The 7 most common mistakes in hospitality marketing

How important catering marketing is is underestimated by many restaurateurs. Many say it would be a waste of money or simply would not work. In most cases, it is the operator's mistakes that lead to poor marketing. In this blog article, we explain the 7 most common mistakes you should avoid in order to do successful marketing.

1st mistake: Don't have a fixed plan

The success of your marketing depends above all on the right planning. You wouldn't run your restaurant without a menu, would you? In catering marketing, a detailed plan is just as important. That's why you should set and prepare a few points before you even think about advertising.

First, you need to define what long-term goals you are pursuing with your business and how marketing can help you achieve them. You also need to know your overall budget and divide it across all areas that affect your business. When it comes to marketing, it is also important not simply to copy other campaigns, but to create your own identity. So decide which theme you want your restaurant to follow. Based on this planning, you can then start to define the measures for your marketing.

Mistake 2: Not using all growth factors

To increase the profit of your own restaurant, there are 4 options that you can and should use for yourself.

1. Increase the number of customers: This is the only option that is usually used. Of course, it is important to always have new guests, but it shouldn't be the sole focus of marketing.
2. Increase the average bill amount spent: In order for you to make more profit from the guests who are already in your restaurant, they have to spend more money with you. For example, you can create more effective menus that invite you to order.
3. Increase the number of guests visiting: If a guest has already eaten with you and was satisfied, it is easier to get them to come back again. In addition, if you keep a database of your guests, you can contact them and draw attention to new offers. It costs 6-10 times more on average to get a new guest.
4. Increase the duration of loyalty: The longer a guest visits you regularly, the longer you have a secure source of profit. You should therefore encourage your guests to come back again and again or even become regular guests through good customer loyalty.

All of these 4 factors should be considered equally, as this is how you are guaranteed to have the greatest success.

3rd mistake: Do tactical marketing instead of strategic

Strategic marketing is the long-term planning of goals and activities in marketing. So decide what to say to whom. Tactical marketing, on the other hand, are the decisions you have to make in day-to-day business. In doing so, you determine where you say something. Not all restaurateurs are aware of this difference and that is why many of them make the mistake in their catering marketing of only doing tactical marketing. But without a good strategy, even the best marketing activities won't be successful.

To be able to plan your strategy, you must first find out who your desired target group is. Once you've set them, you should learn about them and tailor your advertising messages to that group. Only then can you select the appropriate advertising medium. In doing so, you need to know which media are being consumed by your target group and should also advertise there. Don't leave this decision to chance, because then you could be wasting a lot of money.

4th mistake: Do not maintain a customer database and do not contact customers

Most restaurateurs only aim to attract new customers. While this is also important, often nothing more is done to improve customer loyalty afterwards. It starts with the fact that only a few keep a database about their customers. However, such a database is extremely profitable simply because it allows you to regularly contact your customers again in order to establish a relationship with the guest. This relationship ultimately results in a guest coming back to your restaurant again and again and becoming a regular guest. In addition, a customer database also enables partnerships with other companies, for example, you can recommend these companies to your customers in newsletters for a fee or you will be recommended by your partner in return.

Socialwave can help you create this database and connect with guests. With the Socialwave WiFi marketing package can you offer your guests free guest WiFi. When you log in to this hotspot, you collect the data of the guests and can then send them individualized email campaigns.

5th mistake: View rating portals as an enemy

Nowadays, more and more people are looking for information on the Internet when they are looking for a restaurant or another place. Rating portals in particular are extremely important. It is therefore a serious mistake for your catering marketing if you do not have a presence on the Internet and do not care about your online reviews.

You must ensure that you position yourself correctly in rating portals, i.e. that you can be found and listed with the correct information. You should also be on social media, because there, too, you can find many new guests and establish successful customer loyalty. All of this supports your online marketing at the same time.

On review portals, you should definitely respond to criticism and answer possible questions. If you receive unjustified criticism or are even insulted, you should treat it with kindness in order to appear professional to the outside world.

6th mistake: poor personnel management

Another common mistake in hospitality marketing is poor personnel management. Many restaurateurs forget that their employees represent the company to the guests. Depending on how guests get to know your staff, the impression they have of your restaurant after their visit is influenced.

A bad cook, for example, leads to bad food and poor service leads to poor service. And a restaurant that either has bad food or poor service won't be visited repeatedly or receive negative reviews.

In order not to make this mistake, you should be careful to wait for the right person when choosing personnel. Don't post the first best application, even though it may take a bit longer to find the ideal candidate.

7th mistake: Just keep going and don't improve anything

Once a restaurant is halfway profitable, it often means for its operators that they don't have to change anything anymore. The principle is then: “That's right.” But that's not enough if you want long-term success. Because to do this, you always have to keep up with the times. This means that you should constantly find out about new trends and also try out new things.

It is also extremely relevant that you always try to improve yourself and your business. Because this is the only way you can continue to improve and be more successful with your restaurant.

conclusion

In this blog article, we have shown you the 7 most common mistakes that are responsible for the failure of marketing in the catering industry. These range from a lack of planning to a non-existing database to a stagnant improvement of one's own business. If you take care to avoid these mistakes, then your hospitality marketing is bound to be successful.

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