POS resellers need to approach marketing to restaurants differently than other industries or vertical markets. To realize a return for the time and investment you put into marketing your point of sale (POS) solutions, you need to tailor your marketing strategy to the needs — and even the business hours — of your restaurant clients and prospects, paying particular attention to these four areas: content marketing, website design, email newsletters, and social media.

Content Marketing  

A basic principle of content marketing is choosing topics that will resonate with your audience. Our clients at The SkyRocket Group have found that answering questions restaurateurs commonly ask and addressing issues that they care about is a good strategy for selecting topics.

You may find that this requires you to stretch a little and research topics such as a foodborne illness breakout or new summer outdoor dining trends. Your sales team is probably already accustomed to engaging prospects in conversations about what’s important to them, timely topics that relate to the industry, and the challenges they are facing, and then looking for ways to bring the conversation back around to how your solution can help. Talk with them about topics and points they would make about them.

On the topic of foodborne illness, for example, you can discuss how a POS solution with inventory management can help track ingredients and send alerts when they’ve passed their expiration date. Or if you are writing about the trend to add outdoor seating, you can explain how mobile POS can be expanded for use outside and how it can help keep operations running smoothly and tables turning faster.

Writing relevant content for restaurants can position you as a thought leader in the industry, and someone who is trustworthy and well-positioned to help when a restaurant needs a new POS solution.

Don’t forget to incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) strategy when writing for the Web, using keywords you want to rank for in Internet searches. Also make sure your content is well-written, clear, and easy to understand. You make an impression with how you write as well as with what you say.

Restaurateurs responding to content on your website could be at all levels of the sales funnel. Make sure you have a call to action (CTA) trigger on the blog page so they can download an e-book for more information or sign up to receive more content in your monthly newsletter. Although everyone that reads your content may not be ready to discuss a POS solution purchase, they are all leads to be nurtured.

Website

Restaurateurs are busy people and may often use mobile devices or smartphones rather than desktop PCs to visit your website. Make sure your website is designed to be mobile responsive and easy to navigate to make it easy for them to read and use.

In addition to the great content you are producing your website should include:

• Offers for free demos (Restaurant managers love to see solutions in action.)
• Client success stories and testimonials
• A list of clients, especially if they are well-known and add celebrity appeal
• Easy-to-find contact information
• Forms for website visitors to request general information or to subscribe to newsletters or download content

Read Real-World Advice for Marketing POS Solutions to Restaurants, Part 2 for strategies for email newsletters and social media to reach your restaurant customers and prospects.