Attracting students to your restaurant can be a game-changer for your business. Students, with their active social lives and need for convenient, affordable food, are the perfect demographic to target. Once you win their approval, they tend to stick by you as a loyal customer.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on restaurant marketing towards students using a bunch of different strategies which are also super easy to implement.
1. Offer exclusive student discounts
One of the simplest and most effective ways to attract students is by offering them exclusive discounts. Everyone knows that students are mostly on tight budgets, and a special discount can be a convincing reason for them to choose your restaurant over others.
There are a handful of ways how you can implement this:
- Student ID Discounts: Offer a flat discount (like 10-20%) to anyone who shows you their valid student ID
- Happy Hour Specials: Create happy hour deals during off-peak times and tailor them specifically for students.
- Meal Deals: Curate budget-friendly meal combos that cater to student tastes and preferences. This will make them have a no-brainer food option for whenever they want a quick yet affordable bite to eat.
If you want to go the extra mile, design a separate student menu using our free menu templates, so students can easily access all discounted deals and promotions easily.
2. Promote your discounts with the right channels
Once you have your student discounts in place, it’s time to promote them through channels that students frequent the most:
- Social Media: Use Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to spread the word. Also look into school/university specific Facebook groups where students are active.
- Campus Bulletin Boards: Physical flyers and posters can still be very effective on campus. Use PosterMyWall’s diverse template gallery to design an eye-catching restaurant poster.
- Student Newsletters: Partner with universities to include your offers in their newsletters.
You can also use the resize tool to create multiple versions of the same design, so that it fits each channel perfectly.
3. Create a student friendly atmosphere
Your restaurant needs to have an environment that is conducive to work and study. Students should have a reason to stick around for longer! Here are some ideas which will definitely encourage students to come with larger groups, and even become repeat customers:
- Free Wi-Fi: Students love a place where they can eat and study. There’s always a deadline that needs to be met, so why not give them a space where they can get some work done too?
- Group Seating: Larger tables to accommodate study groups or social gatherings. Students are always hanging out with their friends, celebrating a birthday, or just chilling together. Having sufficient seating is often all it takes to bring in a large group of hungry students.
- Entertainment: This doesn’t necessarily mean installing arcade games and karaoke machines (which are also great ideas). This can be as simple as having a few board games, Jenga, or even coloring books, to keep them entertained while they wait for their food.
4. Partner with student influencers
Social media influencers hold significant sway over their peers. With the increasing content culture these days, there’s an influencer in every school and university, you just have to look a little. They already have a following of the exact demographic you are looking to target, the only step is to partner up with them.
Invite influencers for free meals in exchange for posts or stories about their experience. For more continuous marketing, you can even look into starting an ambassadorship program where selected students get perks in exchange for regular restaurant promotion on their socials. Opportunities like these are often very attractive to students who are looking for work experience while also getting some extra benefits.
5. Collaborate with student organizations
One thing about schools and universities is that there is always an event around the corner and students are always looking for ways to make them better. Working with student organizations and groups can provide your restaurant with direct access to large student audiences.
You can sponsor an event by offering catering to clubs, sports teams, or flagship events. Another idea is to partner up with a student organization to host a fundraiser where a portion of the proceeds goes to the organization. And finally, you can create discount cards or vouchers specifically for members of student groups, encouraging them to make repeat visits.
6. Leverage digital marketing campaigns via social media
If your goal is to target students, you need to be on top of your restaurant marketing strategy for social media. Your TikTok account needs to be trendy, your Instagram feed should be aesthetic and appealing, and if you have a Twitter account, it better be witty!
Digital marketing for restaurants means you have to post regularly with engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes looks, student testimonials, and special promotions. Your Instagram feed needs to be a magnet for the younger generation, so do your research on how to play by their rules. PosterMyWall’s vast library of restaurant social media post templates offers thousands of customizable professional designs so that you don’t compromise on the quality of your Instagram posts. Better yet, you can schedule your posts and publish them directly to your social media platforms via PosterMyWall.
To keep things engaging and interactive, use Instagram and Facebook stories to run polls, Q&A sessions, and countdowns to special events. This gives them something to look forward to and makes them part of the process.
7. Email marketing
While social media is undoubtedly crucial, don’t sleep on the power of email marketing! Gather student emails through in-restaurant sign-ups or online forms so you can roll out targeted email promotions specifically for them. A strong mailing list allows you to send out newsletters with exclusive offers, event invites, and updates on new menu items. Instead of creating interactive emails from scratch, you can use email templates to get the job done quicker and more effectively.
It’s also important to not spam every person with the same email, and that’s why we recommend using segmentation to send personalized offers based on past visits and preferences.
PosterMyWall lets you create and maintain segmented mailing lists so you can send emails only to the people who would be interested in seeing it. You wouldn’t want to send a student discount voucher to someone who isn’t a student, right?
Wrapping it up
Attracting students to your restaurant demands a mix of strategies: tailored discounts, engaging events, and a well curated roadmap for digital marketing. By understanding their needs and preferences, you can create a welcoming environment that not only draws students in but also keeps them coming back for more. Implement these strategies smartly, and watch your restaurant become a favorite hangout spot for the student community in your area.
Promoting your restaurant to students is not just about immediate sales but about building lasting relationships and becoming a staple in their college experience. You can add so much more value than just an excellent dining experience. If you are looking for more insight on restaurant marketing, take a look at these blog posts:
