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My mother is opening a small-sized Japanese izakaya restaurant in the UpperWest side of New York City in two months; I would like to know what are the cheapest and the most effective must-do marketing/advertising strategies?
Hey! Thank you for your request on cost-effective marketing/advertising strategies for a small-sized Japanese izakaya restaurant in the UpperWest side. I have included five best-practices for you to consider, which are social media, online presence, offline presence, online outreach, and brand identity. Please find a brief summary of my methodology and a deeper look into my findings below.
METHODOLOGY
Due to the likely proximity of your mothers restaurant to Columbia University (and a quick subway ride from NYU), and by the fact that it is in New York, I have tailored many of these suggestions to a younger, digital community. I primarily used this infographic, this list to inform my "best-practices," as well as this small-restaurant-specific list. As the list ideas were very specific, I placed them into general categories and included all of the relevant information under each. These categories are social media, online presence, offline presence, online outreach, and brand identity. Under the social media section, I provided additional links to how best to market with each of the platforms mentioned. I did my best to provide pricing information where applicable, though it was not relevant for several of the entries. Please find a more detailed look into my findings below.
COST-EFFECTIVE MARKETING/ADVERTISING STRATEGIES
1. Social Media
Having a presence on Instagram, Yelp, Facebook, and maybe even Pintrest or Twitter can go a long way. 75% of online consumers use social media regularly. As a bonus, these options are free unless you are looking to pay for advertising on Yelp, which costs. Yelp reports that "the average annual revenue from Yelp as reported by Yelp advertisers is $ 23,000," "78% of consumers turn to review sites to find a local business," and "85% of users who make a purchase at a business they found on Yelp do so within a week." If you pay, Yelp uses targeted local advertising, premium placement on search and competitor business page, and mobile and desktop presence. In order to access a price quote from Yelp I had to register a business (which I don't have), but here is the link to the page where you can inquire. Additionally, social media offers a 31% penetration rate.
2. Online Presence
As one third of restaurant sales is driven by online research, a website for the restaurant is paramount. In addition to that, 80% of people with look up a restaurant online before their first visit, and 88% will take action the same day. If you aren't a coder, for ease of use I would suggest using Squarespace to set up a site. It costs $18 per month billed annually (or $26 month to month). This offer comes with a professional email from Google, and $100 credit with the all important Google Adwords. A website coupled with several other analytical tools from Google, like the previously mentioned Google Adwords, Google Places, and Google Alerts, can provide a strong online presence and give you the ability to have control over your online identity. Google Places allows Google users to easily find a business within their local area. Google Alerts will allow you to monitor any mentions of your restaurant online, and keep up to date with customers or reviews. When you set up these components make sure your restaurants online details are 100% accurate, have a functional online menu, and incorporate online reservations (possible using Open Table, or to include it on your own site). It also may be worthwhile to consider additional customisation of your Adwords for Mobile ads, as Mobile ads tend to be cheaper than desktop ads, as mobile ads boast impressive conversion rates, and have 27% penetration rate. Place your restaurant in the data base of foursquare, urbanspoon, and tripadvisor for additional visibility.
3. Offline Presence
Offline presence trends to more "traditional" methods of marketing. This may include a brand partnership, word-of-mouth (fundraising, opening party, live music show with a popular artist, etc.), and editorial features. These costs are highly variable and would depend entirely on what you chose to do.
4. Online Outreach
Online outreach can come in many shapes and forms, and in such a fast paced world it may be hard to keep track. Thus is may be worthwhile to dig into your localised area and use online outreach that way. It would be worthwhile to contact some food bloggers - added bonus if they attend Columbia as it would add different market penetration. "Consider offering a free meal or appetiser to get them in the door... Some bloggers might decline your offer, but the more you ask, the better your chances are of getting some positive feedback and generating more interest online." Added online outreach can come in the form of targeted hashtags on social media. Localising them around the area and surrounding attractions (i.e. #nyc, #upperwestside, #columbia, #lincolncenter, etc) can bring unexpected attention from customers nearby. These costs would be negligible - they would at most be the cost of the free meal/appetiser for the blogger.
5. Brand Identity
As a foodie (with a deep love for japanese food and decor), design continuity is a big deal for me. Although I haven't been to their newest location, the soba noodle restaurant Cocoron has always stuck out to me for this reason. They created a brand identity through the use of smart illustrations, comics and aesthetic choices in their decor that mimicked the menu design. Aside from my personal anecdotes, note that "everything that represents your brand is your identity, keep your print collaterals consistent." this may also help with producing user-generated content. These costs should already be built into your budget (decor, menus, signage, etc.)
Thank you for choosing Wonder! I hope you found these strategies insightful and helpful. Please let us know if we can help with anything further.