When it comes to marketing, putting all your eggs in the social media basket is starting to feel a bit… shaky. With TikTok pulling disappearing acts, Meta reinventing itself every other week, and X doing whatever X does, relying on social platforms alone is a risky move.
But here’s the good news: you don’t have to stay stuck in this chaos. You can take control of your marketing strategy, step by step, by diversifying where and how you connect with your audience.
In this guide, I’m breaking down actionable, easy-to-follow steps to build a more balanced marketing plan. Whether you’re looking to boost SEO, master email marketing, or even experiment with Pinterest, I’ll show you exactly how to get started.
Let’s get into it.
Before you can improve, you need to understand where you’re starting. Think of this step as taking inventory. Where are you spending the majority of your time and budget? Which platforms or strategies are delivering results, and which feel like a black hole? By evaluating what’s working (and what’s not), you’ll be able to prioritize your efforts going forward.
How to do it:
Before you can improve, you need to understand where you’re starting. Think of this step as taking inventory. Where are you spending the majority of your time and budget? Which platforms or strategies are delivering results, and which feel like a black hole? By evaluating what’s working (and what’s not), you’ll be able to prioritize your efforts going forward.
How to do it:
HOT TIP: We get into this more in our piece “The #1 mistake that restaurants make in their marketing (and how we’re going to fix it!). You can read more about how to boost your google profile here!
If SEO is like owning the building, your email list is your VIP room. These are the people who want to hear from you—they’ve opted in because they care about what you have to offer. Building and nurturing your email list is one of the best ways to create loyal customers who come back time and time again.
How to do it:
HOT TIP: I’m gifting 50% off your first year of beautiful, easy breezy emails from Flodesk and you can grab yours here!
You might think Pinterest is just for wedding planning and DIY projects, but it’s actually a visual search engine with massive online marketing potential for restaurants. If your business has a strong visual identity (great food photography, a stylish interior, or creative cocktails), Pinterest can be an untapped goldmine for driving traffic to your website.
How to do it:
HOT TIP: Did you know that the average lifespan of a pin is 4 months! A tweet is 8 hours, an IG post is a day… 4 months is a lifetime in social media! We get so much of our inquiries and traffic from Pinterest and being that it acts like a search engine rather than an engaging social media platform, it has a lot more longevity and stability than the rest! Connect with us on Pinterest here. We’ll like all your pins!
While online marketing gets all the buzz, in-person tactics are often overlooked—and they can be just as effective. Your restaurant is already a hub of activity, so why not use that to your advantage? The goal here is to create connections that bridge the gap between real life and the digital world.
How to do it:
HOT TIP: Link your wifi access to an email capture. This is the surefire easiest way to grab their contacts besides reservation confirmations!
Social media isn’t dead, but it is heavily unpredictable. Instead of chasing every trend, focus on creating content that lasts. Evergreen posts—like recipes, behind-the-scenes videos, or educational tips—can stay relevant long after the latest algorithm change.
How to do it:
The key to diversifying your marketing plan is to keep things simple and consistent. By spreading your efforts across SEO, email, Pinterest, in-person tactics, and social media, you’ll build a strategy that’s reliable, effective, and future-proof.
Want some extra help? My ChatGPT Marketing Prompts Guide can take the guesswork out of your marketing. It’s packed with ready-to-use prompts for emails, social media, blogs, and more—so you can focus on running your restaurant, not stressing over content.
[Grab the Guide Here] and start building a marketing plan that works as hard as you do.