10 Ways to Promote Your Pizza Restaurant

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in America, but there’s stiff competition when appealing to your customer base. In 2020, there were 78,092 pizza shops in the United States, with about 53% of them being independent pizzerias. 

Your pizza restaurant can attract customers and stand out from the competition by using unique restaurant marketing tactics. Besides using a guide to restaurant marketing, these ten pizza restaurant promotion ideas can help your restaurant expand its customer base.

1. Work with a Professional Photographer

If you want to get the most out of your pizza restaurant marketing ideas, it is essential to hire a professional photographer. Photographers can help you stand out and be unique in this crowded market. 

You can even hire food stylists to arrange your pizza and ingredients for the photoshoot, and they can do so in a way that captures the authenticity of your pizza business. The photos can create an impact on your social media pages, your menus, and your flyers.

2. Use Social Media to Promote Your Pizzeria

One of the best pizza marketing ideas is to use social media to your advantage. You can feature photos of your pizzeria’s unique selling points, such as the specialty ingredients you use. Your social media posts can also showcase delicious side dishes and desserts on your menu that give you an edge over other pizzerias in the area. 

Ask your customers if they are okay with you re-sharing photos and videos they took at your pizzeria or of your pizza on social media. Make sure also to post pictures of satisfied customers on your social media so that people can see the enjoyable atmosphere at your venue.

3. Build an Email List

When done correctly, email marketing campaigns can produce significant business results. You need to ensure your updates are interesting and valuable enough to hold your customers’ attention. Add special deals and alerts to your email list so your clients continue paying attention to your content.

4. Offer Limited-Time Deals

A limited-time offer is one of the most effective ideas for independent pizzerias to gain more customers. A 10% discount on lunchtime pizza takeout or a half-off special for a new menu item is a great way to entice consumers and encourage them to take action with a purchase.

You can also use grocery store receipts to promote your limited-time offers. Suppose you already advertise your business at the grocery store closest to your storefront. In that case, grocery stores within a three to five-mile radius can include your limited-time offers on the backs of their receipts, enabling you to reach more potential customers. 

 5. Start a Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs are among the best pizza marketing strategies to increase sales and build customer loyalty in the pizza business. This program gives you an advantage over your competitors because it makes customers feel appreciated and gives them an incentive to revisit your establishment.  

Consider experimenting with different promotions for your loyal customers. Ask them how many points they’ve earned and honor their reward whenever they come in. You can offer them free pizza slices or a discount on a family-style pizza takeout deal.

6. Reach Out to Customers with Text Messaging Campaigns

Marketing campaigns through text messages are excellent restaurant promotion ideas for pizza restaurants. The average open rate for text messages is 90-98%, with 86% of people opening a text message within 60 seconds of receiving a notification. 

Ensure your text messages campaigns contain well-written content and offer that your clients will find valuable. Commercial texting services make it easy to ask customers for their phone numbers, share information about your current deals, and respond to questions immediately. 

7. Create a Mobile-Friendly Menu 

You should optimize your pizzeria’s menu for mobile devices so potential customers can access it on the go, using their phones. If you have a long list of menu items, consider breaking them into groups and highlighting the most popular choices. 

You can find out if your website is mobile-friendly by using Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test. If it’s not mobile-friendly, a web developer can make the necessary changes to your website. 

8. Invest in Targeted PPC Advertising

Pizzeria owners should use targeted PPC advertising to bring in more customers as one of their digital marketing restaurant promotion ideas. PPC advertising is a great way to target your key demographic online.

After seeing it appear in their search engine results, consumers are more likely to give you their business when familiar with your restaurant name. Depending on how long your campaign lasts, you can turn ads on and off and analyze the data to see if the ads generate the desired results.

9. Manage Your Online Reputation

As part of your restaurant promotion ideas, keep an eye on your online reputation through user reviews and social media post interactions. Managing your brand online is essential to understanding how customers view your restaurant. You can see any issues you need to resolve and identify what’s working by looking at customer feedback and leaving professional responses. 

The positive reviewers will appreciate your reaction, while the negative reviewers will feel heard and know you’re willing to take action to improve future experiences. 

10. Sponsor Local Organizations and Charitable Events

One of the best ways to expand your restaurant’s reach and visibility is through participating in local organizations. By sponsoring a community event, you’ll get the chance to connect with potential customers and show them you care about your neighborhood. 

For instance, you can partner with a youth basketball team to sell pizza at their games and help raise funds to buy new uniforms. 

Pizzeria Marketing Campaigns Made Easy

If you want to promote your pizzeria, you should use all the marketing channels at your disposal. These strategies are essential to producing professional and compelling marketing for your restaurant. They can also translate to higher profits and help earn the trust and loyalty of your customers to your restaurant.