I love eating out. It takes away all the stress that’s piled up over the past week and leaves me feeling contented. I'm sure we've all eaten out one time or another. But do you have any idea how to manage a restaurant? Or more importantly, how to market one – online?

Marketing a restaurant on the Internet is much like doing it in real life. The important thing is to get into your customer's good graces. Don't expect them to listen to your marketing antics if you can't even get them to come eat at your place.

How do you market a restaurant online? Here are the steps.

Step 1: Set up a customer database

You won't get far in this project if you don't have your customer's email addresses. I suggest you hold an in-house event - for example, a free desert for filling out a feedback form that asks their email addresses. Compile them in an Excel spreadsheet.

Step 2: Organize your list and target customers by market niche

The shotgun approach to online restaurant marketing is high risk and has a poor conversion rate. I suggest you analyze your customer database, screen them according to market niche.

For example, there was this restaurant in town that organized a lunch special for local doctors and dentists by emailing the discount coupons. I remember it was a popular event. Most of the doctors and dentists that visited the restaurant for the first time became regular patrons.

Step 3: Hire a writer for your newsletter

No one expects you to send coupons every single week – at least I don't. In fact this project is the perfect excuse to send restaurant newsletters to your fans and patrons.

Contract your general manager to produce a write up once a week or at least twice a month. Maybe he could write about his daily experiences managing your restaurant, something like that. Once in a while you could also ask your chef to write an exclusive recipe for the subscribers.

It's a great way to keep customers talking about your restaurant.

You may outsource all your researching, writing, and editing with a fraction of the cost in hiring someone in your local area. Visit sites like elance to find great writers for your newsletter.

Step 4: Maintain regular correspondence

The main thing is that you, the restaurant owner, regularly communicates with your fans and patrons. Encourage your customers to send feedback and suggestions and address them in a separate column in your newsletter once a month.

Trust me. As a customer myself, sometimes all I want is to get heard.

Online restaurant marketing doesn't end in four steps. It is a long and continuous process, and there are occasional roadblocks you need to see and experience for yourself. The important thing is you're a good enough restaurant owner to be aware that online restaurant marketing is essential, almost indispensable, to running a restaurant.