A favorite client, whose business is suffering because of COVID-19, said it best: “This sucks, but we’ll get over it and be back better than ever.” He’s absolutely right. The COVID-19 pandemic has been rough for everyone, especially those in the restaurant industry. With people staying home to help stop the spread of the virus, restaurants are struggling to survive. Data from OpenTable reveals that reservations are down 100% year over year globally. This means restaurants must rely on online orders for pickup or delivery and online gift card sales to bring in money. The good news is that more people are searching for online ordering and takeout options than ever before. Just look at the search volume for these terms:
Searches for “order takeout.”
Searches for “restaurant delivery.”
Searches for “curbside pickup.” (Find out more about Google’s curbside pickup promotions here.) Now is a great opportunity to connect with your community online and turn them into loyal customers. Here are five tips to help you adapt your Facebook Ad strategy so your restaurant comes out of this stronger than ever. P.S. We’ve added some new information! Be sure to also explore these post-pandemic marketing strategies that can lead to long-term success.
1. Focus your Facebook marketing on your local community
Marketing to your local community allows for a more personal approach, and Facebook is personalized marketing at scale. You can craft messages that resonate with your potential customers and target them strategically without breaking the bank. With over 2 billion users on Facebook and 700 million on Instagram, both platforms have seen increased activity during the pandemic. In fact, Facebook recently reached a record high of 2.6 billion monthly users, and daily Instagram usage has increased. With such a vast potential audience and powerful targeting options, Facebook is an incredibly effective way to reach your community. You can target ads for delivery options, gift cards, and any special offers or changes in service to local customers, previous patrons, or even your ideal customer base.
What’s even better is that connecting with your community on Facebook is budget-friendly. Did you know that the food and beverage industry has the lowest average cost-per-click (CPC) on Facebook?
With an average CPC of $0.42, you could get over 230 clicks for just $100 in ad spending. But remember, not all clicks are equal. While clicks may be inexpensive for food and beverage businesses on Facebook, creating a compelling message and delivering it to the right people at the right time is crucial for your campaign’s success. That’s why targeted ads and direct engagement with your community are so important, particularly when it comes to your messaging. Let’s delve into that in the next tip.
2. Be creative with your messaging
Even though people are staying home, there are still ways to keep them engaged with your brand or help them discover your delicious food for the first time. Think about advertising virtual events featuring DIY meal kits or sharing new recipes to try at home.
Keep your customers updated by announcing any menu changes through your ads. Now is also a good time to promote your loyalty program or consider starting one. Facebook is currently testing a new option that would link brand loyalty programs to user activity within the app. While only certain brands have access to this feature right now, you can still utilize Facebook’s lead generation campaign format to promote a loyalty program. Hopefully, this pilot program will be available to more businesses after the testing phase. No matter your message, leverage the power of visuals on Facebook and Instagram by showcasing appetizing images of your food that will capture users’ attention as they scroll through their feeds. A striking image or video can make all the difference - it might even be a contributing factor to the food and beverage industry having the second-highest click-through rate (CTR) on Facebook.
3. Give back to your community
Is your restaurant located near a hospital, grocery store, or post office? Show your appreciation by creating a “thank you” promotion where customers can donate meals to essential workers.
Promoting this initiative through ads will inspire your audience to contribute meals to deserving frontline workers, allowing your business to make a real difference. It also subtly reminds people that you’re still open for takeout and delivery.
4. Promote your restaurant’s app
Utilize Facebook’s app install campaign objective to increase downloads of your restaurant’s app. This is an excellent time to run these campaigns and boost online orders.
Don’t have an app yet? No problem! Check out this list and choose from various DIY app-building platforms. Not only will this help you in the short term, but it can also set you up for success in a post-COVID-19 world when your restaurant thrives on a combination of online orders and dine-in customers.
5. Keep your marketing funnel in mind
Remember the saying, “form follows function”? Facebook’s campaign objectives make it easy to build an effective marketing funnel. Choose your objectives based on the specific goal you want to achieve. In this case, use brand awareness campaigns to introduce your restaurant to your local community and remind them that they can support local businesses by ordering online. Utilize lead generation, messaging, or app install campaigns to nurture potential customers. Finally, optimize for conversions and target users who are ready to place an order, those at the “point of hunger” or the bottom of the funnel.
Give these Facebook Ads tips for restaurants a try
As a reminder, here are five ways to adapt your restaurant’s Facebook Ads strategy during COVID-19:
- Connect with your local community
- Think outside the box with your marketing message
- Find ways to help your community
- Promote your restaurant app
- Remember the importance of your marketing funnel And remember, you’re not alone in this. Continue to check the nexus-security blog and our COVID-19 resource center for helpful information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below. Post-COVID-19 update: While the coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing, we appear to be past its peak. If you’ve reopened your business, explore these effective strategies to better understand your post-COVID-19 customer base.