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How Singaporean Restaurants Use Digital Marketing to Drive Customers

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If you were to ask any restaurateur in Singapore about Digital Marketing 5 years ago, they would have most likely scratched their heads at the question. Today, digital marketing is a common phrase in most industries within Singapore.

A quick browse on LinkedIn jobs will show scores of companies hiring Digital Marketers today. Digital Marketing has become an in-demand skill and many companies now see the importance of employing digital marketing strategies.

With more and more restaurants popping up in Singapore it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the competition.

So just how do some Singaporean Restaurants Use Digital Marketing to Drive Customers and rise above the rest?

Whether you are an emerging or a long existing restaurant in the country, we all have the same goals: (1) to establish the business better, (2) to drive customers, and (3) to rise above the rest.

And just how do you achieve these? Some Singaporean restaurants swear by digital marketing, and here are some of the reasons why.

1. Drive Scores of People to Your Restaurant Instantly

A common problem for both new and existing restaurants is generating a constant flow of customers. [restrict]

For instance, perhaps your F&B outlet is located in an industrial location such as Seletar Aerospace Park. Maybe you chose this location because rent is cheap. But your target audience is nowhere near your restaurant. Perhaps you would want to reach foodies who reside in Tiong Bahru or Bukit Timah.

With Digital Marketing, you’ll be able to run paid Ads to create brand awareness and drive physical traffic instantly.  You’re able to reach tens and thousands of people in a short period of time through running Ads on Facebook and Google. With features such as location targeting, you’ll be able to target people living in areas within Singapore that are far from your F&B outlet.

You can utilise your paid Ads to promote not only your restaurant but also promote marketing collateral’s such as discounts, lunch and dinner sets, 1 for 1’s and the list goes on.

2. Build An Online Presence for Offline Visibility

Having visibility on Google is vital to your restaurants business.

The first thing any consumer will do when they need more information is to whip out their phones and begin searching on Google. It’s important to make sure that your restaurant’s website is Search Engine Optimised (SEO) and appears on the first page of Google. Consumers rarely go past the first page  so you’ll definitely want to be at the top of the first page.

SEO the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.

And just how do you make sure that your website is visible on Google? You can easily do this by having a section on your website that produces content. Incorporating business-related keywords for your website’s content can increase your websites relevancy, thus making your restaurant’s website visible when consumers search for it online. 

A common navigation link you’ll see on most websites today is the word ‘Blog’. Many companies today resort to content marketing as a quick and effective way to rank on the first page of Google. 

3. You can introduce yourself to the world for free

Unless you opt for sponsored ads, pay-per-click or you’re just simply planning to purchase your own domain for your website, sometimes, creating an online presence could come for free.

You can use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. to introduce your business to the world. From here you can start your journey to building an online presence for your business. Having daily posts coupled with attractive images and hashtags

You can showcase what’s unique about your brand, and be able to set it apart from competitors.

The competition in the F&B Industry can get a little tough, but you obviously want to stand out.

Now that you have a platform to do so, what should you do? Perhaps, you can start by creating tasteful images of your restaurant’s specialities to play with your follower’s minds or you can also launch a promo that would follow a specific trend. Either way, you just have to be creative in your delivery!

Here are some examples of restaurants and F&B companies in Singapore that utilise Digital Marketing to advertise their business.

Grain

A quick search of Grain on Google, shows that both their website and paid Ad ranks at the top of first page of Google.


Grain re-targets both new and existing users ones to create brand recall and increase awareness through Google Search, Facebook and Instagram.

A Facebook Ad by Grain featuring items from their assorted menu

Re-targeting allows previous website visitors to re-engage and connect with your brand. The more a consumer sees your brand the more you are ingraining your brands presence in them. This may sound a little creepy but it’s the best way to perpetuate brand recall among your target audience. 

This is highly effective since you are targeting the people who are already interested in your business. The main objective of retargeting website visitors is to drive conversions. In the case of Grain, it would be drive both customer acquisition and online orders of their food. 

Tanuki Raw

 

A Facebook Ad by Tanuki Raw featuring an item from their menu.

The Japanese Fusion restaurant runs location targeting Ads on Facebook and Instagram. Using attractive photos of their menu, Tanuki Raw has successfully lured in a steady stream of customers through brand awareness and engagement via their paid Ads.

It’s visible that their Ads were also set to target audiences within a specific age group. This strategic marketing demonstrates the restaurants ability to focus and zero in on their target market as it’s important to know who your restaurants menu will appeal to. 

Como at Dempsey

Como’s Google Search Ad ranks at number 1 on the popular search engine.

Como at Dempsey clearly employs Digital Marketing to market their restaurant and promotional menu items. Using both Google and Facebook has enabled the restaurant to drive customers to their restaurant.

Dempsey Hill is primarily accessible by car and is not located in a popular location within Singapore. Thus using digital means is vital for Como to create brand awareness for their restaurant. 

Como uses Facebook Sponsored (Paid) Ads to promote items like their Hi-Tea Set.

 

If your marketing plan doesn’t include Digital Marketing, there’s a big chance that you will miss out on being able to reach your target audience at a cost-effective manner. Remember, one of the functions of Digital Marketing is to drive customers, increase conversion and elevate brand engagement. And in any industry, we all know that more customers means more sales.

Actionable Takeaway:

If you have the opportunity to explore on Digital Marketing, it’s best to do it now. Create a website and a social media page. Register on online directories or get your F&B business listed onto Google. And lastly, focus on quality – your food, your service, your images and the rest of your online content to increase visibility of your restaurants website.

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