A new year means a fresh start…and if you run a restaurant anywhere from the Pearl District to Southtown, now is the perfect time to map out your marketing for the next twelve months. 2020 threw every curveball imaginable at the food industry, but 2021 is your chance to come back stronger.
Take Stock of Where You Stand Online
Before you plan where you’re going, figure out where you are. Google your own restaurant name. What comes up? Is your address correct? Are your hours up to date? Do your photos look appetizing or are they blurry shots from 2017?
Local SEO starts with the basics. Claim and verify your Google Business Profile if you haven’t already. Make sure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are identical everywhere…your website, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, and every other listing. Inconsistencies confuse Google and cost you rankings. For a deeper dive into optimizing your Google profile specifically for the holiday season, take a look at our guide on optimizing your restaurant’s Google Business Profile for Christmas.
Set Three Realistic Goals for Q1
Forget the 47-point marketing strategy. Pick three things you can actually do between now and March:
- Get 20 new Google reviews. Ask every happy customer. Print a QR code for the table. Make it easy.
- Post on Instagram or Facebook three times a week. Not stock photos…real shots of your food, your staff, your kitchen. People in San Antonio want to see the faces behind the plate.
- Update your website menu. If your online menu is a blurry PDF from last year, fix it. A clean, mobile-friendly menu page can be the difference between a new customer choosing you or scrolling past.
Use January’s “Fresh Start” Energy to Your Advantage
Everyone is thinking about New Year’s resolutions right now. If you serve healthy options, lean into that. Create a “New Year, New Menu” promotion. Highlight lighter dishes or fresh ingredients you source locally.
Even if health food isn’t your thing, you can still ride the wave. “Treat yourself…you survived 2020” works just as well as a campaign angle. And when summer arrives, you can keep the momentum going with email marketing strategies that keep your restaurant full during the San Antonio heat. The point is to give people a reason to walk through your door this week, not just someday.
Think Local, Rank Local
San Antonio restaurant marketing isn’t about competing with chains that have national ad budgets. It’s about showing up when someone within five miles searches “best tacos near me” or “brunch in Alamo Heights.”
Here’s what moves the needle for local SEO:
- Consistent posting on your Google Business Profile (photos, updates, offers)
- Responding to every review…yes, even the one-star ones, especially those
- Location-specific keywords on your website (mention your neighborhood, nearby landmarks, San Antonio itself)
- Backlinks from local sites…get listed on SA food blogs, the Current’s dining guide, or neighborhood Facebook groups
You don’t need to do everything at once. Pick one area, get consistent, then add the next. When football season rolls around, you will want your social media presence firing on all cylinders too, so keep our football season social media strategies for San Antonio restaurants in mind as you build out your calendar.
Starting the year with a clear plan beats winging it every time. If you want help building a website that actually works for your restaurant…one that loads fast, looks great on phones, and helps you show up in local search…check out what we offer at Grow My Small Business. And if you’re looking for free marketing resources you can use right now, visit our resource library at https://gift.growmysmallbusiness.com/.
Here’s to a great 2021.