Whether you’re planning a themed dinner, a holiday party, or a wine tasting session, hosting restaurant events is a great way to increase foot traffic and attract new diners in the area. Unfortunately, promoting it can get overwhelming if you’re on a tight budget.
That’s where leveraging an all-in-one event marketing tool can come in handy. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the 4 best affordable marketing tools you can use to promote your restaurant events with ease. Let’s dive in!
Why Restaurant Owners Need an Event Marketing Tool
Hosting a successful restaurant event isn’t just about serving delicious meals and having excellent customer service. If customers don’t know about your event, there’s little sense in hosting one in the first place.
Luckily, you don’t need a marketing team or a large budget to spread the word to potential customers. By leveraging an event marketing tool, restaurant owners can:
- Easily track RSVPs
- Send automated reminders to guests
- Create landing pages
- Share events on social media
- Customize social media graphics
- Monitor social media engagement
With an event marketing tool, restaurant owners can create high-quality and professional marketing campaigns without spending hours promoting online and managing guest lists. Best of all, they’re highly user-friendly and easy to use!
The Top Budget-Friendly Event Marketing Tools for Restaurant Owners
You don’t need a large team or a hefty budget to market your upcoming restaurant event successfully. Here are the best budget-friendly event marketing tools to help you promote and manage your event.
- Eventbrite
Overview
Eventbrite is an event registration and ticketing tool. With Eventbrite, businesses can easily launch, share, and manage free and paid events with ease.
Key features
- Event management
- Event promotion
- Reports & insights
- Payments
- Integrations
- AI tools
Pricing (per month)
- Pro 2K plan ($15)
- Pro 6K plan ($50)
- Pro 10K plan ($100)
Why it’s ideal for restaurant events
Eventbrite can be a great choice for managing restaurant events due to its robust RSVP and ticket management tools. With Eventbrite, it can be easier for diners to purchase tickets online and receive confirmation emails and reminders regarding the event.
- Brevo
Overview
Brevo is a marketing platform popular for its email and SMS marketing automation tools. While not exactly an event marketing tool, Brevo can be used effectively to promote events and manage communication with attendees directly.
Key features
- Email & SMS marketing
- Email templates
- Forms
- Reporting & analytics
- Landing pages
Pricing (per month)
- Starter ($9)
- Standard ($18)
- Professional ($499)
- Enterprise (Custom pricing)
Why it’s ideal for restaurant events
For restaurant owners in need of a more direct and personal way to invite guests to restaurant events, Brevo can be a good option to consider. Not only does the tool offer an accessible way to send targeted email campaigns, but it also supports SMS integration to help manage reservations and RSVP details with guests directly.
- Later
Overview
Later is a social media management tool known for its focus on visual marketing needs. In particular, Later is a popular tool used by businesses to publish and manage content on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Key features
- Scheduled posts
- AI content tools
- Platform analytics
- Link in Bio
- Custom roles and permissions
Pricing (per month)
- Starter ($25)
- Growth ($50)
- Scale ($110)
Why it’s ideal for restaurant events
If you’re a restaurant owner in need of an effective social media campaign to promote your restaurant event, Later is a good option to consider. With Later, you can get access to professional and in-depth social media management features like a Link in Bio tool to boost your RSVPs and get access to online engagement trends.
- PosterMyWall
Overview
On top of its huge library of free event flyer templates, PosterMyWall is an ideal tool for promoting restaurant events due to its wide variety of features. With PosterMyWall, users can get access to a drag-and-drop design tool, an email campaign builder, and an event marketing feature to create restaurant event landing pages.
Key features
- Events marketing
- Email design and marketing
- Social media publishing and scheduling
- Ready-made and customizable templates
- Generative AI tools
Pricing (per month)
- Free
- Premium ($9.95)
- Premium Plus ($29.95)
Why it’s ideal for restaurant events
PosterMyWall is a great event marketing tool for restaurant owners due to its ease of use and various features. Not only is it affordable and accessible, but PosterMyWall has every marketing feature needed to promote a successful restaurant event, from designing posters to managing guest lists.
Event Marketing Tools for Restaurants: Pros and Cons
Still unsure about which event marketing tool is best for your restaurant event? We’ve come prepared. Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of the top 4 event marketing tools online:
| Eventbrite | Brevo | Later | PosterMyWall | |
| Pros | ✅Ideal for paid events with ticket tiers ✅Can send automated confirmation and reminder emails to attendees ✅QR code tool for easy event registration | ✅Simple and user-friendly interface ✅Post-event follow-ups via SMS and email ✅Can send confirmations and updates to attendees via SMS and email | ✅Ideal for marketing restaurant events on Instagram ✅Multi-profile management ✅Link in Bio tool | ✅Huge template library for social media posts and email campaigns ✅User-friendly event management tool ✅Email marketing tool for post-event follow-ups |
| Cons | ❌Charges additional service fees on paid tickets ❌Event pages come with an Eventbrite watermark ❌Not ideal for organizing repeat or recurring events | ❌Limited free version ❌May have a learning curve for beginner users ❌Can get pricey with SMS marketing features | ❌Limited free version ❌Limited customer communication tools ❌No RSVP management tool | ❌Limited tools for payment processing |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best free tool for managing restaurant events?
One of the most recommended all-in-one marketing tools for restaurant events is PosterMyWall. Not only does the tool offer 1M+ free design templates for social media, but you can also get access to a handy email and event marketing feature for better event management without the hassle.
How can I leverage an event marketing tool for email campaigns?
Some event marketing tools, like PosterMyWall, come with a built-in email marketing tool that you can use to plan and automate your campaigns. Using this tool, you can easily browse through a wide selection of ready-made email templates for high-quality and professional campaigns. Not only that, but you can also use its built-in AI writer for generating optimized email subject lines.
Can small restaurant owners benefit from an event marketing tool?
Yes! Even small restaurant owners can highly benefit from an event marketing tool due to its convenience, ease of use, and affordability. With an event marketing tool, restaurant owners no longer need to hire a team of professionals to launch professional and effective campaigns.
Can event marketing tools also help with post-event follow-ups?
Yes! Most event marketing tools, like PosterMyWall, offer a handy email marketing feature that restaurant owners can use to send post-event follow-ups. With its user-friendly email editor, users can simply drag-and-drop elements on ready-made templates to customize and create professional and automated email copies.
Promote Your Restaurant Event Strategically
If your goal is to get a full house at your upcoming restaurant event, now is the time to start leveraging a free event marketing tool. Not only can these tools help you save time and stay organized, but you can do all these and more without breaking the bank.
So, what are you waiting for? Try out one of these free event marketing tools today and start preparing for full tables and satisfied diners at your next restaurant event.
