Better Restaurant Marketing – The 3 Step Restaurant Sales Funnel You Need To Know

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, small local restaurants faced unprecedented challenges, leading to many closures. Larger businesses and corporate chains had robust systems in place to adapt to the changing market, while small eateries struggled to compete.

This system, often overlooked by small businesses, is a sales funnel.

The Importance of a Restaurant Sales Funnel

The need to shift marketing efforts from solely attracting new customers to concentrating on customer retention through the use of an automated sales funnel. A well-structured sales funnel guides customers through their entire journey, from their first interaction with the restaurant to becoming loyal advocates of the brand.

The 3 Steps of a Restaurant Sales Funnel

1. Attraction:

The first step in the sales funnel is attracting potential customers. This phase allows restaurants to leverage various methods such as paid ads, coupons, contests, and events to entice new patrons. However, what sets successful attraction strategies apart is the collection of email addresses.

Acquiring email addresses during this phase enables direct and personalized communication with potential customers, offering a higher engagement rate compared to traditional marketing channels like social media.

2. Conversion:

Once the email addresses are collected, the focus shifts to converting potential customers into paying patrons. This involves leveraging email marketing to communicate restaurant specials, events, time-sensitive coupons, and customer appreciation programs.

Engaging email content keeps the audience informed and excited, leading to increased footfall and revenue for the restaurant.

3. Repeat, Review, and Refer:

The final stage involves nurturing repeat business and encouraging customers to leave reviews and refer the restaurant to others. Email remains a powerful tool in this phase, facilitating requests for reviews, updates on new menu offerings, and invitations to special events.

By fostering customer loyalty and goodwill, restaurants can drive repeat visits, garner positive reviews, and benefit from word-of-mouth referrals.

Implementing a sales funnel for restaurant marketing provide a powerful framework to navigate the post-pandemic landscape.

The three-step approach not only attracts new customers but also focuses on retaining them through personalized and engaging communication. By incorporating email marketing into the sales funnel, restaurants can amplify their reach, boost customer loyalty, and drive sustainable business growth.

But a restaurant sales funnel is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to a smart marketing strategy. Do you know how your restaurant’s marketing stacks up?

Find out by taking the SMART Marketing quiz CLICK HERE

Get customized results on how to get smarter with your restaurant’s marketing – you’ll learn exactly what YOUR business should focus on, get customized recommendations on how to get the best bang for your marketing buck, and unleash your business’s true potential. It’s like having a personal marketing coach by your side!

And remember, you don’t need crazy tech skills, buckets of cash, or a dedicated staff to market your restaurant. In fact, you don’t even need a lot of time. What you need is to be smart, and a restaurant sales funnel is smart for your business.

If you're ready to grow your business with smart marketing you can:

1. Sign up for weekly FREE Business Bytes with CEO, Torie Mathis

2. Get a SMART Funnel and begin to automate your marketing

3. Learn Digital Marketing with a Smart Marketing Course

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: TORIE MATHIS

Torie Mathis helps entrepreneurs grow their business with Smart Marketing.  She is a best-selling author, Army veteran, international speaker + trainer, and the CEO + Creative Director at Lake Shark Media. She also teaches entrepreneurs how to get smart with digital marketing at toriemathis.com