SERVED

RESTAURANT MARKETING GUIDE

CONTENT
Branding 02
Name 04
Logo 05
Website 06
Content 07
Restaurant Design 08

So-Lo-Mo Framework 09
Social 13
Location 15
Mobile 17

Contact Us 20

Citations 22
 Running a successful restaurant isn’t what it used
to be.

Merely providing delicious food and a pleasurable

dining experience isn’t going to help your
restaurant flourish; as in the past. With the sheer
amount of competition in the industry, restaurants
need to take extra steps in order to be seen; and
for their food to be tasted.

You need a strong marketing strategy in order to

attract new customers, keep regulars coming
back, and to create an excellent brand experience.
Background We hope this guide helps you to better plan and
Does your restaurant structure your marketing activities.
stand out from
hundreds of others? www.inmarcadvertising.com

01
Branding
It’s not what you
say you are.

It’s what they say

you are
Branding
Unique branding is the foundation to a successful
restaurant marketing strategy. Your branding will set
you apart from your competitors and influence your
customers’ experience before, during and after their
visit. It is important to have remarkable, consistent
branding across all your media channels and
marketing platforms.

The five key branding components to focus on:

Restaurant
Name Logo Website Content Design

03
1. Name

Your brand starts with the name of your restaurant.

It’s important for your restaurant name to be in line

with the ambiance and persona of the restaurant.
What does your name evoke in a customer’s mind?
Does it create expectations for visitors? Indicate
expertise in your field? Indicate a fun night out or
does it indicate refinement?

Tip
If you’re interested in what your customers think when they
see your restaurant name, simply ask them, whether in
person or in a social media poll.

04
2. Logo

Your logo is a memorable visual cue your

customers can recognize and recall.

There are many things to consider when creating a

logo, namely font, color, and how the logo reflects
your restaurant’s personality or the food you serve.

Tip
Brainstorm the core values of your restaurant, and then
work with a branding partner to refine your logo.

05
3. Website

86% of diners regularly check out menus online before

dining out. (OpenTable, 2015)

Therefore it’s important for your website to be well

designed & frequently updated.

Your site should feature your:

MENU OPENING LOCATION YOUR CONTACT

HOURS STORY INFORMATION

06
4. Content

62% of millennials say that online content makes

them feel more connected to a brand.
(NewsCred, 2014)

Content for your restaurant includes social updates,

blog posts, website copy, video ads, & promo emails.

From a branding perspective it’s important that your

voice stays consistent and that you make your
content relevant to the customers.

Tip
Think about your audience whenever you create branded
content, and consider how your restaurant is being depicted.
Is your voice formal, fun, funky or all of the above?

07
5. Restaurant Design

The design of your restaurant is a decisive fator in

your customers’ dinning experience. Think about
extending your branding elements into your interior
as well.

Keep in mind that every little part of your physical

restaurant, including the menus, plates, glasses,
tables, wall art, lighting, and chairs, reflects back on
your brand.

08
So-Lo-Mo
A comprehensive digital
marketing framework
 75% 64% 83%
Look up menu Tried a restaurant based Rely on their phone to
information online on a mobile ad help them make dining
decisions

67% 51% 52.2%

Read about Order take out or Of all website traffic
restaurants online delivery from is generated through
the restaurant website mobile phones

80%

How do 60%

customers 40%
find
20%
restaurants?
0%
Friends (78%) Social (61%) Review Sites (53%) Google (42%) Media (16%)

10
Introducing SoLoMo
SoLoMo; which stands for Social, Local & Mobile is
an ideal marketing tactic for restaurants to leverage
the power of social networks to deliver local
information to consumers via their mobile devices.

While every restaurant should develop their own

comprehensive SoLoMo strategy; the core of the
strategy is to open the lines of communication both
from your restaurant to your clients and from them
back to you.

11
09
 So
SOCIAL
Lo
LOCAL
Mo
MOBILE

The platform you use to Your area of focus; this can The medium by which your
promote your message be physical or even online brand, it’s prospects and
and engage with your your customers connect
target audience

12
Social
Social media marketing is monitoring and facilitating customer
interaction, participation and sharing through digital media to
encourage positive engagement with a company and its brands
leading to commercial value.

Keep in mind

1. Ad hoc & unmanaged, social media can not only be ineffective;

but also potentially damaging.

2. Social media should not be used as a broadcast only channel;

and as per SoLoMo; audience participation, interaction &
sharing is key.

3. Your social media platform strategy should not be limited to

just Facebook & Instagram.

13
11
Social
Some of the most common social media marketing mistakes
to avoid;

Not defining a clear strategy

Not setting goals and visions for transforming

the organization

Limited social listening and not defining clear

methods of responding

Not using clear metrics

Not investing enough time in outreach

No content strategy and content calendar to

support communications

Not utilizing opportunities for integrating with

SEO and PR initiatives

Under utilization of email marketing and

offline marketing tactics

14
12
Location
Developing a local reputation and driving concrete foot traffic
into your restaurant; using your social and digital media channels
is the key benefit of location based marketing.

Additionally location based marketing also allows you to drive

successful in-store promotions such as discounts, coupons and
giveaways in order to get your customers to revisit.

When executing your campaign; keep in mind to:

Reach the Encourage Display

Local Legitimate Relevant
Community Feedback Reviews
15
13
Location
Having a strategic location based marketing campaign aids you to
explore organic and paid methods to spread the reach of your
restaurant.

Encourage Social Check-ins

When people find that others in their network are visiting specific
restaurants or stores and leaving immediate feedback, they may be
curious enough to visit themselves.

Location based re - targeting

Reminding customers about their last visit prompts them to want to
return and aids to keep the experience fresh in their minds.

16
Mobile
The importance of mobile marketing is unquestionable.
Your customers now search, evaluate, and purchase products
and services directly on their mobile devices.

In Sri Lanka...

5.5 Million
Active mobile social users out
27.38 Million
Mobile connections
of 6 million total active social users

76%
of web traffic is through mobile
Most importantly, no other channel
reaches consumers in real time
in quite the same way.

17
15
Mobile
What can you do?

Show Up On Mobile To Be Considered

A robust mobile presence, including
showing up for wide range of keywords,
will help you reach people looking for ideas.

Mobile Friendly Menus

Optimize your site for mobile
& include an easy-to-read menu with
prices to inform potential customers.

Introduce Chatbots
Chatbots can answer customer queries for you,
accept reservations and accept delivery orders
cutting the consumer journey short.

18
16
 97% 72% 60%
of consumers are using of consumers express of consumers will use social
the Internet to search satisfaction at online media as a tool for their
for local businesses. reviews. shopping preferences.

19
Want to know more?
Inmarc is amongst the TOP 10 advertising, marketing and
communication companies in Sri Lanka with over 7 years of
experience in building some of the top brands in Sri Lanka.
With extensive experience in the F&B and Hospitality industry we
now offer tailor-made solutions for this industry using the
So-Lo-Mo Framework.
If you’re interested in knowing more about us and our custom
solutions please feel free to contact us on.
+94 (0) 770 577 444 | +94 (0) 763 178 992
digital@inmarcadvertising.com | info@inmarcadvertising.com
23, Nugegoda Road, Pepiliyana. Sri Lanka.
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Clients Served - F&B Sector

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 Citations
NewsCred (2014). The Millennial Mind: How Content Drives Brand Loyalty. [online] NewsCred. Available at: https://ww-
w.newscred.com/wp-content/themes/newscred/assets/downloads/guide/NewsCred_Millennial_Mind.pdf [Accessed 11 Feb.
2019]

OpenTable (2015). OpenTable Research Reveals What Diners Actually Want from Technology. [online] Available at: http://-
press.opentable.com/static-files/a2841b57-33a3-4339-9b8d-f45153915e66 [Accessed 11 Feb. 2019].

Toast (n.d.). Restaurant Marketing 101. [online] Toast. Available at: https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/1c74f035/files/upload-
ed/Restaurant%20Marketing%20101.pdf [Accessed 8 Feb. 2019].

turnstyle (n.d.). Everything Restaurants Need to Know about Digital Marketing. Turnstyle.

Internetworldstats.com. (2019). Asia Internet Stats by Country and 2018 Population Statistics. [online] Available at: https://w-
ww.internetworldstats.com/asia.htm [Accessed 11 Feb. 2019].

Social Media Marketing Tips. (2019). 40 Amazing Digital and Social Media Marketing Stats and Facts of Sri Lanka - 2018.
[online] Available at: https://www.soravjain.com/digital-and-social-media-marketing-stats-and-facts-of-sri-lanka-2018 [Ac-
cessed 11 Feb. 2019].

Social Media Marketing Tips. (2019). 40 Amazing Digital and Social Media Marketing Stats and Facts of Sri Lanka - 2018.
[online] Available at: https://www.soravjain.com/digital-and-social-media-marketing-stats-and-facts-of-sri-lanka-2018 [Ac-
cessed 11 Feb. 2019].

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