Follow these 10 tips to make the best ads for your food or restaurant business

We live in a digital world, a world of consumers and everyone is competing for customers. It is thought that the ordinary person receives around 1,700 banners each month but more than half will probably not even view any of these advertisements.The food and restaurant industry are inundated with new and established names, the competition is fierce and many of these names just get lost along the way.    It is crucial for any business to ensure that their advertising efforts do not go to waste. Like a Jackpot casino login you have to find unique ways to draw your customers in.Whatever you are introducing, a new menu, a new restaurant or trying to increase your online audience, it is vital that you remain really focused on your goal.  Sounds obvious but unfortunately many brands seem to have lost this focus and they no longer stand out from the competition.Below are a number of important ways to make food advertising more successful.Connect with your dinersWhen creating your advert your restaurant has the opportunity to send a very personal message to your clients.  Each brand has unique characteristics, so knowing what these are and how you are going to communicate them is important. Apparently, campaigns that have only emotional content do twice as well as those with only rational content. (NeuroMarketing).For instance, the Coca Cola campaign which was all about eradicating social prejudice, spoke to many viewers who connected with this universal message. The result was a huge increase, 51%, of the company’s products.It is worth considering what message your restaurant wants to send to your customers? Do you use specific organic ingredients, or is your restaurant working to reduce food waste?  Let your customers know what your values are.Make sure it is not boring by using visual storytelling.Viewers will not appreciate seeing the same old thing over and over again.  Coming up with novel images and ideas will be seen as exciting to your diners. Pictures convey ideas better than words so it is not surprising that 55% of viewers will remember content when there are images involved.   You only have a limited time to capture the attention of your audience so make it worthwhile by including an image with your message.Visual storytelling is about showing and not telling. However, storytelling is truly a creative skill and not all of us are naturally blessed with this. However, the principles of storytelling can be learned. Like when you watch a movie, you are being told a story. Wherever you choose to place your ad - Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, be sure it tells the story, using good imagery, to represent your restaurant.Make use of colorColors can affect the way consumers respond. Many of the fast- food chains, for instance, use bright colors in their ads which signify energy whereas the more luxury type ads may use darker shades which reflect elegance and authority.  The way in which you contrast difference colors is also important. Make sure that you get that right.Be truthful about what you are offering“We use only organic ingredients!”|Statements like these are made to attract customers.  However, consumers are very discerning in their choices and therefore it is crucial for brands to be wary of using deceptive advertising.  Promoting your brand using facts will build credibility.This was something that happened to Kellogg’s in 2010. Accused of using deceptive advertising by saying that Rice Krispies’ had immunity-boosting” ingredients. The Federal Trade Commission put a halt to the ads.So be sure to use truthful claims as you could end up doing more harm than good to your restaurant.Be aware of new trends in the food industryKeeping on top of the latest trends will help you understand what the expectations of your diners are and will help you with sales. Therefore, being relatively active on social media can be useful.   When creating ads. it can be clever to include topics or foods that are popular and trending at the time as this may boost sales.Make sure you are using the correct platformAdvertising on the wrong platform will get you nowhere.  There are so many platforms to choose from.   Every platform gives exposure, from websites, social media and blogs.  Where would your customers prefer to order from, which platforms.  Advertising your restaurant on the right platform is vital. For example, take Domino’s marketing campaign which enabled consumers to order pizza via Twitter.  Media companies such as Forbes and USA today covered this story. Today, around 50% of Dominio’s orders are from digital channels.Ensure that your “call to action” from your audience is effective.It could be that you’ve created a fabulous advertisement and it is being seen on the correct platforms but the results are not what you were expecting. Maybe you need to tweak your Call to Action? “Order now”, “Book a Table Now”, “Treat yourself now”. Entice your customers to take action. Honing in on the most effective CTA will increase this possibility.Be playful with hashtagsGet trending with hashtags.  Hashtags offer you a great way to gain more followers for marketing and they enable you to create lasting impressions in your customers.  Hashtags can be used to make the dining experience fun.  Reaching out to your audience will give your restaurant greater exposure.   Perhaps think up a way of encouraging consumers to get involved online, even if they are not actually in the restaurant physically.   For example, by sharing a photo, or photos of a favorite meal on the menu on Instagram followed by the restaurant’s hashtag.Create enticing and good quality menusThe most obviously important appeal of your restaurant is your menu.  It is the blueprint of your brand, expressing the personality of your restaurant and should form lasting impressions and make diners eager to return.  The menu is likely to be the first thing people do when they sit down so it should be the beginning of a good dining experience.Make sure that your menu is clean, well laid out and is easy to read and understand as this will set your customers’ expectations for the remainder of their stay in your restaurant. There are a number of online tools that you can use to help you.  Canva or iMenuPro are excellent.  They have a whole range of templates available to help you build your own menu.To concludeThe restaurant industry is a highly competitive and saturated market and every restaurant hopes that their brand will be the most sought after in their field.    Technology has made life easier in that restaurants are able to connect more easily with their customers. Marketing for food and restaurant brands has changed significantly, be it via digital channels or through traditional strategies.   But with the correct marketing it is possible for restaurants to overcome some of the difficulties they might experience with seasonal slowdowns.-