Buzz is a powerful communication tool for promoting your restaurant on the web. As a restaurateur, you can use it to capture the attention of Internet users, get the word out about your restaurant and boost your sales. For buzz to work, content needs to be funny, original, mysterious... In short, it needs to trigger emotion and interest in your potential customers. It must also be easy to share or repost. And with this? You'll also need a dash of creativity and a little imagination!
Here are some strategies and inspiration for creating a buzz around your restaurant and making yourself known to the general public.
Developing a social networking strategy
The best way to create a buzz is to share your content where the majority of potential customers are: on social networks.
That's why more and more restaurateurs are using social media platforms on a daily basis to :
- Drive traffic to your restaurant pages,
- Encourage customers unfamiliar with the area to visit the restaurant,
- Generate maximum buzz around the restaurant.
The creation of a website can be useful for delivery and click and collect. Social networks, meanwhile, can be used to disseminate a variety of content, including photos of dishes, videos of chefs in action, new promotions and more. Instagram and Tik Tok are also excellent ways to interact with customers.
Encourage your customers or followers to create brand-related content and share it on social networks. Testimonials, reviews, photos, videos... Highlight this content and thank contributors to stimulate engagement. In recent years, the trend has also been to use influencers to maximize your visibility.
Create a buzz with mystery and exclusivity
Arousing curiosity, creating envy, desire... That's why it can be smart touse mystery and exclusivity in your communication strategy. Mystery creates a sense of intrigue and excitement, encouraging customers to find out more about your restaurant, products and services. Here are a few ways to play with mystery and generate interest in your marketing strategy:
Teasing
Before launching a new product or service, you can create teasers and pre-launches that don't fully reveal the product or service, but give just enough information to intrigue consumers. This can encourage them to look forward to the full reveal and stay informed.
A hidden restaurant
In Paris, there are a number of secret restaurants with discreet entrances or hidden addresses. The idea is to maintain the secret or exclusive aspect and give the customer the feeling of enjoying a more intimate experience.
A password to enter a "secret" restaurant
Some "secret" restaurants use a password or secret code to let customers in, like a speakeasy. This practice adds an element of mystery and exclusivity to the dining experience! A great way to break with routine and surprise your customers!
A "camouflaged" room in the restaurant
One restaurant can hide another! You can have fun creating a small "secret" room within your own restaurant. This hidden restaurant concept, based on secrecy and mystery, is sure to attract the curious and create a buzz!
Special evening or exclusive invitation
Organize special evenings or exclusive invitations, with details kept secret until the last minute. This creates a feeling of exclusivity and rarity, encouraging customers to keep an eye out for your news and commit quickly.
Promo code behind a riddle
The idea is to decipher a riddle on social networks, to access a promo code! This promotes customer loyalty, generates buzz and encourages customers to interact with your brand.
👉 To find out more: How to attract customers to your restaurant?
Create a buzz by being unique
These days, restaurants aren't just about tasty food, they're also about the whole experience. Original decor, culinary shows, incredible cocktails, robot waiters... Restaurants are becoming "Instagrammable".
Many restaurateurs are pushing the concept of their establishment to the limit. The aim is to attract as many customers as possible and offer them a gastronomic and sensory experience, where smell, hearing, taste and sight are stimulated.
The more unusual the experience, the more likely customers are to talk about it on social networks and create a buzz!
Here are some inspiring examples (among many others!) of restaurateurs who have created a buzz with their unique concept:
- The 2 Days fast food restaurant, with its 2D decor that looks like something out of a comic book.
- Chef Saayaan's Ora restaurant, with its edible paintings right on the table.
- Chez Erwan restaurant is getting millions of views on social networks thanks to its franchouillard, "à la bonne franquette" style.
But beware, buzz is a random and uncontrollable phenomenon: don't bet everything on this strategy! Keep in mind that buzz is no guarantee of long-term success, and it's important to build lasting relationships with your customers, beyond the viral effect.
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Creating buzz using humor: 4 examples
Using humor in your marketing strategy can be very effective in grabbing customers' attention and getting them to pay attention to your message. Humor can make your content more entertaining and shareable, which can help generate buzz and increase your restaurant's visibility. People tend to remember ad campaigns that made them laugh, which can boost your brand awareness.
Here are 3 inspiring restaurateurs who have created a buzz with their humor and quirkiness:
Salt Bae
Salt Bae is a Turkish chef and butcher famous for his original way of seasoning meat, which became a viral phenomenon in January 2017. Following the video, Salt Bae became an Internet phenomenon and attracted worldwide attention. Salt Bae is known for his unique style, both theatrical and charismatic, when preparing and serving food. He has acquired a large community of followers on social networks, where he regularly shares videos and photos of his impressive culinary creations.
The Japanese who hit the mochi
Mochi is a Chinese recipe based on glutinous rice that needs to be kneaded quickly before it cools. The aim is to obtain a beautiful, elastic texture. Mituo Nakatani, a Japanese mochi maker, has become famous for his extreme speed in striking the mochi. Videos of him hitting the mochi at top speed have gone viral! Since then, many visitors have flocked to his sales outlet, armed with cell phones and cameras, to see him in full mochi preparation mode. An offbeat and highly successful buzz!
Burger King's clashes
Burger King and McDonald's are two giants of the fast-food industry who often compete with each other around the world. Over the years, Burger King has become known for its bold advertising and entertaining "clashes" with McDonald's. These advertising clashes between the two fast-food chains have created a unique rivalry and captured the attention of consumers.
Clashes between Burger King and McDonald's are often driven by creative and sometimes provocative advertising campaigns. These ads play on each chain's strengths and weaknesses to grab consumers' attention and encourage them to choose Burger King over McDonald's. Whether making fun of McDonald's famous Big Mac sandwich or highlighting the toasted flame of Burger King burgers, these ads have a clear objective: to win the hearts and stomachs of consumers.
These advertising clashes generated a great deal of excitement and reaction from consumers. Some found the ads amusing and appreciated Burger King's provocative tone, while others felt they were inappropriate or unprofessional. Whatever the case, these confrontations certainly helped to raise Burger King's profile and strengthen its position against its main rival.
Big Fernand's jokes
Sometimes, humor can be part of your brand identity, like Big Fernand. They regularly use it in their communication strategy, for example with funny punchlines "Our Hamburgés are like burgers, but much better!" or with comical references in the FAQ: "How is your blanquette?". By eliciting laughter, they establish a positive emotional bond with their customers.
👉 To find out more: Big Fernand's success story
A word of caution on the use of humor: it's important to bear in mind that humor must be used appropriately and in line with your target audience. It's crucial not to offend or marginalize anyone, as this can backfire and damage your image. A good understanding of your audience and their sense of humor is essential to creating an effective buzz!
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To have a chance of surprising consumers, a restaurant also needs to be fun and innovative. Digital tools facilitate the customer journey and customer satisfaction in general.
Contact an Innovorder expert to improve your customer satisfaction!
