Custom Mobile Apps for Restaurants

Mobile marketing is growing at an extremely rapid rate and is on its way to becoming the next industry must-have for restaurant owners. Reach customers no matter where there are! Whether it’s pulling people toward your app’s messages (offering your App’s downloadable iTunes link on homepage of website) or pushing your messages out (periodic push text messages), customers will always have your branded app in their personal mobile devices 24/7. Before their dining experience, a branded smartphone app conveniently accommodates the customer with special offers; menu information displaying dynamic cuisine images and turn-by-turn directions assuring them their experience will be worthwhile. This enhances the customer experience, increasing the chances of a return visit or positive recommendation.

Smartphone apps aid in facilitating a profitable relationship with customers, ultimately bringing more value to many restaurant’s names and businesses. A smartphone app is flexible so it can easily work side by side with existing marketing campaigns including your own restaurant’s website or social network.

Marketing is a continually evolving industry that requires business owners to stay on top of the latest consumer trends in order to extend their reach to potential customers. As we advance in the digital age, consumers expect immediacy. Want to pay your bills? No need to go to the bank, because you can just do it online. Need to research President Carter? No need to go the library, because you can have all the information you need within five minutes of online research! The point is that we now live in an age where waiting to get what you want is a thing of the past.  It is essential for restaurant owners to recognize this cultural shift in consumer demands in order to deliver instant gratification to their customers.

Below are some disadvantages and advantages of utilizing traditional and newer forms of media for your existing marketing campaign:

Disadvantages for Websites:

• Internet Required: User must always acquire an Internet connection for website access.
• Distractions: Banner and/or pop-up ads may capture user’s attention instead.
• May have a long or hard-to-remember web address instead of your business name.
• Limited control: Because professionals are usually delegated to developing the look and feel of the website, restaurant owners are typically left in the dark throughout the process.
• SEO (search engine optimization) expertise required: In order to be searchable for potential customers in search engines like Google and Yahoo, many hire SEO professionals to be visible on the first page of search engines.

Disadvantages of Facebook:

• Busy web of confusing information: As of 2011, businesses have access to Facebook’s audience of more than a billion active users. This gives them the opportunity to present services to large, diverse audience ranging in age, income, location and interest. However, reaching out to a larger audience puts you in a sticky position competing for “posting space” with hundreds of other friends and dozens of “Likes”. Make a post now and within 20-30 minutes later, your post will fall off the page.
• Inexpensive: It’s a free service for business owners to utilize. Is your goal to reach out to some of your customers or all of them?

Disadvantages for Newspapers:

• Distractions: Your ad must compete with other advertisers, like big department stores or supermarkets for the attention of the reader.
• Poor photo quality: Because newspapers have low-quality photo reproduction, this limits creativity.
• Short-lived: Newspapers are usually read once and thrown away so expect your ad to have a short shelf life.
• Can’t target interested customers: You may be spending your advertising budget sending your message to many who will never buy from you.
• Declining popularity: With the greater than ever popularity of the Internet, many are skipping the print version (and print ads) to read the online publication instead.

Disadvantages of Magazines:

• Long lead times:Businesses must plan weeks or even months in advance.
• Limited flexibility: In terms of ad placement and format, many business owners find themselves restricted to certain diameters or sections within a publication, limiting the ads exposure.
• High Costs: Space and ad layouts rates can run anywhere from $650-$6,000, depending on the publication and its reach.

Advantages for branded Smartphone Apps:

• No Internet Required: Users can access your app anytime anywhere.
• No distractions: There are no advertisements that will distract app users. The only images and text app users will encounter will be your company’s branded logo, your company’s menu items and your company’s contact information so they can make only reservations to your restaurant.
• Very flexible: Your smartphone app can be integrated with any of your existing marketing efforts. Whether it’s your company website, Facebook profile or Twitter account, exposing existing fans and followers to your app will be easier than ever.
• Consumer Analytics: Smartphone apps enable restaurants to better capture consumer behavior and evaluate preferences and purchase patterns.
• Feature-rich: A good app developer will be sure to integrate images with text for an overall better customer experience.
• Real-Time Updates: Restaurateurs can make menu changes and updates, add a new coupon or daily offer or send push-text notifications within minutes.