You make the best Indian food in town. Now it’s time to make sure everyone knows it! with over 4,000 Indian restaurants in the United States, it’s important to stand out from the competition.
Here are five local marketing strategies to help you promote your Indian restaurant in your area.
Hang flyers around town
Internet marketing can reach billions of people around the world. But what good is that if most of those people live outside of your city, state, or country.
It doesn’t matter how good your food is; it’s unlikely that someone would drive that far just for a good dinner.
If you want a hyper-local way to market your Indian restaurant, go old-school with flyers. Only people in your immediate town can see the flyers you post, so no marketing budget is wasted on people outside of your service area.
However, you have to make sure they look good enough to attract plenty of attention.
Since you’re busy cooking the best samosas and curry chicken in town, you probably don’t have time to design professional-level graphics from scratch.
Luckily, there are thousands of free restaurant flyer templates available online from websites like PosterMyWall.
Simply find the template that best fits your restaurant’s style, customize the information using the easy drag-and-drop editor, and you’re ready to hit the print shop.
Hang your flyers anywhere hungry people spend their time, like in gyms, activity centers, or even workplaces. Never underestimate a hungry office!
Also Read: 7 Must-Try Traditional Japanese Cuisine
Claim your Google Business Profile
The top of the search engine results is the most lucrative real estate on the internet. When people look for “Indian restaurants near me,” you want to show up front and center! And the best way to do that is by claiming your Google Business profile.
Your Google Business Profile is basically a digital business card that shows up when people in your area search for related inquiries online. The best part is that your business profile appears above even the actual search results, guaranteeing you more visibility!
It’s completely free to create a Google Business Profile, so it’s a no-brainer for any business owner who wants to get more local traffic online.
Get social on social media
It’s 2024. Just about everyone in the world is on social media — literally! With over 5 billion active users worldwide, there’s a good chance that nearly everyone in your town uses at least one social media platform regularly, making it a great place to promote your Indian restaurant.
There’s hardly anything that’s more eye-catching as you scroll through your social feed than a delicious plate of food. Maybe that’s why they call it a “feed”…? Take plenty of pictures of your incredible dishes and post them to your social media accounts. Most marketing professionals suggest posting at least once per day.
Be sure to take your time to create high-quality images. A nicely cropped and edited image looks much more appetizing than a hasty phone shot. The better it looks, the more likely someone will just have to come in to try it for themselves.
Cater (or host) local events
The best way to know if a restaurant is good is to try it for yourself. So use that knowledge to your advantage and show your local community what good Indian food tastes like by bringing it straight to them!
There are always local events going on. If you catch wind of an upcoming community event, see if you can set up a stand or even cater the entire event. Anyone who comes to the event will get to try your amazing food. And once they do, they’ll be a regular at your restaurant.
If you can’t find an event, you can always host your own. Put on a trivia night or bring in a band to play at your restaurant. People might come for the event, but they’ll stay for the food. The bigger the spectacle, the more attendees you’ll get.
Start an email marketing campaign
There’s so much content flying around these days that it’s hard to keep your business top of mind, even with your most regular customers. Don’t let anyone forget about your business with email marketing.
Email marketing is a fantastic way to keep in touch with your existing customers because you can message them directly. You don’t need to wait for them to see your post organically on social media or type in the exact right search query.
Collect as many email addresses as you can from your customers and send a few emails per week just to keep your business’s name at the forefront of their mind. You can send out your weekly specials, promotional nights, or even offer email-only discounts to get more people through the door.
Also Read: Can You Eat Trout Fish? Everything You Need to Know
Feed the community great Indian food with great marketing
There’s no such thing as too many customers. Grow your Indian restaurant’s local fan base by hanging flyers around town, claiming your Google Business Profile, posting delicious food on social media, catering local events, and starting an email marketing campaign.
With all your marketing strategies working together, it won’t be long before the entire town wants to eat at your restaurant!
