When we plan marketing strategies for a food business, it is important to focus them on the diner’s life cycle, because each stage provides a unique opportunity to positively impact their perception and retain them so that they return to the restaurant.
Then, like a sales funnel, we work each stage. I recommend that you have these four stages visible somewhere in your work area, whether in your office, or on a blackboard, so you will see it weekly.
Stages:
1.- Attraction: the goal is to attract new customers to the restaurant, this can be achieved with different actions; advertising through social networks, promotions, tasting events, etc. both online and offline, from word of mouth to the most modern technology such as chat bots.
2.- Consideration: the person is already curious about your services, menu, hours. It is important to offer personalized attention and detailed information about the business.
3.- Purchase: they have already sat down at your table, they have already ordered through the delivery app or called your restaurant for home delivery, therefore, this stage is very important and you must offer a memorable customer service.
4.- Loyalty: if diners are satisfied with their dining experience, there is a high probability that they will return and make additional visits or purchases in the future. To encourage loyalty, it is ideal for food businesses to offer rewards programs, exclusive discounts, and special promotions for frequent customers by applying gamification.
By monitoring these four points, always focus on actions to attract and retain.
Ask yourself at the start of every month:
- What am I doing to improve customer attraction? You don’t have to leave everything in the hands of social networks.
- What actions am I taking to generate consideration and be an attractive business?
- They bought me; now, do I have a customer database created? Note: if I do not have it, it is an area of opportunity.
- What actions am I implementing to generate loyalty?
We co-created this content with Valentina Salazar (@valentinasalazarmx), Food Marketing Consultant, to help your business grow.