Billboard Advertising for Local Restaurants: A Comprehensive Guide

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In the ever-competitive restaurant industry, standing out from the crowd and attracting new customers can be challenging. 

An effective way to raise your restaurant’s visibility and allure is through compelling billboard advertising. 

This large-scale marketing strategy can significantly impact your business by catching the attention of thousands of potential customers daily. 

Whether you’re a new establishment looking to make your mark or an established restaurant aiming to maintain your relevance, billboard advertising offers numerous advantages. 

This guide will outline thirteen of the best ways to utilise this powerful advertising medium for a local restaurant. 

Highlight Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

In the bustling food and beverage sector, it’s vital that your restaurant has a unique selling proposition (USP) that sets it apart from the competition. 

This could be anything from having the best locally-sourced seafood in town, to providing a live music dining experience, or even offering a taste of international cuisines that are not readily available in your area. 

A compelling USP draws the attention of potential customers and gives them a reason to choose your establishment over others.

Your billboard should, therefore, be crafted to effectively communicate your restaurant’s unique attributes, creating intrigue and encouraging passers-by to give your restaurant a try.

Use High-Quality Images

Food and drink are sensory experiences, and visual appeal is a significant part of that experience. While billboards don’t allow for taste or smell, they can certainly stimulate visual appeal and, indirectly, anticipation for the taste. 

That’s why using high-quality, appetising images of your food and drinks on your billboard can be an excellent way to attract potential customers. 

The sight of a juicy burger, a vibrant salad, or a creamy latte, beautifully photographed and larger than life, can make mouths water and stomachs rumble.

In a study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford and published in the journal “Flavour”, it was found that people rated images of food as more appetising when they were brighter and had higher contrast levels. 

When designing your billboard, it’s important to take into account factors such as image quality, lighting, and colour contrast to ensure that your food looks as appealing as possible. 

Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, and a delicious-looking picture could be worth numerous customers.

Provide Clear Directions

For local businesses like restaurants, it’s crucial that potential customers know where to find you. 

Therefore, the location and directions should be clearly indicated on your billboard advertisement. 

This might mean including a simple map, stating the street name, or even mentioning notable landmarks nearby. 

The idea is to make it as easy as possible for someone who sees your billboard to find their way to your restaurant.

This underlines the importance of clear, concise directions on your billboard – you want to capture that on-the-move audience and give them the tools to act on their impulse. 

Be sure to use easy-to-read fonts and ensure that the directions are visible and clear even from a distance.

With the right guidance, a billboard can lead straight to your restaurant’s doorstep.

Promote Special Offers

People are often attracted to a restaurant by the prospect of getting something extra or being able to save money. 

Offering special deals, discounts, or promotions can bring new customers in and reward your regulars.

Your billboard could advertise a “buy one get one free” deal, a percentage off during certain hours, a special price for a new dish, or even a seasonal offer. 

By clearly displaying these deals on a billboard, you reach a wide audience and incentivise them to choose your restaurant over others.

In a study published in the “International Journal of Hospitality Management”, researchers found that price promotions significantly influenced customers’ dining choices, with respondents stating they were more likely to try a restaurant if a price promotion was offered.

Thus, featuring such promotions on your billboard can effectively grab attention and encourage potential customers to dine at your restaurant.

Seasonal Advertising

Seasonal advertising is a great way to show your restaurant’s versatility and appeal to customers’ changing tastes throughout the year.

For instance, you can advertise a cosy, comforting menu in the colder months, a vibrant and fresh salad selection in the spring, and refreshing beverages or BBQ options in the summer.

This not only keeps your billboard and your offerings fresh and relevant but also shows your ability to adapt to different seasons and trends.

By implementing seasonal advertising on your billboard, you can tap into this trend and attract more customers who appreciate seasonally-appropriate meals.

Testimonials

Displaying positive reviews or testimonials from customers or critics can be a powerful tool in attracting new customers. 

It can showcase the quality of your food and service, and boost your restaurant’s credibility. The testimonies could be from online review platforms, snippets from food bloggers, ratings from food apps, or even quotes from satisfied customers.

Be sure to use real reviews and maintain the high standards that earned those reviews to uphold your credibility.

Celebrate Local Ingredients 

Consumers today are increasingly conscious of where their food comes from and many appreciate and prefer locally-sourced ingredients. 

If your restaurant uses ingredients from local farms, fisheries, or other suppliers, this is something you should highlight on your billboard. 

This not only shows support for local businesses but also communicates a commitment to freshness and quality.

A 2021 report from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK indicates that consumers have a growing interest in locally produced food due to factors such as perceived quality, environmental impact, and supporting the local economy. 

By aligning your restaurant with these consumer values, you can attract a more conscientious demographic who appreciate local sourcing and are likely to support your restaurant.

Catchy Tagline

A memorable slogan or tagline can stick in people’s minds and make your restaurant stand out. It should be short, catchy, and encapsulate the essence of what your restaurant offers.

Whether it’s humorous, thought-provoking, or purely descriptive, a good tagline can have a lasting impact and trigger recognition when potential customers are deciding where to eat.

In a study titled “The Customer Experience: A road-map for improvement” by researchers from the University of Warwick, UK, it was discovered that customers who could remember a company’s slogan showed higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

A catchy and memorable tagline on your billboard can, therefore, play a significant role in not just attracting new customers, but also in retaining existing ones.

Use Bold Colors

Colour psychology plays a critical role in advertising and marketing. Bold and appealing colors can catch the attention of potential customers and evoke certain emotions or reactions. 

For instance, reds and yellows are known to stimulate appetite, while green often denotes freshness and sustainability. 

Your billboard should therefore use these principles to its advantage, ensuring it stands out visually and conveys the right message about your restaurant.

According to a study by the University of Winchester, UK, the strategic use of colour can significantly influence consumer behaviour and decision-making.

Therefore, carefully choosing the colours for your billboard based on your restaurant’s brand and offerings can help attract more customers and effectively communicate what your restaurant is about.

Announce New Menu Items

Restaurants often introduce new dishes to keep their menu exciting and to cater to the evolving tastes of their customers. 

Your billboard can be used to announce these new offerings, creating a sense of novelty and excitement. 

Be it a new seasonal dish, a chef’s special, or an innovative fusion creation, such announcements can pique the curiosity of potential customers and entice them to try out your restaurant.

A billboard announcing your new menu items could therefore attract these adventurous food lovers looking for new experiences.

Showcase Your Staff 

People love to see the human side of businesses. 

By featuring your staff on your billboard, you not only humanise your restaurant but also give potential customers a glimpse into who will be preparing their meals and serving them. 

You might showcase your chefs in action, a server with a beaming smile, or even your whole team together.

Showcasing your staff and their positive attitudes can be a strong indicator of a good dining experience to potential customers. 

It’s not just about the food, but the people behind it that makes a restaurant experience truly memorable.

Promote Community Involvement

If your restaurant is involved in community events or charitable causes, showcasing this on your billboard can be a significant draw for customers. 

Today, many consumers value businesses that contribute positively to their communities and society at large. 

Whether it’s hosting a local event, sponsoring a sports team, or donating to a local charity, highlighting your community involvement can present your restaurant as a socially responsible establishment.

By promoting your community involvement on your billboard, you can enhance your restaurant’s reputation and appeal to these socially-conscious consumers.

Rotating Billboards

If your budget allows, consider a digital billboard that can showcase different adverts at different times. 

This allows you to promote various aspects of your restaurant dynamically, from your breakfast menu in the morning to your dinner specials in the evening, and anything in between. 

This strategy keeps your advertisement fresh and relevant, and appeals to a broader range of customers throughout the day.

A research study from the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), which is applicable to the UK context as well, found that digital billboards effectively capture viewer attention and have a high recall rate.

By investing in a digital billboard, you can leverage this advantage to maximise your restaurant’s exposure and appeal.

The Last Word

In conclusion, billboard advertising, when executed effectively, can serve as a powerful marketing tool for local restaurants. 

However, implementing these billboard advertising strategies requires expertise, resources, and an in-depth understanding of the local market. 

That’s where 75Media comes into the picture. As a leading provider of both classic and digital billboards, 75Media can help you design and execute effective billboard advertising campaigns that resonate with your target audience. 

Our team of specialists is committed to helping local businesses like yours stand out and succeed in today’s competitive marketplace. Get in touch with 75Media today to take your restaurant’s billboard advertising to the next level.

Book your billboard today.
Book your billboard today.

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