How to Make a Media Marketing Plan for a Restaurant

A marketing plan is a document that a business prepares to lay out its strategy for making its product or service both visible and appealing to prospective customers. A media marketing plan focuses on marketing through media, as opposed to direct marketing or guerrilla marketing. For restaurants, effective media marketing can be a key ingredient of a successful business strategy.

Step 1

Write an explanation of the challenges your business faces. Describe your competitors. List any detrimental public perceptions that you need to overcome. Give specific numbers and dates for goals in areas such as sales and expansion.

Step 2

Write a description of your target market. Give a demographic breakdown of the people living in the vicinity of the restaurant location. Show how this demographic is conducive to your particular type of food and environment. Give examples of specific demographic sectors that you plan to focus on.
Step 3

Write a plan for your broadcast advertising campaign. Tell which stations you will air your advertisements on. Give examples of advertisement scripts, and show how these television and radio spots will communicate vital information and lead to action on the part of the audience. Tell how you will draw attention to special promotions and use music or memorable personalities in your advertisements.
Step 4

Write a plan for your print marketing. Give examples of how it will incorporate some of the same recognizable elements of your broadcast advertising campaign. List the publications in which you plan on including advertisements, such as newspapers, magazines and free newsletters. List the specials you plan on promoting through coupons in these advertisements.
Step 5

Write a plan for your Internet marketing campaign. Show how you will use different types of Internet advertising, such as generalized pay-per-click advertisements and banner advertisements on select websites. Describe your website and its functional aspects, such as the ability to make online reservations. Show how you plan to market the restaurant through daily deal websites, giving examples of some specials that you may offer through them.
Step 6

Write an executive summary that includes all of the basic information of your other sections. Place this summary at the beginning of your media marketing plan.

by Ronald Kimmons, Demand Media
http://smallbusiness.chron.com