Article

5 tips to promote upcoming events at your restaurant

Work with local businesses and non-profits to promote your restaurant’s event, tie them to your event theme and encourage a co-sponsorship.

November 6, 2014

By Brian Casel, founder Restaurant Engine

You’ve planned a calendar full of events at your restaurant, and you’d like to draw a crowd. Getting the word out can certainly be a challenge. Publicizing your restaurant’s event isn’t about one big promotion, but a series or combination of promotions and channels.

To publicize, promote and draw a gangbuster crowd to your restaurant events, you’ll want to attract your target audience using the following five tips.

Create an event page

The cornerstone of all your online promotion efforts is the event page. Create a link to the event page and make it easily accessible from various pages on your website. Make your event page compelling with the following elements:

• Use a vivid description of special activities or menu items served at the event. Include references to special attendees – live music, a chef’s demonstration, etc. When applicable, include photos and descriptions of special event attendees. Include photos and descriptions of any special menu items.
• Include a start and end time and who should attend.
• Include a prominent call to action, like a RSVP button, if one is needed.
• Write about the event on your blog and provide links back to your event page. Create a hashtag (#event) and include it in blog posts about your event.
• Use social share buttons on your event page to encourage website visitors to share the event with their friends and family.
• Optimize your event page for search engines. Target keywords for your event. Use a title tag and headers that use your event keywords. Include a Meta description that mimics your on-page event description. Use links throughout your website to the event page to let search engines know the page is relevant.

Take advantage of your email list

Several weeks before the event at your restaurant, send an email to your customers. Tease them again a week before, and send another reminder a day or two before your event for the final pitch.

Craft a creative subject line and an email worthy of reading. According to an email marketing guru, your subject line is the most important part of your email campaign. When it comes to the body of your email, make sure to include a large call to action that directs readers to your event page on your restaurant’s website.

If you have reviews from previous events at your restaurant, include the social proof in your email copy. Let your readers know how great others think your events are.

This can be part of your regular email strategy.

Leverage your social media accounts

Your events are social occasions, so social media is the perfect place for event promotion.

You’ll want to create a short event hashtag that is unique to your restaurant event. Use this hashtag in every social media post, blog post and tweet. This will go along with your normal social media schedule.

Facebook:Start with Facebook and use the Event Tab to create your event. Include the event title, date, time and important details. Include a link to your website’s event page. Use pictures to set the tone. Include videos if they fit the event theme. Invite your Facebook friends and followers. Check back and update your event page periodically. Make sure to reply to questions and add new event teasers. Don’t forget to share your restaurant event on your personal Facebook page, too.

If you have the budget, investigate Facebook ads or pay to boost your posts for additional reach.

Twitter: Build a custom tweet for your event. Visit Click to Tweet and login with your Twitter id and create an account. Next, type in your event tweet and hit the generate new link button. Once you have the link, you can embed it into your website’s event page and other social media channels. This allows you to track statistics and links to this particular tweet.

Tweet early and tweet often. Maximize your Twitter strategy so a higher number of people will see your tweets. Some ideas for tweets: tease your event, issue reminders, use countdowns, and include testimonials and tidbits about your event. When people follow your event, turn around and follow them.

Check out Tweet My Events if you have a large event you’d like to promote. It’s another nice tie-in to Twitter.

Google+: When posting to your stream, use the event tab to promote your event. Include the same important elements you used on Facebook.

LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest: Post large, enticing photos of your event graphics on these pages. When applicable, include a description, your hashtag and a link back to your event page on your website.

Create event partnerships

Work with local businesses and non-profits to promote your restaurant’s event. Be creative and find ways to tie them to your event theme. Encourage a co-sponsorship of your event.

Whether you’re inviting a partner as a co-sponsor or simply as a participator, your local partners can help garner enthusiasm and bring attendees to your restaurant’s event.

Go a step further, and give them a list of pre-populated posts and tweets they can include in their own social media. Send them your email marketing so they can forward it to their customers.

Don’t forget traditional media

Social media and digital promotion may be king, but traditional avenues can be effective as well. Hand out flyers in your restaurant. Send your wait staff out with flyers and posters to local businesses.

News releases, radio stations, magazines and local newspapers can also encourage attendance at your event. Saturate your local market for increased success.

Now that you’ve done all this work promoting your event, and your restaurant is brimming with people, keep promoting all the way through the event. Post pictures on Instagram or Facebook and tweet on Twitter. Once the event is over, continue the social media and website/blog promotion with more pictures, posts and tweets. Thank everyone for coming. Encourage those who couldn’t come with a teaser for your next restaurant event. This keeps the marketing ball rolling as you move towards your next successful event.

Brian Casel is the founder of Restaurant Engine, a website design solution for restaurants. Get a free Restaurant Website Checklist on the Restaurant Engine Blog. Email Casel at brian@restaurantengine.com.

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