The unforgiving strike of COVID-19, although stifling for a fair number of businesses, industries and markets, was most noticeable in the restaurant and hospitality industry. The ones who prevailed though came out bolder and stronger, with marketing campaigns and restaurant branding that stuck in the people’s minds.
Understanding how and why restaurant branding is an unavoidable part of setting up a restaurant business could be the golden key to your success as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry.
You might think that it’s all about the quality of the food, the supreme priority in flavour, the excellent service that your staff provide and possibly even the cleanliness of the establishment you are welcoming guests to. But how would anyone ever understand all these great facts about your business if they’ve never heard of it, or worse yet… forgotten about it!
If you think you need to sharpen your marketing skill to give your restaurant the branding it needs, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how you can achieve restaurant branding success:
No. 1: Identify your mission
One of the major factors in building any brand is to clearly understand why you are doing what you’ve set out to achieve. Knowing the hows, whys and whens of your business will help you clarify your mission, not only to your clients but to your staff as well.
When clients are explained what a restaurant’s vision is, they kind of fall in line and understand why they are visiting the place. The moment menus get too ambitious and varied and other key staple items in the business’ structure fall out of place is when patrons will start to slip away and look for a more cohesive restaurant experience elsewhere.
Let’s take a health food restaurant as an example.
If their mission is to serve their clients with a healthier option than there is available on the market; serving a greasy meat burger with a rich sauce and an oily side, probably won’t exactly fit their ideal goals of being a health food restaurant. You’d much rather find a cleaner cut of meat or vegetarian option as a comfort food burger, ideally read of a QR Code Menu that’s waste-free and as vibrant in design as the decor and choices on the menu.
Straying away from your mission is how both your staff and clients will lose enthusiasm in your brand and pick a competitor that actually meets the goals and missions they wish to achieve.
No. 2: where do you want to stand in the market?
This is where the 4 Ps come into play: Place, Price, Product, Promotion.
Where do you want to open up shop, which locality do you think would suit your business best? Would your brand do better within a complex or shopping mall, does your restaurant require a sea view? Do you think you need outdoor space?
These factors will decipher where you aim to set up shop and run your restaurant business, giving your esteemed clients the experience they deserve within your eatery.
Other factors that you’ll need to consider include the selection and the pricing of your product. Choosing the right ingredients, suppliers and vendors will ultimately determine your price and profit margins, so making clear choices and weighing out all your options could help in the long run. This, for most buyers, is what differentiates the cheaper eats from the finer eats – and while there are benefits in both options, you might want to speak to a market consultant before taking the big plunge into the deep.
Lastly, and for the purpose of this blog, most importantly, promotion. This is the way in which you will communicate with your market, the tools you will use to convey your message and the ways in which your mission will be expressed.
With the help of 4Sight, you will be able to communicate with your target audience, provide them with accurate and engaging information and retain loyalty as a result.
Our experience and expertise in the restaurant industry allows us to pick the right channels and means of marketing to best interact with your target market. This is what we do and we love it.
So if you’re a young brand targeting 15-30 year olds, your target platforms will probably be TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Ads, while if you are looking for an older vibe of clientele, you might want a good mix of Facebook, Google Ads, SEO-powered blogs, Facebook promotions and some other tools, possibly even traditional marketing.
Getting in touch with 4Sight could help you in understanding the best ways forward with your online and offline marketing strategies.
No. 3: Defining your Voice, Look & Feel
As part of your promotional campaigns, 4Sight will be able to communicate those oh, so important messages, in the right tone of voice, branding and overall experience.
The point of view that you will communicate with is what will set you apart from your competitors, while communicating your mission throughout your online and social journey.
Let’s take a look at some case studies to really drill it home:
Hard Rock Cafe, International Franchise
Across all their international outlets, Hard Rock Cafe always adopt the same sort of branding, tweaking it to meet the cultural market in a politically correct tone of voice. The merchandise, menu and environment of Hard Rock Cafe, as well as Hard Rock Hotel, appeal to a certain group of people.
Pret A Manger, International Franchise
Pret, as it is more commonly referred to by its patrons, is a spot that conscious eaters visit for breakfast, lunch or dinner, they’ve even got quick fix snacks that could also entertain your needs. At Pret A Manger, food waste is a serious no-no, in fact all daily leftover meals are sent to deserving charities to combat hunger.
While Hard Rock Cafe defines itself as the cool place for music, great bar bites and a good time, Pret A Manger takes a more ethical approach to draw in their clientele.
While you may easily be both a Pret goer and Hard Rock Cafe fan, ultimately your choice all came down to one simple thing: restaurant branding.