If you don’t have a restaurant blog for your quick service or table service restaurant, nightclub or bar, then more than likely an ad agency or self-proclaimed marketing expert has told you that you should have one.
And they’re right.
Besides the fact that adding a blog to your website is essentially free, it’s also a great way to boost your website’s organic traffic, and an easy way to communicate your restaurant’s personality. Here are the two main reasons you should start a restaurant blog.
Reason One: A Restaurant Blog Connects You to Your Customers
Having a restaurant blog on your website is a simple way to communicate to your regular and potential guests. Any kind of news or events that happen in your restaurant make for good blog topics. Here is some inspiration for topics for your restaurant blog:
- Events held at your location
- New menu items or features
- Announcements of promotions or specials
- Employee spotlights/Featured chefs
- Recipes (don’t have to be just yours)
- How-to cooking tutorials
- Customer stories/testimonials
Blogs don’t have to be long to be effective. In general, you can’t go wrong with a 400-600 word blog, but make sure that it’s at least 300 words long to get recognized by the search engines as new content and help your organic web traffic get a little boost.
Make sure you are blogging at least once a month to keep your blog current. Another strategy we suggest trying is recruiting guest bloggers. Ask your event manager, bartenders, servers and chefs to pitch in by writing a blog or two for you.
Reason Two: A Restaurant Blog Gives You Social Media Content
Writing a monthly blog not only creates a connection between you and your customers, but it’s also a great way generate interesting, sharable content for your social media venues. Some days it is hard to think up new tweets and posts to your followers. Having a blog automatically gives you something to talk about on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Including images to go along with your posts adds value to your blogs as well, and again, works well on social media.
The marketing value alone of a blog is a reason to investigate adding this tool to your website. If you have a WordPress site, then it’s going to be even easier for you to launch, as WordPress was originally designed as a blogging platform.
Great Restaurant Blogs in St. Louis to Check Out
Restaurants in the St. Louis area have recognized the value of having a restaurant blog and here are a few of our favorites from around town.
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company
You don’t have to be an amazing writer to start a restaurant blog – you just have to be an expert about the restaurant business and your own restaurant – so don’t let that stop you. If you do start a new blog let us know and we’ll add it to the list of great restaurant blogs in St. Louis.
