Tips On How Restaurant Businesses Benefit From Video Marketing

Posted by: KHTS Articles in News Articles August 27, 2020 - 6:37 pm 0 970 Views

The use of video for promotional purposes to attract the attention of one’s customer had been in existence since the monochrome television era of the 1970s. What changed in recent years is the importance of video in a brand’s marketing strategies. Technological advancement, coupled with easy access to mobile phones, has led consumers to check out a product before making a purchase.

With such thorough research going into a purchase, brands have realized that video is an effective means of catching the attention of potential customers and telling them how good your product or service is. Although the restaurant sector is one of the later ones to join the bandwagon, it stands to benefit from video marketing in several unexpected ways. In this article, we shall explore some tips on how video marketing can give a boost to restaurant businesses.

Make Sure Your Video Relates to Your Restaurant Brand

Any video that you prepare aims to have the passive viewers converted into actual foodies who visit your restaurant. To ensure such a thing happens, the video needs to resonate with your brand.

Irrespective of whether you have a trendy farm-to-table café or a fine dining restaurant, make sure the tone of your videos matches the personality of the restaurant. Having brand colors take center stage in the video is a good idea. Also, if your restaurant is a chain or has a logo of its own, make sure the same is illustrated in the videos.

Do Not Compromise on Quality Equipment

If you want your promotional videos to be taken seriously by your target group, you cannot afford to compromise on the quality. The video resolution should be 4k at 30+fps while your choice of the microphone may be condenser, lavalier, or shotgun.

While these basic filming tools should suffice, if your budget permits, you may invest in amplifiers to ensure that the video picks up on the subtle sounds associated with food that is under preparation. For outdoor shoots, the windscreen is an absolute must.

For the editing bit, there are several editing tools available online. Your choice of video editor will be based on your budget and proficiency levels. In any case, it is a good idea to have a peer circle whom you show the video for feedback before you make it public.

Menu Showcasing Videos

A significant fraction of viewers prefers skimming through the menus of different restaurants before settling on a place to dine. Having the digital menu in video format will ensure that people do not skim past it.

Moreover, with a video, potential customers can envision tasting the dish that you show (preferably shot from multiple angles). Videos on specialty or limited-time menus are especially helpful in generating excitement about a delicacy and encouraging people to visit you. You may want to explore innovative ideas in menu videos, such as shooting the video while the food is being prepared. Voice-overs are increasingly popular in this space too. Investigate voice actor rates to see if they would be within your video budget.

Give Your Restaurant a Face

If the videos are uploaded on your social media page or website, you can have a section called ‘Employee’s Choice’ wherein you post a video about a particular item from your menu that is a favorite of a particular employee. Have the employee show themselves in the video and talk about the preparation and why they like it.

Every month, you can have a new video showcasing a new employee and a new dish. This type of video will not highlight your delicacies, but it will also help give a human face to your brand. That way, potential customers will be tempted to choose your restaurant over that of your competitors.

Do not Stretch your Videos

Understand that most people who browse through restaurant videos want to make a quick decision on the place they would visit. Hence, you need to restrict your promotional video length based on the platform you are preparing it for.

A 30-second video will make an ideal Instagram Story, whereas you may upload a minute-long video on Facebook. For longer videos (of up to 2 minutes length), YouTube or IGTV may be the platform of choice. Under no situation should your restaurant video be longer than a couple of minutes.

Work on Customer Videos

Nothing attracts people to a restaurant as much as other people having a merry time and indulging in a gastronomical delight. Try to incorporate that in your videos by filming live customer samplings of new items on the menu. You can also promote in-restaurant celebratory events, and if you have dedicated spaces for that, make sure your video takes the audience on a tour of that as well.

Video testimonials from customers reviewing some of the items of the menu or reminiscing the quality time spent in your restaurant will attract others to be a part of the experience. You can also encourage guests to tag your establishment in photographs or videos clicked in your establishment. With their permission, you can also share such posts from your business’s social media handle and increase customer engagement.

Make an Impactful Exit

While it is important to plan your video structure, you need to remember that the last few seconds of the video are the best time to reiterate the message of the video. Use an outro maker and have a call to action (CTA) to have direct links to take the consumer to relevant places in your website.

By making it easier for them to find you, you are increasing their chances of booking a table at your place. This is a business-savvy approach to giving your promotional video an impactful yet professional ending.

The menu, quality of food, ambiance, parking facility, and many other factors play a role in helping a customer choose a dining place. With video mediums, you can cover all of this and effectively portray your restaurant in front of your potential customers. With the tips discussed in this article, you are now ready to use video marketing as a tool to take your restaurant on the path of business success.