What do your customers think about when they see your restaurant’s name, logo, or menu? What do they think about when they hear your music? These questions speak to restaurant brand awareness. 

While you may know what brand awareness is, you may not know how to improve it. We can help. This guide contains five easy strategies anyone can follow to increase your brand presence. 

Pandora CloudCover also offers key products that can increase brand awareness. Our solutions can help you play brand-specific songs intermixed with key overhead messages. The result is an experience diners will never forget. 

Strategy 1: Use Music to Create Your Brand Identity 

Industry experts say American customers visit restaurants more than 90 billion times, and of them, close to 80% notice the music they hear. When the music matches the food you’re serving, your brand is reinforced. 

Imagine you’re visiting an Indian restaurant and preparing to eat a delicious curry dish. If the music you’re listening to comes straight from Bollywood, it reinforces the authenticity of your dish. The food might taste just a little better. 

Overhead messaging matters as well. You can reinforce your brand by sharing small words of encouragement for your diners or details about your menu and specials. The experience becomes even more customized. 

Strategy 2: Take Advantage of Third-Party Review Platforms 

The words your diners share after visiting you really matter. Consider this: A study found that a simple one-star increase in ratings on Yelp resulted in a 5% to 9% increase in revenue for restaurants. 

Top third-party review platforms for restaurants include the following:

• Google My Business
• Facebook
• Yelp
• Tripadvisor 

Claim your profile on each of these platforms and optimize your listing. Use crisp, high-quality images to showcase your facility and delicious food. 

Research suggests listings with open surroundings and many windows are correlated with higher reviews. However, publishing accurate hours and menus matters too. 

Encourage your customers to leave reviews and read them as they show up on your page. Thank your happy diners for their kind words, and apologize to those you’ve offended. Your conversations show you care about your brand, and that could lead to more customer visits. 

Strategy 3: Build a Marketing Plan 

Industry experts said restaurant companies spent more on marketing in 2024 than they did in 2023. Some companies doubled how much they spent. 

While spending money to reach customers can be smart, it’s best to start with a structured plan. Your outreach program could include the following elements:

• Social media marketing: Sites like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok help you showcase your products, processes, and personnel. You could reach a whole new group of people who have never visited you before. 
• Search engine optimization (SEO): Your website should contain high-quality content and targeted keywords. When customers search for restaurants, your organization should pop to the top of the results page. 
• Email marketing: An email outreach plan allows you to share information about your special dishes and programs with people who agreed to hear from you. 

Some of these marketing elements are organic, meaning you can reach people without paying a dime. However, others will require funds. Social media posts, for example, may reach more people if they’re boosted with advertising dollars. 

Plenty of marketing plans are available online, including some used by major brands. Consider these documents your home base. Download them and customize them to your brand, budget, and goals. 

Track your results carefully to ensure you’re getting the results you want. For example, if you send an email to your community about your desserts, did that translate into increased sales of cake slices? Adjust as needed until you find the perfect fit.

Strategy 4: Engage With Your Community 

Most restaurant owners speak to customers as they arrive or depart. Savvy owners take this idea even further. 

Connecting with your community outside of your facility is a smart way to increase brand awareness. 

Consider these strategies:

• Serve signature dishes during a nonprofit’s charity event. 
• Sponsor a children’s sports team, and provide all parents with special deals on your meals.
• Buy advertising space in a nonprofit’s annual report or brochure. 
• Open a booth at a local festival and give out samples of your top dishes. 

Strategies like this show that you’re a supportive member of your community. And you’ll provide food to people who may not have visited your restaurant in the past. 

Strategy 5: Expand Your Brand With Local Influencers & Content Creators 

Influencer marketing involves finding a committed partner. That person has an active audience of people you want to reach. The posts your influencer shares could reach diners who won’t connect with the content you share as a brand. 

Researchers say influencer marketing has a higher return on investment (ROI) than other forms of marketing. This means you’re more likely to get good results with influencer marketing than with other forms of marketing you might try. 

‍Start by looking for someone in your community with these characteristics:

• They have visited your facility already.
• They are active on a social media channel you use. 
• They have a large fan following.
• They post content that isn’t offensive or dangerous to your brand. 

Reach out to this person and ask for a partnership. You could agree to pay a specific amount for a series of posts, or you could ask this person to cover something small (like a new dish you’re unveiling). 

Some influencers want full control over their content. Others will let you specify details like the words used, hashtags included, and photo choices. Ensure you understand just what you’re getting from the partnership before you get started, so there are no questions down the road. 

Get Started With Pandora CloudCover 

At Pandora CloudCover, we know how important music is to a restaurant’s brand. That’s why we offer stations designed by our musicologists that are family-friendly and ready to go. We also provide customized programming, so you can create sounds just for your brand. 

Hear the difference for yourself with a free 14-day trial. You don’t need a credit card to get started. Terms and conditions apply.

References

‍Music Can Give the Restaurant Industry a Competitive Edge. (March 2023). Modern Restaurant Management. 

HBS Study Finds Positive Yelp Reviews Boost Business. (October 2011). Harvard Magazine. 

"You Eat With Your Eyes First": Optimizing Yelp Image Advertising. (November 2020). Cornell University. 

‍Restaurant Companies Are Beefing Up Their Marketing Budgets. (March 2024). Nation’s Restaurant News. 

The Impact of Customer Reviews on Small Businesses. (November 2023). Big Ideas for Small Business.

These Factors Have the Biggest Impact on Influence Marketing Effectiveness. (October 2022). University of Washington.