Holiday restaurant marketing is something that must be known to every restaurant owner preparing for upcoming festivals. Before festivals like Christmas and New Year’s Eve, gift card sales can bring major revenue opportunities. You can unlock massive revenue potential with this simple 90-day restaurant marketing plan, which will directly increase orders before the holiday rush begins.
Why Restaurants Should Start Holiday Marketing in September
Before the holiday season begins, customers plan their restaurant venue earlier, so restaurant owners must also plan their restaurant marketing strategies. Families plan their group meals, and guests find their restaurant for celebrations.
Whether you plan to attract new or loyal customers, you should make sure they check your seasonal menus, party trays, and gift options.
Restaurant advertising helps restaurants to build their plan and start marketing in September. This will involve the steps for building visibility, collecting leads, updating your ordering system, and promoting direct ordering instead of relying on third-party apps.
Important Steps From Day 1 to Day 90 for Restaurant Marketing Strategy
From traditional marketing to AI-based restaurant marketing, there are various important steps that should be taken by marketing experts. If you have a restaurant or are planning to open a new one, you should know these important steps.
These steps are scheduled from day 1 to day 90 before the celebration months.
1. Day 1-30: Build the Foundation in September
September is an important month in which the restaurant owner should start building the foundation. It includes reviewing your website, Google Business Profile optimization for restaurants, menu pages, online ordering links, catering forms, and social media profiles.
You must make sure that the coming visitors and customers find your hours, menu, phone number, location, delivery options, pickup options, and direct ordering button.
After this review, you should create your holiday offers.
- Catering trays
- Family meal bundles
- Party platters
- Office lunch packages
- Gift card offers
- Limited-time seasonal dishes
- Holiday desserts
Following the restaurant promotion ideas in this step, you should also update food photos, collect customer reviews, and make a simple landing page on your website.
2. Day 31-60: Start Promotion In October
October is the right time for implementing restaurant promotion ideas, like promoting holiday catering, group orders, and direct online ordering through email, SMS, social media, Google posts, and local SEO content.
Write promotional lines that attract customers and easily convey your ideas to them. One such line can be “Book early, order directly, and make holiday meals easier.” Run ads on Google and focus on keywords like “catering near me,” “holiday party food,” and “office lunch catering.”
October is the right time when you can reach your local businesses. The main objective should be to reach your customers’ minds before they are ready to order.
3. Days 61-90: Push Direct Orders in November
November is the time to act when customers also start exploring restaurants to enjoy their meals. During this time, your restaurant digital marketing team should focus on promoting urgency, reminding people to place Thanksgiving orders, book their tables, and enjoy their meals.
At this time, you should focus on direct ordering benefits:
- Easier pickup
- Direct restaurant support
- Better communication
- Get your customized order
- More accurate order detail
Set up email reminders, social posts, website banners, and Google Business Profile updates in this step to ensure you get good numbers or orders.
Tracking Is Very Important
Last but not least, your holiday campaign should be measured at each step and method, whether they are performing well or not, and need more focus. In this step, you should track website orders, phone calls, catering inquiries, leads, social engagement, and repeat customers.
In this way, you will get help to know which strategy performs well and brings the most revenue. Also, changes should be made to your strategy.
Conclusion
Before the celebrations start, restaurants should focus on holiday restaurant marketing to ensure getting more orders, revenue, and reach to large customers. The strategy should start from September and will work till November. These 90 days will help you to build a great presence. Revenue before the holiday season starts. Top Restaurant Sales helps restaurants with customized restaurant marketing plans to achieve their revenue goals.
Frequently Asked Questions on Holiday Restaurant Marketing Starts in September: A 90-Day Plan to Increase Direct OrdersQ1. How to plan holiday restaurant promotions that actually work?
A1. The important step is to plan the strategy earlier, then focus on a high-value guest experience and leverage channels for profit.
Q2. What are the best times to book holiday dinner reservations at restaurants?
A2. Generally, it depends on the group size and the specific dates of the celebrations, like 2 to 3 weeks before.
Q3. How to find restaurants taking direct orders for holiday parties?
A3. You should check local channels, platforms, their respective websites, and networking sites for holiday parties.
