There are many potential marketing ideas for restaurants. Your challenge as a restaurant owner is to determine which ideas are likely to be effective for your business. Once you do, you can add them to your overall marketing strategy.

Most restaurants achieve an excellent return on investment when they advertise in the local media. This is because local media can reach a high percentage of people in the local community — who are often your customers.

This article will explain the different types of local media and the advertising options that are available. It will then help you determine if local media advertising should be a part of your restaurant’s marketing strategy.

####What is Local Media? The traditional definition of local media is any newspaper, radio station or television station that focusses on a specific community. A good example would be a newspaper like The Argus, which focusses on Brighton & Hove and Sussex.

The term has now expanded to include online resources that focus on local communities. These online resources include online communities, websites, blogs, and social media groups. In many cases, websites and online communities are the most affordable and effective way to attract new customers to your restaurant.

####The Most Effective Ways to Advertise in Local Media #####Placing an advertisement in the local print media While the importance of print media has declined in the past decade, many local newspapers and magazines are still going strong. Local print media is often a very effective way to reach local diners. You can pay for an advertisement or get a news feature about your restaurant published. Before placing an advertisement think about:

  • The circulation of the newspaper or magazine
  • The cost of the advertisement
  • The cost per reader (circulation divided by the cost of the advertisement)

Compare the cost per reader to other advertising methods that you are considering. Consider placing a voucher in the paper instead of advertisement to test how many people read the ads in the paper and come into the restaurant.

You should also think about the kinds of clientele your restaurant attracts. Because newspapers are mostly read by older people, it may be the wrong demographic if you have a hip restaurant. In fact, always thinking about your demographic before purchasing an advertisement is one of the best restaurant tips out there.

#####Is it effective? Yes, it can be extremely effective. That is why most local newspapers are packed with advertisements for restaurants. Just consider your target market and the newspaper’s readership before jumping in.

#####Placing an advertisement on the local radio station Most towns and cities in the UK have one or more local radio stations. You can use an attention grabbing radio advertisement to encourage people to visit your restaurant. The advantages of using radio advertising include:

  • Easy to target demographics Each station has a specific demographic, which allows to you target your ads precisely
  • You can make something impossible to ignore! Create the right ad and people will pay attention
  • Easy to measure the results As soon as your ad hits the radio, you will see the results. This differs to print advertising, where some readers may never reach the page your ad is on or simply ignore it. There is less lag between the ad spend and the results.

#####Is it effective? The right ad on the right station can be very effective. Be sure to research the radio station’s audience before creating or airing an ad. Also, take note of an any increase in patronage after an advertisement airs, to test its effectiveness.

####Local Online Advertising Many local communities spend a significant amount of time communicating online. There are countless Facebook groups, blogs, websites, community portals that only talk about recent events in a particular town or city. You can incorporate these sites into your restaurant’s marketing strategy in a couple of ways:

#####Participate in your community’s social media groups Nearly every town or city has a Facebook or Google+ group dedicated to it. These groups are a place where local people congregate to gossip and talk about local events. You can become an active participant in these groups and even advertise your restaurant (if you obtain permission from the group’s owners). You could post photos of your meals or the smiling faces of your patrons to the group.

#####Advertise in Local Markets Using Cost Per Click (CPC) Advertising locally doesn’t mean that you are only advertising offline. You can reach your local audience by using localised cost per click advertising. When using CPC, you pay a small fee when one of your advertisements is clicked. The ad appears on other people’s websites and search engine results.

You can specify which keywords you want your advertisement to be associated with. For example, you could have an advertisement for your Indian restaurant appear when someone searches for “Best Indian food Alcester”. Using localised CPC will ensure your ads appears on pages and search results about Indian food in your location.

#####Is it effective? Yes, local online advertising is one of the best marketing ideas for restaurants. It is very cheap and can be targeted at specific groups of people. It should be a part of your overall marketing strategy.

When you use Facebook or Google+ groups, you can also interact with other people in the local community — they get to know you and your restaurant. This helps to humanise your business and will create many loyal customers.

The only situation where local online advertising may not be effective is when your restaurant has an older clientele. In that situation, print media may be more effective.

We hope you enjoyed reading Is It Worth Advertising Your Restaurant in Local Media? For more restaurant tips and marketing ideas for restaurants, subscribe to the blog or follow us on social media.