Top Marketing and Public Relations Trends for the Restaurant Industry in 2021

2020 brought plenty of obstacles, and many business lessons along with them. As businesses begin to plan their strategy for 2021, they’ll need to leverage as many marketing and PR trends that they can to better raise paid and organic brand awareness. Overall communication strategies had to pivot and adapt throughout the chaotic year of 2020. Although it was difficult for many companies to keep up, they can now use their knowledge from the past year to excel in the months coming. 

For businesses in the restaurant industry especially, the COVID-19 crisis was no small hurdle. Throughout the past year, thousands of restaurants all over the country and world have had to close their doors or have faced major downsizing.

If nothing else, 2020 clearly demonstrated that restaurants need to start utilizing social media influencers more strategically, giving the spotlight to their core values, and incorporating SEO practices into any and all online copy. In 2021, restaurants especially need to utilize trending marketing and public relations best practices to rebuild their businesses. Here are our recommendations:

Utilize the Right Social Media Influencers

Thanks to this year’s ongoing pandemic, social media usage increased significantly. With that, up and coming influencers saw a spike in their followers. Content marketers and PR pros should coordinate social media influencer deals during 2021 to better reach their target audiences.

For restaurants, it’s important to reach out to influencers and media who are active and prevalent in the online food community. Local restaurants may want to consider micro influencers to better target potential customers in their area. 

Highlight Core Values and Political Stances, but Tread Carefully

2020 brought a year of chaos in the media landscape, thanks to a rise in conversations about diversity, the environment, and politics. Bottom line? Customers care about brands’ core values and political viewpoints and will spend their dollars with brands that align with their own values.

When possible (and approved by the client), share these brandstands with the media, and through marketing. For restaurants, be open and honest in person and online. Staying transparent and making a stand that aligns with the restaurant’s core values can aid in customers better understanding and enjoyment of the business. 

Jump on the SEO Bandwagon

If content marketers aren’t already creating SEO content, it’s now or never. In 2021, stop trying to figure out how to attract readers and viewers to your content. Instead, skip the guesswork and utilize SEO to target the right audience, faster. This same rule applies to restaurants. Here’s a hint: company blogs and website copy should serve multiple purposes. The obvious reason is to inform and create worthwhile content, but it’s also an excellent tool to attract the right readers and viewers. 

Don’t wait to put these prevalent marketing and PR trends into action. Restaurants that include these types of forward-thinking trends and approaches into their strategy now are only going to have the leg up on the competition during 2021.