Restaurants don’t want to have the same clientele day in and day out; they’d rather have the regulars come in and attend to newcomers. The best of both worlds.

 

But, how can a restaurant exceed their digital marketing capabilities to get such a job done?

 

Through loyalty programs, Yelp reviews, and Google+ accounts.

 

Loyalty Programs

 

People love getting discounts and deals when visiting their favorite restaurants – or even when visiting a restaurant for the first time. Free food will always get visitors to come back another time, if not more.

 

How can you implement a great loyalty program?

 

Focus on:

 

• Partnering up with food applications to earn your customers additional points towards free food.
  
• Establishing a specific loyalty program for appetizers, meals, and desserts.
  
• Handing out punch cards the old fashioned way.
  

 

 

Yelp

 

People visit Yelp to check reviews before visiting a restaurant more often than one would think.

 

But, people need to understand that customers can and will review restaurants, whether they’ve experienced a positive or negative interaction or food service.

 

How can you ensure that your restaurant will get a good Yelp review?

 

Focus on:

 

• Creating a Yelp account so that you can dress it up and have it work in your favor (add photos, hours, location, menu, price range, and other relevant information).
• Acknowledging and responding to positive and negative feedback professionally.

 

 

Google+ Account

 

People search Google for restaurant information all the time. They’d rather check in on hours of operation and other details through a quick Google search.

 

How do you ensure your Google listing is pristine for customers to view?

 

Focus on:

 

• Filling out all areas of your Google+ Account.
  

 

Why do this?

 

Because Google Knowledge Graph pulls from the account to provide potential customers with all the important details on the side bar once a restaurant is searched.