appears on their lock screen when they are near one of your restaurants.

You can use Passbook digital coupons. With text messages, email and QR codes, you can add a link to let people add a coupon to their Passbook.

Google AdWords for Mobile

Mobile advertising is growing at a rapid pace and is on track to increase even more in 2015. (tweet this) Coupled with a dramatic rise in mobile phone searches, it’s time to concentrate on enhancing your Google AdWords for mobile.

Search marketing is powerful because it allows you to connect with people actively searching for keywords related to your restaurant. Let’s talk about a few easy ways to optimize your ads for mobile.

• If you want a mobile specific ad, check the box for mobile under Device Preference.
• Use mobile specific ad copy. Highlight a dinner special or your menu and use a strong call to action.
• Direct your ads to the right place on your website. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly.
• Try different bidding options. Try bidding by device and see if it increases your traffic.

We’ve touched on a few of the ways you can help your restaurant gain more exposure through mobile marketing. If you want to take the leap and try some of these strategies, but you don’t have a mobile-friendly, responsive website, we’d love to help. Contact us today for a free website consultation!

Images: gail and Johan Larsson