Do you own a restaurant? Have you exhausted all marketing options and are still unable to establish a strong social media presence, increase foot traffic, or generate online orders? Then we have a strategy for you that you might not have executed yet! That is what influencer marketing is all about! Though it is not a new term for any industry, it is having a huge impact in the restaurant industry at this point in time. Read along to understand what exactly is micro-influencer marketing, how and where to start and get results that you've been looking for, for a long time!

What Is Influencer Marketing And Who Are Micro-Influencers?

Brands no longer spend large sums of money on high-profile personalities and billboards. Today, influencer marketing is all the rage. Influencer marketing is simply collaborating with people who have "influence" on your target market, hence the name.

A micro-influencer is defined as someone with 1,000 to 100,000 followers. Micro-influencers are industry experts or topic specialists who focus on a narrow niche or area.

Influencers in the restaurant arena are basically food bloggers, vloggers and social media personalities with a reasonable amount of followers.

Consider the following statistics-

For every dollar invested on influencer marketing efforts, businesses earn $5.20: According to PPC statistics, influencer marketing outperforms paid search, which has a 200% ROI. It is also the fastest-growing channel for brands, surpassing organic search. Businesses earn $5.20 on average for every dollar spent on influencers, with the top 13% earning up to $20 on average. The most successful platforms for influencer channels are blogs and Facebook. Email marketing, on the other hand, remains unrivaled, with a ROI of $38 for every dollar spent.

Why Is Influencer Marketing Necessary For Restaurants?

Restaurants shouldn't be left out of this marketing approach at all since they operate in a sector where word-of-mouth advertising is crucial to boosting foot traffic. How can restaurants incorporate influencer outreach as part of their marketing strategy.

Meaningful Reach And Credibility

Some may argue that these micro influencers do not have a very large reach or following, but given that the consumers you want to reach pay attention to what these influencers have to say and are heavily influenced by the opinions of their close-knit communities, a small reach is much more significant than a super large reach that may or may not reach your target market.

Easy On Your Wallet

If you are just beginning to use this method of marketing, you will discover that it is one of the most economical methods with the highest ROIs ever!

Better Presence

If your restaurant has a little off-beat concept, a distinctive menu, some historical significance, a compelling narrative, or perhaps only serves vegan or gluten-free food, for an example, these influencers can help you build a stronger online presence and then watch your sales soar!

How To Go About Starting Influencer Marketing? (on a no-small budget)



Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to launch influencer marketing on a shoestring or no budget.

Step 1- Search

Look for the appropriate influencer. To find influencers who would be perfect for your restaurant, one way is to use hashtags on Instagram. The hashtags you can use, for instance, if you own a pizzeria in Frisco, Texas, are #FriscoFoodies #FriscoFoodie #FriscoInfluencer #FriscoPizzaLover, and so forth. You don't have to follow food bloggers that frequently highlight Chinese cuisine on their pages; simply look through their feeds to see if they have any interest in pizza joints.

Check their location as well; in the example above, they must be locals of Frisco or the surrounding areas and not residents of another state.

Step 2- Approach

Approaching the influencer is the next step after finishing the first stage. There are numerous ways to do this. Typically, they leave their contact details, such as email addresses, in their bio. If not, you may always direct message them, and if that choice is also unavailable, simply post a comment expressing your interest in a collaboration with them.

Step 3- Appropriate Messaging And Offer

Depending on your budget, curate an offer for the gourmand using the right messaging. Indicate to them in explicit terms if you have a budget. If not, simply inform them that you are prepared to pay for their dinner in exchange for a feature. The majority of influencers would agree because it has been tried and tested! You can thank us later!

Step 4- Arrange And Communicate

It is the social media manager's/communicator's duty to let the store know about this offer. They should be well informed of the services you have committed to provide, as well as their scheduled arrival time and other details. To ensure a smooth visit, it is also your job to remind both parties. Since they are an influencer, you could always go over and beyond by setting up a lavish table for them.

Step 5- Measure

The impact of every marketing activity must be measured. You can check the Key KPI’s to be measured here.

Wrap-up

It goes without saying that your restaurant needs to use micro-influencer marketing. It will assist you to attract more clients, which will enhance your restaurant's revenue in addition to expanding your reach to all possible customers.