There are almost 1 million restaurants in the United States, which means that the competition is serious when it comes to being a restauranteur. Creating a distinct brand in order to have your restaurant stand out is an intimidating task, and takes time, resources, and knowledge that you may not have. Creative agencies can help you strategically accomplish your goals by producing well-written content and professionally designed materials that enhance your restaurant’s communications.
Creative agencies use their wide range of expertise to help brands launch extensive creative strategies that will help them tell their story. Some of these services include:
● developing many types of content for different channels, including web design, e-books, infographics, etc.
● performing market analysis and developing strategies for increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and driving sales
● designing digital and print materials like websites, brand assets, advertisements
● developing and launching campaigns to promote your brand and offerings through various print, digital, and other media channels
● optimizing content and publishing schedule across social media platforms
● handle strategic communications that increase brand awareness and build a strong brand reputation
● providing professional photography and video services
While creative agencies can help your restaurant create professionally designed materials or well-written content, it’s important to keep in mind that they offer guidance when it comes to creating effective strategies. A great creative agency will help your brand develop a strategy to take full advantage of the content they produce.
The value in hiring a creative agency is apparent, but how do you make sure you choose the right agency for your restaurant? Here are some of the most common mistakes new businesses make when trying to hire a restaurant advertising agency.
Mistake 1) Hiring the first agency you meet with
Remember that creative agencies are trained experts in selling brands, including their own. Do your due diligence and talk to at least 3 agencies before you decide which one to hire. This way you can ensure you’re getting the best price, and you’re working with an agency that best aligns with your restaurants advertising goals.
Mistake 2) Waiting until after you hire to create marketing goals
You won’t know if an agency can help you achieve your goals if you don’t know what your goals are. Creative agencies have different areas of specialty, and you want to choose the one that best aligns with the vision you see for your restaurant. Setting goals before you hire an agency helps you find one that is best suited to what you want your restaurant to achieve.
Mistake 3) Ignoring prospective agencies’ portfolios
There’s no better way to check out a restaurant advertising agency’s quality than by looking at its previous work. The best agencies will have these examples at the ready in the form of case studies, example materials, and customer testimonials.
Mistake 4) Not reaching out to your network for recommendations
People who know your brand and team are most likely to be able to recommend an agency that’s a good fit. Not reaching out to ask what restaurant advertising agency that people in your network have used in the past is a waste of resources.
Mistake 5) Making the decision by yourself
Partnering with a creative agency should be a collaborative experience since the process will most likely involve several people at your restaurant. Include them while deciding on an agency to make sure the agency will work well with your team.
Hiring your restaurant advertising agency
It’s impossible to have a brand strategy without professionally designed materials and well-written content. Brands that publish content frequently and consistently earn more traffic and generate more leads, but creating content at that level and speed takes time, resources, and knowledge about what kind of content to use. Hiring a restaurant advertising agency may be intimidating, but if you avoid these common mistakes, you’ll be on the right track to creating a new brand.