Broadening your customer base can increase traffic, raise revenues, and build a whole new brand for your business. However, attracting a younger demographic may mean stepping outside your marketing comfort zone to reach a new audience. Evaluate your current marketing initiatives and try to identify gaps in your strategy to get the attention of a younger customer.

Explore social media

While social media marketing is certainly not new, it may be time for an updated approach. Here are some stats that may point you in a new direction to grow your business on social media:

• #Food is the most popular hashtag on Instagram, with more than 250 million posts on the platform, so make the most of hashtags to connect with like-minded users and draw people to your content.
• You should post more often. While users get on Instagram about 18 times a day, 38 per cent of users look at food content and 27 per cent of users share food content.
• 55 per cent of consumers visit a restaurant after viewing the menu on TikTok, so explore new platforms, trying out videos, infographics and more to inform, entertain, create a buzz, and hold audience interest.

Grow your brand

While food and experience top the list of priorities for many restaurateurs, growing your brand may mean expanding your horizons. Many QSRs have expanded their offerings, moving into merchandise to increase revenues and get more exposure. 41 per cent of consumers are interested in food or beverage branded merchandise or home goods, so there’s an opportunity to increase margins, get attention for your restaurant, and stand out from the competition.

If you are considering offering merchandise to your guests, choose items that improve the bottom line and make sense for your business. Also, ensure that you brand everything so it acts as advertising for your business. Finally, consider adding merchandise to your loyalty program to encourage spending and offer branded rewards to your customers.

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Know what’s important

The younger generations are passionate about many causes like the environment, diversity, equality, and more, so focus on highlighting where your priorities intersect. Here are some tips that might help you connect with a younger demographic with authenticity and a shared vision:

• If you want to go greener, consider recycled packaging for off-premise guests, use local suppliers to lower emissions, choose environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies, and beyond.
• Looking to connect via your menu? For a more plant-based crowd, add vegan and vegetarian options to your menu. To appeal to the non-drinkers, add a mocktail menu, host a non-alcoholic event, or partner with brands that make sense and will attract these customers.
• If you want to connect your audience to your team, include employee videos, profiles, milestone celebrations, and company content into your marketing campaign to help customers better get to know your staff and what your business stands for.

Attracting a younger crowd means defining your customers, learning more about where to find them and what they want, and building on the connections you share to increase traffic and boost the bottom line.