Engaging Campaign Strategies for Quick-Service Restaurants

According to Placer.ai, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) had a 6.2% increase in visits in February. Despite the steady flow of diners, the battle for attracting and retaining these customers is competitive. Influencer marketing campaigns allow brands to connect with diners and attract them to their restaurants. If you’re marketing a QSR chain or restaurant to potential consumers, here are campaign ideas to inspire you.

Marketing campaign ideas for quick-service restaurants 

From harnessing the power of social media to offering unique promotional deals, here are some marketing campaign ideas to attract more customers, boost sales, and stand out in a highly competitive market.

Partner with foodies, lifestyle influencers to share behind-the-scenes content

According to Toast, McDonald’s is the most popular quick-service restaurant in the world. McDonald’s regularly partners with influencers to create sponsored content and promote its food. One way to engage audiences is to show them something they don’t often see, like a video on how the food is made. McDonald’s did that with Kayla Fisher, who has more than 1 million TikTok followers. Her posts have highlighted her love for her favorite McDonald’s foods and the process of how they are made. This is the perfect example of how QSRs can work with influencers consistently to highlight new menu items, deals and rewards programs. 

Create challenges for customers

Initiating challenges can be an effective strategy for brands to stimulate customer involvement. Challenge campaigns motivate social media users to engage via rewards, freebies or discounts, enhancing interaction and traffic levels. For instance, in March 2023, Chipotle sparked the #tastetest challenge among its fan base and influencers. Here’s an example of food enthusiast Keith Lee sharing his unique take on the challenge via TikTok.

Team up with influencers to share seasonal products

Some of the most exciting menu items are those that appear during specific seasons or holidays. For example, Dunkin’ Donuts offers seasonal doughnuts and coffee drinks for holidays like Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Starbucks has its popular pumpkin spice lattes, which make their highly anticipated debut every August. Ask creators to share their holiday celebrations and rituals, including your festive offerings. You can also ask lifestyle or party-planning influencers to share how your seasonal items make excellent hosting options.

Encourage employees to highlight your QSR’s unique attributes

One of the most effective ways to reveal the magic behind the scenes is by engaging your employee influencers. Let them express their passion for their roles and share their favorite aspects of working at your QSR. These influencers are often employees who can offer insider insights, such as their favorite menu hacks, upcoming seasonal promotions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into food preparation.

Forge alliances with delivery platforms or highlight delivery services

An effective strategy for QSRs to enhance their visibility is cultivating partnerships that mutually benefit their brand and others in the same sphere. For instance, renowned QSR brands like McDonald’s and Taco Bell can amplify their reach by collaborating with influencers and delivery platforms like DoorDash and GrubHub. This partnership underscores the convenience of ordering their products. Engaging creators to showcase menu items and delivery services simultaneously is a brilliant strategy to boost visibility and emphasize the simplicity of purchasing from QSRs.

Influencer content can also share deals on delivery, takeout or catering services. For example, Rachel in Austin shares how Taco Cabana offered margaritas to go in her sponsored post.

Let influencers take over your social media platforms

Empower influencers to present your QSR from a fresh perspective on your brand’s social media channel, particularly by granting them creative control. By partnering with influencers and harnessing their creative prowess, QSRs can access their dedicated follower base, enhancing brand visibility.

Motivate customers to share their feedback

The most insightful perspectives about quick-service restaurants often come from the customers and fans drawn to their products and services. Customer feedback is pivotal to a QSR’s success, providing insights into their food preferences and suggestions for improvement. Encouraging customers to share their reviews for discounts or promotions helps attract new patrons and keeps existing customers engaged and enthusiastic about the brand.

Invite creators to share new items or their favorite food hacks

Some of the most viral content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram are posts where influencers share fun, unique ways to enhance menu items, making them even more appetizing. These influencers ingeniously merge their creativity with their favorite QSR items and often share clever methods of transforming offerings.

Creators can also highlight new menu items, dishes that are allergen friendly, or how to get new food options for a discount.

Both influencer and advocate marketing play a strong role in how the public views brands. By teaming up with influencers and customers to share creative content, QSR marketers can stand out in the competitive field and keep their audiences engaged and excited to dine.