If you operate a restaurant today, you NEED to be on social media. There are tons of popular social platforms online today, and they all provide you with a way to reach more guests (often for free)! Social media marketing can benefit your business, but only if you use it appropriately.
Have a Clear Brand Voice
Your restaurant has a distinct vibe: upscale, casual, romantic, family-friendly. The key to successful marketing is finding the guests who connect with your restaurant’s style, and social media gives you the freedom and the platform to do that.
Make sure you have a clear and consistent voice in all your videos, photo captions, and posts on social media. This consistency will help you and your ideal customers find each other over the world wide web.
Interact with Customers
While print ads, TV spots, social media, and other forms of marketing can help you reach a broad customer base, they don’t have the sticking power of great word of mouth. In fact, word of mouth is still the go-to method for choosing a restaurant for 53% of today’s diners!
Of course, you can only generate great word of mouth if you have GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.
And now, thanks to social media, you can provide customer service to guests even after they’ve left your dining room. If they leave a good review online, you can thank them for their patronage; you can reach out directly and make things right if they give a bad review. Responding to reviews is a great way to show guests that you care about their experience in your restaurant.
List Your Restaurant Address in Your Bio
One of the amazing things about social media is the reach a single post can have. If something “goes viral,” it’s often seen by people across the country or even worldwide! One great post could mean tons of potential new guests for your restaurant… so make sure they know where to find you!
Always include your contact information on your social media pages (ideally in the biography section). Make sure customers can easily locate your address, phone number, and website so they can move through the sales funnel from social media follower to regular diner!
Take Pictures of the Food!
This is one of the most important MUSTS for restaurant owners on social media: show everyone what you make! Pictures can make or break your social media presence AND your diners’ interests. More and more people are using sites like Instagram to decide where to eat, and your photos play a significant role in shaping their decisions.
Take your time and get beautiful, appetizing photos of your menu items. Stage them well, use good lighting, and really showcase your offerings. These tips will help you catch more eyeballs and garner more attention, which will inevitably help you fill your dining room every night.