Mobile Marketing

Cocktail Culture and Mobile Marketing for Restaurants

Cocktail Culture

Have you crafted the perfect drink?

How will you let your customers know about it?

We have seen a growth in cocktail culture that touches on the history and roots of the days of pre-Prohibition along with spirits from other eras, but marketing tactics from the past no longer work. Today’s food and beverage marketers now have a number of great options for getting in front of the right customers at the right time across the devices that consumers view most – mobile.

Let’s take a look at how today’s cocktail culture can influence mobile marketing for restaurants.

The Culture of Access

Cocktail culture has experienced an evolution and increase in the availability of spirits. Influencing the trend are small-batch producers along with your consumers have helped usher in an increase emphasis on gastronomic food and beverage trends. You know your customers are looking to try new things, learn about special events, tastings and experiences – now is the time to keep pace and elevate your marketing to match. Mobile is instant, accessible and relatable to the generation you are trying to reach.

“Smartphones help advertisers connect with consumers. Mobile ads are noticed by 89% of smartphone users.” Source: Google, Ipsos Study, May 2013.

Mobile marketing for restaurants means reaching consumers in a lightning-fast manner when they’re on-the-go.

A Shift in Taste

With the shift in popular tastes, there’s also been a welcome shift in the way your consumers want to interact with their favorite establishments. This new culture of access is about “now”, “fresh” and “unique.” Mobile gives this ability to hone your message to that exact audience while they are interacting with their device, in a specific location where consumers can relate to or are curious to learn more about what you have to say at that moment. Think of mobile and location as the right spirit served in the right glass.

By using the combination of the right tools the impact is stronger to the consumer.

Creatively Combine

Bartenders and chefs relish in the challenge of exploring new flavors together in a new way. That is the same approach that should be utilized when you look to combine a current marketing effort with mobile. For example you could look to social and mobile since this combination has made it possible to instantly stay in touch anytime, anywhere.

Your potential customers are constantly moving, and marketing tools have advanced to reflect connected consumer who is always on the go. Use your marketing efforts to deliver a common message. All of the channels you use need to be symbiotic.

For example, you may have a special wine flight special on Wednesdays. You could create a mobile campaign that’s location-based, inviting the consumer to a fun and local tasting event and use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to show images of past wine. We help restaurants do this sort of thing.

Last Call

It used to be that integrated marketing required a big budget that bordered on the ridiculous and was only available to large operations or chains. Today, just like cocktail culture, affordable and instant marketing options are available to match any palate.

With mobile setting the trends and access, it is a culture to embrace.

(Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/dinnerseries/.)

About the author

Ryan Golden

Ryan Golden is the CEO of Moasis Global, the company behind the small business location marketing platform, mFlyer, and ad agency intelligent location engine. As a former restaurateur and digital marketing exec, he is also known as the Mobile Mixologist, serving up mobile marketing tips for restaurant owners as well as publishers and agencies.