Welcome to Episode 127 of the Marketing Freaks Podcast. This week, Jon in joined by Gemma Barter, the Digital Marketing Manager at Honest Burgers, to talk about about the strategic approach and tactics employed by Honest Burgers in leveraging online marketing to boost offline (in-store) activity. We uncover the key ingredients that make their marketing efforts so effective in driving foot traffic, customer engagement, and loyalty to their brick-and-mortar locations.
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Key Takeaways:
- Strategic Approaches: Gemma will share Honest Burgers strategic approaches to integrating online marketing with offline activities. Gain a deeper understanding of how a well-thought-out strategy can drive customers to physical locations.
- Tactical Tips: Gemma tells us the specific online marketing tactics, tools, and platforms that have proven effective in increasing foot traffic and engagement in their restaurants. These practical tips can serve as actionable takeaways for businesses looking to replicate their success.
- Measuring Success: Gain insights into how Honest Burgers measures the impact of their online marketing efforts on offline activity.
- Inspiration: Leave the episode inspired and equipped with knowledge and ideas to enhance your own online marketing strategies to drive offline activity for your businesses.
How online marketing drives offline activity
In the age of digital marketing, businesses need to adopt innovative strategies to drive offline activity and increase footfall to their physical locations. Honest Burgers, a popular restaurant chain, can significantly benefit from a well-planned digital marketing campaign that bridges the online-to-offline gap. Here we will explore effective Online tactics and strategies Honest Burgers uses to attract more customers to their brick-and-mortar locations while measuring the impact of their efforts.
Here are 3 of the strategies & tactics that Gemma uses to drive footfall into their stores.
Optimising GMB and their website for Local SEO:
Gemma utlises Google My Business to support SEO. Less people are using the Honest Burgers website, but instead they find the information they need on Google my Business. Google likes you to use their platform, therefore the more you use it by adding photos, changing the description or google posting – Google will push your content to more users.
Honest Burgers capitalises on this opportunity to drive additional footfall into their restaurants. They ensure that their Google My Business profile is optimised for local searches. When potential customers search for “burger restaurants near me,” Honest Burgers’ locations are prominently featured in the search results, along with essential information like their address, phone number, and hours of operation.
Additionally, Honest Burgers Optimise their website for local searches. This includes the creation of dedicated landing pages for each restaurant location, containing crucial details such as local information, directions and information about local attractions.
Effectively segmenting their email audience:
Honest Burgers maintains a database of customers who have subscribed to their newsletters. They use email marketing to keep their audience informed about new menu items, special promotions, and events. These email campaigns include attractive visuals and targeted messaging to drive customers to their nearest restaurant. By segmenting customers based on their preferences and purchase history, Honest Burgers can send personalised, location-specific offers and promotions, encouraging foot traffic.
Investing in the right technology:
Honest Burgers have taken the time to research, test and invest in the right technology to support their business and objectives. Having the right tech stack in place allows them to be reactive with their digital marketing tactics and capitalise on opportunities. For example, during the train strikes, Honest burgers made an additional £17k in revenue by targeting the most engaged customers via email, with a £10 voucher to spend at their local store. Setting up and sending the campaign took around 45 minutes because they have the tools they need to be able to react.
Building an online presence:
Honest Burgers are very active on Social Media with accounts across Instagram, X (Twitter) and TikTok. In order to increase engagement and entice customers into their local stores, Honest Burgers showcases details of their menu’s with high quality photography and content. Each month, Honest Burgers announces a new monthly special which is inspired by their recent travels, collaborating with Chefs, or to celebrate festivities.
They also use their platform to share news, recipe inspiration and special offers to encourage people to visit their local restaurant.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Digital Marketing for Driving Offline Activity:
Measuring the effectiveness of Digital Marketing to increase foot traffic can be quite challenging. Even more so as Honest Burgers does not take reservations. In order to understand what is and isn’t working, Gemma maintains a close relationship with the finance team to assess the impact on the bottomline.
Additionally, testing is your best friend. Gemma conducts A\B testing by trialling different strategies at select Honest Burgers branches, before rolling it out across the country.
Honest Burgers’ success in driving offline activity through digital marketing strategies is a testament to their commitment to building a strong online presence and customer engagement. By actively using social media, optimising for local SEO, running email marketing campaigns, and managing online reviews, they’ve not only attracted more customers but also built a loyal community. The comprehensive analytics and KPIs they employ allow them to continually refine their strategies, ensuring that their digital marketing efforts have a direct and measurable impact on their offline foot traffic.
