Most hospitality businesses don’t have a marketing plan.
They have a Facebook page.
They have an Instagram account.
They occasionally run an offer.
Someone posts a photo of the food.
Someone else remembers to update the website.
Then the owner wonders why sales are unpredictable.
Marketing shouldn’t be a collection of random activities.
A good hospitality marketing plan should answer five simple questions:
Who are we trying to attract?
Why should they choose us?
How are we going to reach them?
How are we going to get them to buy?
How are we going to get them to come back?
The good news is that you don’t need a huge marketing budget to build a useful hospitality marketing system.
You need a plan.
Start With Your Business Numbers
Before deciding what to post on Facebook, work out what you are trying to achieve.
For example, suppose your cafe needs another $5,000 in weekly sales.
That’s a much better starting point than:
“We need to do more marketing.”
You can then work backwards.
If your average customer spends $25, you need roughly:
200 additional transactions
to generate $5,000 in additional sales.
But perhaps increasing the average transaction from $25 to $28 could achieve part of the result without needing as many additional customers.
This is why marketing should connect to the numbers.
Know Your Current Performance
Before changing your marketing, establish a baseline.
Look at:
- Weekly sales
- Number of transactions
- Average transaction value
- Number of bookings
- Website enquiries
- Online bookings
- Repeat customers
- Customer acquisition sources
- Quiet trading periods
- Best-selling products
- Most profitable products
You don’t need a complicated marketing dashboard.
You need enough information to know whether your actions are producing results.
Decide Who You Actually Want More Of
“Everyone” isn’t a target market.
A cafe might want more:
Local residents
Office workers
Parents
Tradies
Students
Weekend visitors
A restaurant might target:
Families
Couples
Corporate customers
Tourists
Large groups
A hotel might target:
Business travellers
Tour groups
Families
Event guests
Corporate accommodation
Different customers have different reasons for buying.
Your marketing should reflect that.
Understand Why Customers Choose You
Ask yourself:
Why should someone choose my business instead of the competitor down the road?
It might be:
- Better coffee
- Faster service
- Better value
- Unique food
- Convenient location
- Atmosphere
- Live entertainment
- Large portions
- Premium experience
- Great accommodation
- Function facilities
- Outdoor dining
- Family friendly
- Late trading
If you can’t clearly explain why someone should choose you, your customers may not know either.
Don’t Try to Market Everything
A common mistake is trying to promote everything at once.
Your business might sell:
Breakfast
Lunch
Coffee
Cakes
Functions
Catering
Takeaway
Dinner
Cocktails
Accommodation
But your marketing doesn’t need to shout all of those messages simultaneously.
Choose what you most need to sell.
If Tuesday afternoon is dead, your marketing might focus on afternoon trade.
If functions are highly profitable but bookings are low, functions might deserve more attention.
If hotel rooms are empty midweek, market midweek accommodation.
Marketing should solve commercial problems.
Build Your Marketing Around Customer Intent
Not everyone who sees your business is at the same stage.
Some people are actively looking for somewhere to go.
Others don’t know you exist.
Others have visited before but haven’t returned.
Your marketing needs to cover all three.
Customers Ready to Buy
These people might search:
“Cafe near me”
“Restaurant in Logan”
“Hotel near Brisbane Airport”
They already have an intention to purchase.
Your job is to make your business easy to find and easy to choose.
This is where Google, Google Maps, your website, reviews and accurate information are important.
Customers Considering Their Options
These people may be comparing businesses.
They might look at:
- Reviews
- Photos
- Menus
- Prices
- Social media
- Websites
Your job is to demonstrate why you’re worth choosing.
Customers Who Already Know You
These are often your easiest customers to sell to.
They’ve already visited.
They already know the business.
They don’t need to be convinced that you exist.
Your job is to give them a reason to return.
This is where email, SMS, loyalty programs and regular communication can be valuable.
Use Google to Capture Existing Demand
Google is particularly valuable because customers are often actively searching for what you sell.
Make sure your Google Business Profile is accurate.
Check:
- Business information
- Opening hours
- Photos
- Menu
- Website
- Reviews
- Location
- Contact details
If someone searches for your type of business locally, you want accurate information available when they’re deciding where to go.
Your Website Should Convert Interest Into Action
Getting someone to your website is only half the job.
The website should make it easy for them to do something.
Depending on your business, that might be:
Book a table
View the menu
Book a room
Make an enquiry
Call
Order online
Ask about a function
Don’t make customers search for the next step.
Use Social Media for More Than Food Photos
Food photography has its place.
But if every post is:
“Here’s today’s lunch.”
you’re missing opportunities.
Your social media should help customers understand:
What you sell
Why it’s worth buying
What the experience is like
What’s happening now
Why they should visit
Show:
- Products
- Staff
- Behind the scenes
- New menu items
- Customer experiences
- Events
- Functions
- Venue atmosphere
- Special occasions
- Local connections
- Business stories
People aren’t just buying food.
They’re buying an experience.
Create Content With a Purpose
Before posting something, ask:
What is this post supposed to achieve?
It might be:
Awareness
Engagement
Bookings
Sales
Repeat visits
Trust
If you can’t answer that question, you may not need the post.
Don’t Chase Likes
Likes are easy to measure.
Sales are more important.
A post receiving 300 likes but generating no customers may be less valuable than a post receiving 20 likes and producing five bookings.
Your marketing metrics should ultimately connect back to business results.
Build a Simple Content Structure
You don’t need to invent something completely different every day.
You could use a simple weekly structure.
For example:
Monday: Product or offer
Tuesday: Customer story or review
Wednesday: Behind the scenes
Thursday: Education or useful information
Friday: Weekend promotion or event
Saturday: Live venue content
Sunday: Upcoming week
Adjust this to suit your business.
The point is consistency and purpose.
Use Your Existing Customers
One of the biggest marketing mistakes is constantly chasing new customers while ignoring the people who have already bought from you.
Imagine someone has visited your cafe 20 times.
You already know they like your business.
Getting them to return may be significantly easier than convincing a completely new customer to visit for the first time.
Your marketing plan should therefore have two sides:
Get new customers
and
Get existing customers back
Build a Customer Database
Where appropriate and with the necessary consent, build a database of customers you are allowed to communicate with.
Depending on your business, this might include:
- Email addresses
- Mobile numbers
- Loyalty information
- Booking history
- Customer preferences
You don’t need thousands of contacts.
A smaller database of genuine customers can be extremely valuable.
Don’t Turn Your Database Into a Spam List
If customers hear from you every second day, they’ll stop paying attention.
Your communication should provide a reason to open the message.
For example:
New menu
Special event
Seasonal product
Early booking opportunity
Customer-only offer
Upcoming function
Important business update
Give people a reason to remain subscribed.
Use Promotions Carefully
Promotions can generate sales.
They can also destroy margin.
Before running a promotion, ask:
What behaviour am I trying to change?
If Tuesday afternoon is quiet, a targeted Tuesday offer may make sense.
If Saturday night is already full, discounting Saturday dinner probably doesn’t make much sense.
Don’t discount something customers were already going to buy.
Don’t Confuse Revenue With Profit
A $10 discount that generates an extra $20 in sales isn’t automatically a good promotion.
You need to consider:
Additional sales
minus
Additional product costs
minus
Additional labour
minus
Discount
minus
Marketing cost
equals
Additional contribution
A promotion should have a commercial purpose.
Use Quiet Periods as a Marketing Opportunity
If your business is busy from 7am to midday and empty from 2pm onwards, you don’t necessarily need more marketing across the entire week.
You need more customers when you have capacity.
You could create:
- Afternoon coffee and cake
- Business meeting packages
- Work-from-cafe offers
- Afternoon events
- Local business promotions
- Catering opportunities
- Loyalty incentives
- Targeted local advertising
Marketing should follow capacity.
Build Local Partnerships
Hospitality businesses are surrounded by potential marketing partners.
Consider:
- Nearby offices
- Hotels
- Gyms
- Real estate businesses
- Event venues
- Tourist attractions
- Wedding suppliers
- Local businesses
- Schools
- Sporting clubs
- Community organisations
Think about what you can offer each other.
For example:
A nearby business might recommend your venue to its customers.
You might recommend their service to yours.
That’s marketing without relying entirely on paid advertising.
Make Your Suppliers Part of Your Network
Your suppliers may know hundreds of other businesses.
They may also work with:
- Hotels
- Cafes
- Restaurants
- Event venues
- Caterers
- Corporate customers
Don’t treat suppliers purely as people who deliver boxes.
They can sometimes become useful commercial connections.
Market Events Properly
If you’re running an event, don’t just post:
“Live music this Friday!”
once on Thursday.
Build a campaign.
For example:
Four weeks out: Announce the event
Three weeks out: Introduce the performer or attraction
Two weeks out: Show what customers can expect
One week out: Push bookings
Two days out: Reminder
Day of: Final reminder
After: Photos and next event
One event can provide weeks of useful content.
Create a Marketing Calendar
A simple calendar can prevent your marketing from becoming reactive.
Map out:
- Public holidays
- School holidays
- Sporting events
- Local events
- Seasonal changes
- Menu launches
- Functions
- Live entertainment
- Special trading days
- Key booking periods
Then work backwards.
Don’t start marketing Christmas functions in December.
Don’t start thinking about Valentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day.
Plan Your Marketing Budget
Marketing doesn’t have to mean spending thousands of dollars every month.
But you should know what you’re prepared to invest.
Your budget might include:
- Photography
- Website
- Google Ads
- Social advertising
- Email/SMS software
- Printing
- Signage
- Events
- Promotions
- Content creation
Don’t spend money simply because someone tells you that you “need to advertise”.
Know what the activity is supposed to achieve.
Test Before You Scale
If you want to run an advertising campaign, start with a controlled test.
For example:
$300 campaign
Test one offer.
Target one audience.
Use one landing page.
Track enquiries or bookings.
Then decide whether to increase the budget.
Don’t throw $5,000 at an untested campaign and hope it works.
Track Where Customers Come From
Ask new customers:
“How did you hear about us?”
You can also track:
- Social media
- Website
- Referral
- SMS
- Advertising
- Local partnership
- Event
- Walk-in
- Existing customer
You won’t capture every source perfectly.
That’s okay.
You’re looking for patterns.
Measure the Right Numbers
Your marketing dashboard doesn’t need 50 metrics.
Start with:
Leads
Bookings
Transactions
Average transaction value
Repeat customers
Sales
Marketing spend
Return from marketing
For some businesses, you might also track:
Cost per booking
Cost per lead
Occupancy
Function enquiries
Midweek sales
The exact metrics depend on your business model.
Don’t Just Measure Marketing Activity
There is a big difference between:
“We posted 20 times this month.”
and:
“Our campaign generated 38 additional bookings.”
The first measures activity.
The second measures a commercial result.
You need both, but the second matters more.
Create a Simple 90-Day Marketing Plan
You don’t need to plan the next five years.
Start with 90 days.
Month One – Fix the Foundations
Focus on:
- Google Business Profile
- Website
- Menus
- Photos
- Reviews
- Opening hours
- Booking process
- Customer database
- Basic tracking
Fix anything that is stopping customers from finding or choosing you.
Month Two – Increase Customer Acquisition
Focus on:
- Local SEO
- Social media
- Local partnerships
- Targeted advertising
- Offers for quiet periods
- Events
- Content
Test different ways of attracting customers.
Month Three – Increase Repeat Business
Focus on:
- Loyalty
- SMS
- Customer follow-up
- Repeat visit offers
- Customer feedback
- Reviews
- Upselling
Then compare the results.
Your Marketing Plan Should Change
Don’t write a marketing plan once and put it in a drawer.
Review it.
Every month ask:
What worked?
What didn’t?
Which customers responded?
Which offers worked?
Which channels generated sales?
What did customers buy?
When were we busy?
When were we quiet?
Then change your plan.
A Simple Hospitality Marketing Plan Template
You can start with this:
Business Goal
What are we trying to improve?
Example: Increase Tuesday and Wednesday sales by 15%.
Target Customer
Who are we trying to attract?
Example: Local office workers within 5km.
Offer
Why should they choose us?
Example: Fast lunch service with takeaway and dine-in options.
Marketing Channels
Where will we reach them?
Example:
- Local business partnerships
Campaign
What are we going to promote?
Example: Weekday lunch special.
Call to Action
What do we want customers to do?
Example: Book or order lunch.
Measurement
How will we know it worked?
Example:
- Number of transactions
- Average transaction value
- Total sales
- Repeat visits
Review Date
When will we assess the result?
Example: Four weeks after launch.
The Biggest Marketing Mistake
The biggest mistake isn’t having a small marketing budget.
It’s doing marketing without knowing what you’re trying to achieve.
Posting because you haven’t posted for three days isn’t a strategy.
Discounting because sales are slow isn’t a strategy.
Boosting a post because it received likes isn’t a strategy.
Buying advertising because a competitor is advertising isn’t a strategy.
A strategy starts with a business objective.
Then you choose the customer.
Then the offer.
Then the channel.
Then the measurement.
The Hospitality Takeaway
A good hospitality marketing plan doesn’t need to be complicated.
It needs to be connected to the business.
Start with your numbers.
Work out who you want more of.
Give them a reason to choose you.
Make yourself easy to find on Google.
Use your website to convert interest into action.
Use social media to build awareness and demonstrate the experience.
Use email and SMS to bring existing customers back.
Build local partnerships.
Use promotions strategically.
Track where your customers come from.
And measure the result in customers, sales and profit, not just likes and followers.
Most importantly, stop thinking of marketing as something you “do” every day.
Marketing should be a system.
Attract the right customer.
Give them a reason to buy.
Make it easy to buy.
Give them a reason to return.
Measure the result.
Then improve the system.
That’s how hospitality marketing becomes a business tool rather than just another job on the owner’s to-do list.
