When you consider that sales on Mother’s Day 2022 jumped by 164% compared to the previous Sunday, you get an idea of the business opportunity of this occasion for the hospitality industry.
Over a third of Brits indulge in food-related activities on Mother’s Day (Reach Solutions) and according to OpenTable, 33% said they would try somewhere new for food and drinks.
With all of that in mind, we’ve come up with some digital marketing ideas for Mother’s Day and ways of drawing attention to your business on one of the busiest Sundays of the year.
Run a competition
We touched on how competitions and giveaways can help grow your following and generate more interactions on social media in our Valentine’s Blog. They can effectively help increase table bookings and spread awareness of your Mother’s Day offering.
The most simple mechanic is to offer a complimentary meal for 4 on Mother’s Day (Sunday March 19th this year by the way) and perhaps a gift card for a couple of runners up. Connect with your followers and ask them to tell you in the comments why they appreciate their Mum.
But pick a random winner to make it fair and don’t forget to clearly outline the terms and conditions. Run the giveaway in the month running up to the big day and use the opportunity to share what you’ve got planned in your restaurant.
Make mums feel good!
Do something a little extra for mums to make them feel special. How about a complimentary drink, dessert, some chocolates or a little bouquet of flowers for each mum?
Talk about these extras on your social channels as Mother’s Day gets closer. People appreciate businesses that go the extra mile and are more likely to return and mention brands that make them feel appreciated.
Create a special menu
This doesn’t have to be as complicated as it sounds. Bring together your kitchen and bar staff to come up with a simple 2/3 course menu for Mother’s Day. Choose some of your all-time favourite dishes and offer wine and cocktails that compliment the flavours.
Give your followers and subscribers a little peek at the menu beforehand or ask them to choose between a number of dishes to see what’s popular. You could even create a special Mother’s Day cocktail or come up with a handful of ideas and ask your customers to vote for their favourite on social media.
Get creative with your photography
Creative imagery can really stick out on social media so get your heads together to create some assets for your Facebook and Instagram channels.
People love to share quirky pictures so why not photograph a bunch of flowers made out of wine glasses positioned on a table? Wine sales on Mother’s Day are historically 16% higher than the rest of the year (according to data from Lightspeed) so play around with humour and create something that could go viral.
Another option would be to set up a Mother’s Day table in your restaurant to give people a little insight into what they can expect on the day. Pop a member of staff and their mum in the picture!
Do things differently!
One way to truly stand-out is to turn Mother’s Day on its head. Offer mums the opportunity to get together away from their daily duties and throw a Mother’s Day Eve party.
Invite mums to take a break and get-together with friends over cocktails and nibbles. Encourage inclusivity and let your followers know that all types of mums are welcome, from step-mums to new mums and aspiring mums to grandmothers. Give them a special night to celebrate each other and have some fun.
Create touching content
On big holidays it can sometimes feel like businesses are throwing sales messages at you left, right and centre. Of course it’s important to let people know about your plans and offers but take a moment to consider the kind of connection your guests might be craving.
Grab a phone and record some of your restaurant staff talking about what their mums mean to them. Create a simple video for your socials and start a conversation – you might be surprised at just how much can strengthen your bond with your regulars as well as attracting new customers.
Track and evaluate your marketing activity
Yes we make this point in every blog and that’s because it’s vital to evaluate which elements of your Mother’s Day marketing plan are working for your hospitalty business.
Track your traffic using this UTM builder and identify which channels, posts and assets have captured the minds (and pockets) of your audience.
Last minute Larry
Almost half of 18-24-year-olds said they would buy a Mother’s Day gift they see on their social feed and 65% of shoppers say they’d like to buy more eco-friendly gifts. (Savvy)
If you have a gift card service and you do nothing else this Mother’s Day then offer some help to those who have left their gift-buying to the last minute. Gift cards are an easy purchase AND sustainable so don’t underestimate the power of offering a quick reminder that it’s the perfect way to treat mum.
Need help with your Mother’s Day digital marketing?
As you can see, we’re great at coming up with creative ideas and combining them with the expertise of our team to deliver effective digital marketing campaigns. We’d love to help your hospitality business so please get in touch and let’s talk.