2020 has been a difficult year for the restaurant sector. It has also been a hectic period with many changes in the sector. The coronavirus crisis has changed society, and businesses are adapting to the new needs of these consumers. The hospitality sector knows that it cannot face this year in the same way as it was entering 2020. The rules of the game and the model have changed.

Marketing online for hotel and restaurant businesses is essential for your business to gain visibility and promote itself on the Internet. Restaurant marketing and accommodation marketing are booming and are increasingly influential in the image you give to your potential customers.

If you want to know some of the key terms in your strategy online You've come to the right article - let's get started!

10 must-know online marketing terms for hospitality and catering businesses

All digital proposals are aimed at improving the experience of your customers. Here are a series of terms you should know, including tools that will help you to ensure that your digital strategy goes hand in hand with what you offer in the restaurant.

1. Website

This site will be where you will invite your potential and loyal customers. The website is the company's digital showcase. It must be carefully designed and in harmony with both what you convey in your premises and what you say on your plates.

You should offer valuable, up-to-date information with a good loading speed, and it should be optimised for mobile devices. On your website you must create the expectations that a customer needs in order to be encouraged to make a booking.

2. RRSS

There are many social networks, but not all of them are suitable for your business. It is important to select in which networks you should be present and the frequency with which you are going to publish content.

The networks with images are very important in the catering sector. Pinterest, Instagram or Flickr are ideal for a hospitality business.

3. Video marketing

Using video on Instagram, YouTube or Facebook is a great idea, as well as being inexpensive and simple. It is one of the best ways to connect with your target audience in a digital environment.

You can use it to advertise any event or for your head chef to make a showcooking. You can then analyse customer feedback and make a new video about what you like best.

4. Online reputation

Please note that reputation is the reflection of a brand's or person's prestige on the Internet.. Unlike branding, which can be generated through advertising, branding can be generated by reputation is not under the control of your organisation, but rather is is created by other people when they talk or give their opinions. On the Internet, it is very easy to spread all kinds of information and opinions that can damage your company's image and that you need to know how to manage.

For all the above reasons, It is recommended that every company builds a strong digital identity that goes hand in hand with social optimisation. In short, you must take care of your online reputation because your company's success depends on it.

5. Corporate blog

It is a website's best friend. It will help you rank in search engines and provide relevant information to show your professionalism.

Before launching your blog, establish a well-planned strategy with valuable content. The trick is to write for them, not to show how much you know. Analyse your audience and create the content they like to read the most.

6. CPA, CPC, CPM...

These are some of the terms that you will need to understand and identify in your digital advertising campaigns. You should define whether you are more interested in a cost per click (CPC), cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or cost per action (CPA), as well as carefully targeting the profile to which you want to direct your ad.

7. Geolocation

Customers use their smartphones as an extension of your hand, which you can use to your advantage.

It is easy to do campaigns in the different social networks and on Google to geolocate your business. Segmenting your campaigns according to the location of your target customer will help you get a higher return rate.

To find a company, potential customers navigate through search engines such as Google. It is therefore important to be in the top ten search results. But with working on SEO and/or SEM campaigns is not enough.

8. NFC

This acronym refers to a type of technology that allows your customers to pay from their smartphoneThis is an increasingly popular trend in any commercial transaction.

This payment system is secure and enhances the user experience. By analysing the data collected, you will get behavioural patterns that will allow you to better adapt.

9. Optimisation for mobile devices

The coronavirus crisis has predictably led to an increase in the time spent on mobile devices. As a result, ensure that the communication interface with the client is properly optimised for mobile operating systems (iOS, Android and Harmony OS) is of crucial importance. Minor inefficiencies in this area can result in serious losses of digital turnover.

Poor optimisation is not only problematic for the potential consumer, but is also penalised by search engines, damaging the SEO of our digital marketing efforts.

10. Free wifi

This is a good way to attract customers, but not only does it benefit and improve their experience, but you can use it for yourself, to take an important step in the digital loyalty.

If you offer wifi it is because you can use the data resulting from having your users connected to your network. This will make it easier to send them the latest additions to your menu, discounts or changes to your opening hours.

That is to say, your brand promotion campaigns will have a wider reach.

In short, marketing and design for hospitality and catering businesses can give a substantial boost to your business and make it stand out from your competition. If you don't know how to blog or do content marketing, take care of your online reputation and social media, keep your website up to date .......... don't worry. Contact Zapiplay and we will help you with your project.