The most successful strategies of restaurant marketing are now more different than ever before. Advertising in the yellow pages and newspaper ads is no longer as effective as it used to be. Since the dawn of the age of the smartphone, consumers are instead using these ever-present handheld devices to search for new restaurants and cafes in their local communities.
Word of mouth advertising is great, but online marketing is becoming increasingly more important. And the search engines are rating your websites on a number of different factors. Fail to reach the top of the search engine results, and your restaurant revenues could drastically drop overnight.

Here are the Top 5 Tips for successful restaurant marketing from Branding Los Angeles.

1. Use Local SEO Tactics: Choosing the proper geographical keywords will help to boost your rankings and online visibility. Current statistics show that over 72% of all webs searches are now looking for local content.

2. Have a user-friendly website: Can you customers find your website? Once they do, is it easy to read and maneuver? Or do they get easily confused and click to another competing restaurant instead?

3. Keep track of restaurant review sites: Successful online marketing for any business requires significant protection of your online reputation. Monitor sites like Yelp and Angie’s List to keep track of what people are saying about your restaurant

4. Use online reservation tools: One of the byproducts of living in the age of the smartphone is the ever increasing desire for instant gratification. Offering the ability for your customers to make immediate reservations online might be just the extra boost that you need in your restaurant marketing strategies.

5. Use social media: If you do not have a presence on social media, particularly Facebook, then many consumers simply do not consider your restaurant to be a reputable and established business. Social media also allows you as the owner to establish a two-way street of communication with your customers as well.

Be consistent with your online marketing techniques and always remain up-to-date on the local events within your community. Unlike many other types of online enterprises, your restaurant is completely dependent upon only those people within your local area. Stay engaged, and keep positive.