Alright, it’s time to take a bite out of actual successful restaurant promotions. You see, restaurants aren’t just about serving food to customers to make money. They are where stuff happens to a lot of people. People make memories at restaurants. And you don’t want your establishment to be a distant memory.
Solution?
Not just plain old discount coupons and loyalty programs. A step up from them actually. The culinary landscape can get quite competitive. You definitely can stand out by offering more delicious food, but you want your brand to get stuck in your customers’ heads for longer even when they aren’t visiting. And you do that with the right customized merchandise that can make your customers your brand advocates.
If ideas are what you need, this blog will be busting open a few along with some nifty tips to beef up your marketing starting with:
Your Perception Of Your Brand
You know your brand better than anyone else. So let’s get that outta the way. But are you aware of your restaurant’s vibe? Not how you perceive it but how your customers perceive it. Yes, they may or may not have different perceptions. But there is still a rhythm that reverberates everything behind your brand – its story, its values, its team dynamic etc.
There should be, if you want to stand out.
If your brand’s known for a particular dish, you can design something out of it to pop off on your merchandise.
That brings us to the next tip.
No Styles Without Substance
The plain old way of sticking a logo on a promotional product and calling it merchandise won’t cut it these days. The style’s gotta have substance. If you are going to create a design out of your signature dish, just an artwork of the dish won’t do. A creative artwork of the dish along with a catchy tagline can work better with better recall value. Think about how it will make your regular customers feel. As long as your brand’s values are reflected in the design, it can make any merch more valuable.
Merch That Score Big
Grab a bunch of blank apparel, customize them with your design and then sell them to promote your brand and make a quick buck. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Not the case. If you don’t hit the right design notes, your merch will just be a dust magnet. You will need designs that score, sure. But the right merchandise is also equally important.
T-shirts, hoodies and hats are classics and they will likely get you solid impressions. But if you want to expose your brand’s core values, you have to think bigger.
Think ‘sustainability’. A big buzzword today.
Here are a few ideas.
1. Vault Key QR
Along with designs, include a QR that gives buyers access to a special menu that isn’t present in your restaurant’s menu. This adds some exclusivity to the merch, increasing its value. You can do this even on the apron of your staff.
2. The Rare Kind Of Merch
You don’t have to stick to apparel for maximum effect. There are a lot of other options with higher perceived value including DIY kits, scented gifts, customized mugs and more.
3. Not Just One Headwear
If you are taking the headwear route, don’t just stick to one type of hat. Offering diverse headwear is how you offer customers more choices. With a customized headwear featuring your brand, they get what they need and your brand gets more visibility. Win-Win.
4. Limited Edition Merchandise
They are still a thing because they can easily evoke a sense of urgency offering something exclusive. But going this route too many times can have an opposite effect, showing your brand’s desperation for attention. Save them for special events or milestones for maximum engagement.
5. Collaborations
A customized promotional product that brings two brands together in a fun way has a nice ring to it. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be two brands per se. You can collaborate with a local celebrity to promote your restaurant with custom merch.
In the end, what matters are the hows.
- How creative your design is
- How quirky your merchandise is
- How your merch aligns with your customers’ interests and needs
- How you are getting your promo merch out to your customers
Ask happy customers to show off your goods on social media. Maybe offer up discounts to the real diehards who collect multiple pieces. Team up with an earth-lovin brand for soft promotion, because sustainability sells.
Once you get the momentum going, you can juice up the impression with quality service that will get your brand the recall and word-of-mouth it needs.
Know any good restaurants nearby?
Now go ahead and let them grab a bite of your custom merch. They will have the right answer when someone asks.
