Social media platforms have changed the face of restaurant marketing altogether. Restaupreneurs no longer need to rely on word-of-mouth marketing and can use social media platforms to build brand awareness, display ads, and in turn, increase their revenues. If you are running a restaurant business and do not have an active or well-planned social media marketing strategy, you are missing out on so much!
Social media marketing is a great way of reaching out to a huge pool of customers with less investment. (advertising on hoarding and billboards surely works, but who has tonnes of cash to shell out?) Besides, if you are not on social media, you virtually DO NOT EXIST. Period. So, unless you want to give up on a whole bunch of new customers and only wish to thrive on your existing customers, you should up your social media game. When you leverage the power of social media channels together, your fans and followers turn into real-life customers.
The best social media tools for your restaurant business might not be the best for others - this is the general rule. The exception to this rule is Facebook. All kinds of businesses, whether big or small, can leverage the platform and drive in a huge number of customers, not to mention, expand their reach with digital ads. Having a dedicated Facebook Page for your restaurant business is not just important, but mandatory, especially when a number of online ordering platforms now let you receive orders directly from Facebook. Here’s how you can make the best use of this platform:
Instagram is the most effective way to promote visually stimulating content and draw in great engagement from your target audience. Sharing your menu and the photos of the restaurant on Instagram is a great idea! You can also conduct engaging contests for your audience to create a buzz about your brand on the platform. Here's how you can do it best:
Foursquare is a social media platform that allows its users to check-in to different places using their smartphones. These check-ins will be used by other users to decide whether or not to visit a restaurant. Furthermore, users of Foursquare can see where their friends and family have checked-in and look for recommendations. Here's how you can best leverage from it:
YouTube is a great way to build brand awareness through videos. Create a YouTube channel for your business and make sure it is in sync with your restaurant's brand voice. Decide on a theme for what you wish to post on YouTube - providing cooking tips and tricks, interviewing your customers, demonstrating the recipes, etc. Here's how you can do it like a pro:
Twitter provides a focused and concise space to promote your restaurant. Short and precise 140-characters tweets can be used to announce quick contests, daily specials, weekend events, etc. It's the best space to connect with a niche chunk of audience. Here's how you can rock at your Twitter marketing:
Pinterest is a platform that lets people discover new ideas and save them as 'pins' to their digital 'pinboards'. Setting up your restaurant page on Pinterest and creating engaging boards allows your customers to engage with your restaurant by repinning or sharing the images that they find useful, or let’s just say “tempting” Here's how to do it best:
Final words
In today’s digital world, when people are using social media to seek recommendations on what to do, where to shop, what and where to eat - it has become even more important to have a strong social media strategy. Diners today are constantly looking up for information on social media sites to discover their next new favorite dish and to share their experiences - is your business equipped to cater to the tech-savvy generation?
If you’re ready to dive into restaurant marketing, contact us and request a personalized consultation. We’ll get you set up quickly so you can begin attracting new customers.