Here’s Why Online Ads are Losing Steam for Restaurant Marketers

The pandemic had forced restaurants to try all possible avenues to find hungry customers through digital marketing, deals, neighborhood campaigns, delivery, social media innovation – you name it. Recent shifts in the online advertising landscape have amounted to more clutter than substance, causing online ads to perform poorly. To put it simply, there’s too much competition in the digital ad space, so fewer restaurants see a decent ROI.   

Digital ads are of interest to restaurants in getting relevant customers’ attention and creating a bridge between brands and the first-party data they rely on. Restaurants’ most powerful customers bases live within a few miles, so while online ads are saturated and languishing, it may be time to fall back on more traditional local outreach tactics. 

Restaurants can focus on driving attention to their website to access deals and time-sensitive offers. Once a potential customer is on the site, soliciting them to engage with a test message, email, or QR code will allow restaurants to take a snapshot of their first-party data. This includes their name, phone number, email address, and sometimes their mailing address. Promotional events, special pop-ups, seasonal menus, and any way to align your restaurant with local interests, holidays, and meaningful moments are sure to create buzz. Build some social media personality around new hires to help your restaurant feel human and inviting. Old-school outreach in the form of postcards, flyers, and promotions sent via direct mail can keep you front-of-mind for local customers. 

While online ads may regain potential in the future, now is the time for restaurants to get creative and direct their marketing prowess elsewhere. If you’re a restaurant marketer looking to expand your marketing capabilities on the fly, partner with us.