Marketing Restaurant Online

In the video Mark Sinclair talks about eCommerce future trends in US. In 2006 alone, $168 billion was spent and is expected to grow to $280 billion by 2011. When we talk about eCommerce we are not just talking about amazon.com or  ebay.com but also restaurants that do business online. Pizza restaurants are famous for their online ordering.The transaction occurs on the web and now on mobile too with the rise of smart phones like iPhone. Have you cashed in some of those digital money?

If your answer is NO then it might be time to rethink about your restaurant business strategy. To really cash in online and on mobile one has to think of a new business model, get equipped with new set of online tools and learn new online marketing techniques.

Why Video?

Video is a trend that is getting popular with the rise of Youtube.Video is becoming an integral part of the business. The speed of the internet is getting faster and continues to do so.The technology has matured enough now that enables even a real time live video streaming. Why not create some sort of Chef Emeril kind of show?

Below are some of the reasons that I believe you should integrate video marketing.

More personal- When you use video, as a restaurant owner or chef you connect with your customers in a more personal way. Let’s face it when you have multiple restaurants there is no way you can possibly meet each and every customers. So in such a situation, you can leverage video by making personal message,sending greetings and thanking them for the business

Powerful Medium to sway your customer’s decision- Now a days we can access Youtube videos on iPhone and possibly in many other smart phones in the future. When you have your restaurant’s video displaying the dishes being prepared by the chef it becomes appealing to the customer on the road searching for your type of restaurant. Don’t you think you would have a better chance of swaying his or her  decision to dine with you?

Indexed by Google-The video that you uploaded on Youtube, blog or Facebook Page would be indexed by Google. That means when people search online on Google, your restaurant’s video can be on the top search results.Since most of the people don’t bother to make video you have a chance to stand out in the crowd.

Recommendation

If you are interested then I would suggest you to get Kodak video recorder. Though in the past I have recommended Flip video recorder I have come to know from Pete Kane that Flip doesn’t have a strong mic to effectively record the voice. So give a try to Kodak video recorder. You can find them at Office Max or other similar Office supply stores near your city or town.

Why not record some videos of your main popular entrees showing your chef’s acrobatic skills ? You could also record a video tutorial of how to make the best salsa in the world. I’m just giving you an example. So when people are searching for recipe for salsa your site has a chance to be on the first to be discovered.

I think video is another powerful tool that helps your restaurant to be found by your potential new customers in the internet. What do you think about using video to market your restaurant? Do you think it is worth the time for restaurant owners or chefs to devote some time to create some videos and upload it online on sites like Youtube?