LOOK YOUR BEST For photos All your customers have camera phones, so the eyes of the world are on you like never before! Cleanliness must be a top priority throughout your operation, but also focus on smart, clean uniforms and amazing food platings that beg to be shared online. Don’t forget to smile!
offer free wi-fi Every coffee shop, convenience store and car repair waiting room offers free Wi-Fi now. Your customers (of all ages) expect it, and it sends the message that your business is keeping up with the times. Once it’s in place, get the word out via social media, e-mail and through signage in your store.
pay attention to lighting
BE social media-friendly
If you notice customers taking photos, make sure the lighting in your dining area is bright enough to make the shots look great! Dark, blurry food photos are unappetizing, and if they end up online, could actually damage your digital identity and prevent new customers from trying your restaurant!
Let your customers know you’re online and where to find you. Utilize table tents, menus, window clings, check stuffers, and other in-store marketing to promote your website and social media pages. Some restaurants print Yelp and TripAdvisor logos on their business cards to direct customers online.
CHOOSE A social media CHAMPION Not every restaurant can afford to hire a dedicated Social Media Manager, but doing social media well takes time, and you’re probably too busy to take on the additional hours of work. So designate a responsible employee or two to be your champions for monitoring and updating your accounts. Give them the extra time, resources and acccess they need to support your digital identity.
claim your business listings Claim your restaurant’s page for free on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Urbanspoon/Zomato, Yahoo, Google Business and Google+. This allows you to post photos, update your address, hours of operation, menus and more, and lets you reply to customer reviews publically or privately.
maximize your first impression Use a high-resolution version of your logo as your profile image. Use appetizing, high-resolution food imagery for your cover photos. There’s a good chance customers will visit your social media pages before ever stepping inside your restaurant, so make sure the first impression your sites make is welcoming, appetizing and representative of your brand.
REINFORCE YOUR BRAND Keep your posted content appropriate to your restaurant’s personality and image. Tactfully feature your logo and use your brand colors across all your social media networks and especially on your website. Remember your audience and craft your messaging to appeal to them.
When a customer visits your social media pages or website, the first impression you make should be appetizing. Many chains feature mouth-watering food photography and prominent logos to brand the site and the user experience.
cross-promote YOUR PAGES If your customers like you on Facebook, post links to your Instagram page, too. If they follow you on Twitter, let them know you just updated your web site. If they visit your website, make sure all your networks are featured, along with links to Yelp and TripAdvisor. Driving traffic back and forth between your social media pages and your website improves your restaurant’s Google search ranking and keeps your customers engaged and entertained.
keep track of passwords Your restaurant’s reputation could hinge on being able to respond to a customer review or delete a social media post at any time, from anywhere. But you can’t do that if you can’t log in. Software like 1Password can generate new passwords, keep your current ones organized and uses the cloud to sync your secure password vault from your computer to your mobile devices.
post lots of photos People love taking, sharing and seeing photos, and they play a huge role in establishing your restaurant’s digital identity. For your website and printed marketing, have a professional photographer take the photos. But for everything else, you and your staff should be taking photos daily and posting them everywhere you can!
upgrade your phone It lets you run the latest versions of the social media apps, but more importantly, each generation of phone hardware improves the camera so dramatically that it’s a no-brainer. Find the best lighting in your restaurant for food photography, and take the best photos you can! (Hint: you want indirect natural lighting, like a table near a window. Or try an outdoor cafe table that’s not in direct sunlight.)
Google analytics can show you how many people see your website, which pages are most popular and how they find out about it/where they link in from.
review your page analytics The major networks offer free business tools that show you how you’re increasing brand awareness through impressions, reach and engagement. Some offer more information for a fee. Social media analytics help you understand your audience which should help you create engaging content for them.
GOOGLE YOURSELF Is your restaurant easy to find online? Googling yourself is the fastest way to see what your customers see when they search for “best restaurant” in your area.
make share-worthy posts Finding the exact marketing voice for your business and brand may take some time, but if your posts have photos and are fun, interesting and educational, customers are more likely to share your content with their own network of friends, which expands your audience for free.
monitor your pages Even if you’ve delegated the role of social media champion, it’s still your business, your reputation and your livlihood on the line. So set up a Google Alert for your restaurant’s name, and every few days, do a quick survey of your social media networks and the review sites, just so you’re aware of what’s being said about you online.
encourage staff shutterbugs Your employees are on the front lines and will see your business at its best. As long as it doesn’t conflict with your staff phone use policy, funnel any photos they take through the person in charge of your social media to screen out inappropriate content and post any that support your brand and strengthen your digital identity. Your staff will feel a sense of ownership and connection when their photos are used to represent the best aspects of your restaurant online.
tease new menu items One thing all your customers are interested in is your menu! Share photos of recipe development, preview upcoming specials and promote limited time items. Have a contest to name your new sandwich. Change items out regularly and get your customers excited about your menu!
MAKE YOUR RESTAURANT APpEALING TO MILLENNIALS Those 100 million babies born between 1978 and 2000 – Gen Y or Millennials – have mutated into the most complex creatures to date. They’re crawling and trolling through fast-food and high-end restaurants and they have the power to Yelp you to death! Instead of running away from them, why not embrace this generation’s quirk and tech savviness. Here are some things you should know about them:
1. Millennials care about social responsibility Millennials don’t just like Instagramming pretty food, if they hear that you treat your employees unfairly, don’t care about the environment, or deny a particular group their rights, they are more likely than any other generation to make sure no one ever steps inside your restaurant. Just recently, a high-end restaurant in India was boycotted and its rating subsequently decreased after a rape survivor was denied entry there. If your restaurant intentionally or unintentionally tweets something offensive to any particular group, expect some quick and potentially serious consequences. So be vigilant, because Millennials will hold you accountable for bad behavior. If you display good behavior, they will not only go out of their way to eat at your restaurant but promote you and your cause to their social connections as well! 2. Millennials know they matter They may not have the buying power that their parents have but that doesn’t mean you can treat them unfairly or “like a kid”. Your advertising or service staff should not in any way talk down to them. Wendy’s made the mistake of making fun of the social media habits of Millennials in an ad campaign. Bad idea! Why would you alienate and mock the very demographic you are trying to reach? 3. Millennials pay more attention Ingredient labels were once just a thing people with allergies read. But Millennials want to know where their food comes from, who made it and even whether the ingredients were taken from sustainable sources. Millennials are also one of the most educated and informed generations to date. Whether it’s on their Kindle or their high tech phones, this generation is always reading. If you stuff Millennial’s faces with fries made with beef tallow, burgers made from horsemeat and sausages made from pig lips, they’ll definitely find out and could take down your business in the process.
4. Millennials are more passionate about food than religion and politics When Millennials come in to a restaurant, they don’t just want a meal. They want a full blown sensory experience and are willing to spend more money on dining. According to one survey, “Americans in general are spending over $680 billion per year dining out, the most money ever.” They are not willing to settle for quick, cheap food but are willing to go for expensive, healthy food options. They want quality over convenience and ease. This means that quick service restaurants like Taco Bell, McDonald’s and KFC may not be able to retain the Millennial’s attention and pockets as it did with Generation Xers. 5. Millennials know and love their technology A new study claims that Millennials are more “resilient, adaptable and tech savvy” than their older counterparts. So don’t be afraid to incorporate technology into your service. This means that your restaurant shouldn’t just be offering basic customer service on social media, but it should be at the forefront of it! Offer digital coupons and even let your customer order from your Facebook page. Use interactive menus on iPads to take orders and let customers pay from them. Millennials like to stay connected and social 24/7. They’ll tweet from the toilet, Instagram from the train, Facebook from the office! They love discovering and sharing information with their friends, family co-workers, and acquaintances. You can use this trait of hyper connectivity to engage with them when they make a reservation (pre-visit), while they order, during their meal, when they pay and after they leave. 6. Millennials are price-conscious and deal savvy Millennials aren’t scrounging in coupons books for offers like their old school parents. Instead they use apps and social media to score the best deals. According to Business Insider, “60% of Millennials share and trade coupons on social networks.” But they’ll still splurge for a big ticket purchase like an iPhone! 7. Millennials are innovative Millennials can hack into the minds of other Millennials. So ask your Millennial staff how to appeal to other Millennials. Don’t stop there, when you have a Millennial guest directly conversing with you on social networks, take their feedback and ask them for ideas. Engage, listen and reward their feedback with privileges and promotions.
article from http://blog.spotistic.com
hold photo contests Contests are a great way to promote your Instagram account and to engage younger customers. Before the posting starts, make sure your restaurant is clean, your lighting is good and your platings look great!
SHOW BEHIND THE SCENES 20 years of Food Network TV has made your customers smarter than ever about how restaurants work. They know that most of the cool stuff happens in the kitchen, behind the scenes. Use social media to give them a window into that world! Showing them the fun stuff most people never see creates a deeper connection and keeps you at the forefront of their mind when they’re deciding where to eat!
MAKE A CALENDAR OF IDEAS to POST The timely, spontaneous nature of social media is a large part of its appeal, but you can still plan certain posts well in advance. Make a posting schedule that includes major holidays and playoff games as well as significant local festivals and events. You can write your posts and prepare photos for these known promotional opportunities months ahead, so when the time comes, you won’t be staring at a blank screen, trying to think of what to post today!
sponsor facebook posts Facebook cut organic reach of business posts from 50% to about 6%. But for a few bucks, Facebook ads and sponsored posts can target very specific demographics, so you can reach thousands of the RIGHT customers. Try it the next time you’re promoting an important event or sharing big news. It’s probably the best value in advertising.
experiment with video Great photos are absolutely essential, but videos are the future of social media marketing. They’re one of the most efficient, entertaining ways to convey your brand and personality. Chains are producing lots of videos – not as television commercials, but exclusively for sharing on social media. Independent restaurants are jumping on the trend, adding videos to their website home pages and social media feeds to quickly convey what makes them unique and to attract new customers. Need more proof? Instagram has their own video apps, YouTube (the second largest search engine in the world) is launching an app just for kids, and Twitter recently launched Vine for Kids. Most smartphones can record HD video, and you’ve probably seen those auto-play video ads in your Facebook feed. Videos are already a big deal, and we are just scratching the surface of the video marketing era, so it’s a great time to dive in and promote your restaurant!
At the home page of rockitbarandgrill.com, a full-screen video builds anticipation for their Spring 2015 reopening. (Click the right arrow to begin video.)
Denny’s created a series of stop-motion animated videos featuring their Grand Slam breakfast characters. The videos are posted across their various social network sites.
respond to reviews publically Once you claim your restaurant’s page on Yelp and TripAdvisor, you can respond to reviews either privately, via direct message, or publically, so the rest of the world can see the exchange. The latter option lets prospective customers know that A) you’re smart enough to be aware of the review sites, B) you care about the experience you’re offering and C) you reach out to connect with customers. This effort on your part can win you goodwill, even if you’re responding to a negative review.
feature your staff Your people are one of the things that differentiates you from the competition. Whether it’s a fun group shot or giving credit to an unsung hero, turning the spotlight on your staff shows you believe in them, which fosters a sense of pride among your employees.
ask questions Social networking is a two-way conversation. So don’t be afraid to ask (and answer) questions. Your customers will feel valuable if they know you want their feedback and input! Ask about their favorite menu items, or post two photos side by side and let them vote on upcoming specials.
stay in the loop Always be aware of what’s going on in your neighborhood. The bulk of your social media posts should be about your customers and your community, not advertising. Start a discussion about something relevant and local that you know your audience cares about. This personal connection helps humanize your business.
shout out to other locals Everyone is facing increased pressure from chains. Show solidarity with other small business owners and earn some local brownie points. Keep the money and goodwill flowing within the community.
support your community It’s great to support the community at Christmas, but even better if you’re out there making a difference all year long! Sponsor a local sports team, host charitable events that are meaningful to you, encourage your staff to volunteer for projects like Adopt a Highway, promote local fundraisers and don’t be shy about letting everyone know you care! This is smart PR that makes the world a better place!
keep the conversation light Don’t get bogged down in controversial topics like politics, religion or international affairs. This is the hospitality industry, and your customers look to you for food and fun, not news commentary or debate. There are plenty of other forums online for those weighty discussions.
RETURN the love Depending on the etiquette of the social network, follow, like and share your customers’ content as appropriate.
Facebook posts celebrating employees. Top: Purebread Deli Center: Chipotle, Caribou Coffee Bottom: Five Guys Burgers
try new apps and networks Ask your staff what apps they’re using and see what the buzz is about. If you’ve never been to Reddit, check it out. If you’ve never tried SnapChat, download it today! It’s free! It will only take a couple of minutes, and you’ll be THAT much smarter about social media!
market yourself a little bit Less than 20% of your posts should be business messaging. The rest should engage your customers by being interesting! They’re not checking their social media feeds 6 times a day (or more) to see ads. They want to see what’s NEW! They want to be entertained! And in the midst of all that, they also want to hear about your new t-shirt designs!
STAY INFORMED - Top 10 social media blogs A panel of social media experts carefully reviewed the nominees and finalists based on a number of factors, including content quality, post frequency and reader involvement. Put these 10 social media blogs at the top of your reading list. www.socialmediaexaminer.com
article by Cindy King
February 5, 2015
1. Buffer Social Buffer Social, which has one of the best curated blogs in the social media space, provides well-researched, comprehensive content that’s useful for all levels of social media marketers.
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2. Grow Grow by Mark W. Schaefer flips content marketing on its head. His superb content consists of thoughtful experiences, devoid of ego and designed to help other businesses find success. 3. Jon Loomer Jon Loomer‘s core approach to content rocks. He shares fantastic, in-depth articles focused on Facebook that include experiments, real-life examples and supportive graphics.
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4. Convince & Convert Convince & Convert‘s Jay Baer continues to raise the bar for seasoned marketers. This established thought leader creates consistent, quality content. 5. Rebekah Radice Rebekah Radice has a beautifully laid out blog that’s easy to read. She is a strong writer who provides in-depth advice for novice to intermediate marketers.
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6. Socially Sorted Socially Sorted‘s Donna Moritz shares solid content with thought-provoking and curiositydriven headlines, along with great visuals. 7. RazorSocial RazorSocial, published by Ian Cleary, has tons of detailed articles for businesses. Plus, Ian’s stellar software tool reviews include his favorite features, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to use them. 8. Jenn’s Trends Jenn’s Trends, by Jenn Herman, shares quality content while narrowing in on her niche: Instagram for businesses. Jenn’s tips are helpful for novice to advanced marketers. 9. Simply Measured Simply Measured has well-written content, which includes outstanding data and hands-on reporting of actual case studies.
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10. SocialBro SocialBro provides quality posts on seldom-discussed topics. Great advice on this blog.
TRY CANVA.COM Canva is a free web app that creates professional-looking graphics for your social media posts, Facebook covers, blog images, business cards, posters and much more! Canva is VERY easy to use, and it will make your business look great. You can upload your own pictures, and there's only a fee if you use their stock photos ($1 per image.)
doveschicago.com
momotarochicago.com
bottlefork.com smokeybones.com
burgerandlobster.com
check out other restaurants’ WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES It pays to visit other restaurant pages. Just by observing, you can benefit from their social media budgets by discovering the latest trends in web design and taking note of which posts are most popular. Borrow some of the ideas that are most applicable to your business. Definitely check out the chains, but don’t forget to check out your local competition, too!
USE HASHTAGS On Twitter and Instagram, hashtags make your content searchable and easier to discover and show that you understand network posting etiquette. Don’t overdo it, though. A few hashtags are all you need to stay in the conversation.
collect e-mail addresses E-mail marketing is still one of the best ways to communicate directly with your customers. Collect addresses on your website, on your comment cards, when people redeem coupons or sign up for your loyalty program – anywhere you can. Make sure your e-mail marketing is well-branded with your logo, official colors and your very best food photos!
make a to-do list What are your next steps for improving your digital curb appeal? Always have a vision and a plan for achieving your social media goals. Some to-dos will take five minutes, others may take five months. But make a list, make a plan, and commit to always be improving your digital identity.
HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY Refer to the sample policy at www.restaurantowner.com or hospitalitylawyer.com. The exact wording of your policy is extremely important, as poorly written policies can leave you open to litigation. Make the policy part of your staff handbook and orientation training.
USE the cloud Once you start using one of the cloud storage services, you’ll wonder how you lived without it. Consider Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft’s OneDrive (and their respective mobile apps) to keep all kinds of files in sync, accessible and easy to share from any of your devices!
USE LYNDA.COM E-mail marketing should be appetizing and well-branded. Left: Carrabba’s Right: Popeyes
Lynda.com offers the best online video tutorials for software training and also covers a wide variety of other topics, including time management, menu design, photography and video editing. If it’s worth knowing, there’s a good chance Lynda.com has a course that teaches it.
THINK OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS A WASTE OF TIME, funds, OR ENERGY Because of its personal nature, if you’re using social media right, it will strengthen relationships with your customers and build your brand in ways that traditional advertising never could. But to see that benefit, you have to commit to social media marketing as an ongoing project, investing time and creativity (and funds) to produce appealing, share-worthy content. Set some social media goals so you can better track your progress and return on investment.
trust your accounts to immature or irresponsible staff The reputation of your company is at stake. One thoughtless post could lead to a social media meltdown with the power to close your business for good. Some of the chains have survived social scandals and Facebook PR nightmares, but that’s much harder with a small budget in a small town.
REPEAT POST Nothing chases away an audience like seeing the same photo you took in 2007 posted over and over (and over.) Be creative. Create new images to share. Take new pictures to post. Purchase stock photos if you have to. Just don’t post the same pizza photo every week on half-price pizza night, for instance.
USE BAD GRAMMAR Posts with misspellings and typos reflect poorly on your business. If your social media champion doesn’t know when to use apostrophes or other punctuation correctly, find someone who does, and have them proofread your social media posts before they go live. Attention to detail is a hallmark of the hospitality industry, and you don’t want to be the one who always misuses there, their and they’re.
JUST POST NIGHTLY SPECIALS If you’re posting the same happy hour specials night after night, you’re doing social media wrong. That’s predictable and boring, and even your most loyal fans will tune out that kind of old school advertising quickly. Instead, post a variety of fresh and interesting content, with an emphasis on visuals – the same kinds of things you like to see in your feed.
AUTO-POST THE SAME CONTENT ON DIFFERENT NETWORKS Services like Hootsuite and Buffer give you convenient dashboards, but don’t fall into the trap of posting the same exact thing to all your networks. It’s a red flag that you don’t appreciate the difference between the networks, or their core users. Create some unique content for each network.
OVERPOST Each social network has a sweet spot for frequency of posting. Facebook users may tune out if you’re posting several times a day, while Twitter users prefer lots of posts each day. Spend some time using the networks and pay attention to how often other people and businesses post.
use a personal page as a business page To keep from confusing your audience and diluting your marketing message, your restaurant should only have one page on each social network, and every network has special page formats for businesses. If you were an early adopter of Facebook, your page may be in the older, personal format, instead of the business format. This violates Facebook’s current terms of service, and they could shut your page down without warning at any time. Save the hassle and convert that page into the current business format. You should be able to bring along all your fans and you’ll gain access to valuable analytics reserved for businesses.
WASTE TIME ON THE WRONG NETWORKS Find out which networks your customers are using and focus your energy there – talking to your customers where they actually are. Most of your customers are on Facebook, but beyond that, you’ll have to ask them!
POST PHOTOS OF YOUR MENU This Facebook post from Checkers uses an apostrophe where none is needed. Dogs is plural, not possessive.
Your menu is mostly text, which doesn’t equate into a compelling, interesting visual. Find other ways to post and link to your menu content.
COMMIT THESE SOCIAL MEDIA SINS
mashable.com Aug 28, 2014 article by Mike Volpe
Remember when social media was a new, unchartered territory for brands? Consumers flocked to platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn overnight and marketers knew that, in order to stay relevant, they had to follow suit. Fast forward to today: 97% of marketers use social media to connect with buyers. The problem is, most still haven't figured out how to leverage social to create a personalized, relevant and enjoyable experience for their audience. Socially awkward brands aren't just pushed to the sidelines, they miss out on building valuable relationships, or in some cases, end up on a viral list of social media blunders. Whether your brand is too boring, too tone-deaf or too promotional, your social media approach can’t be an afterthought. Avoid these sins of social media marketing to keep your audience engaged, interested and loyal. 1. Being All Talk
4. Thinking all social platforms are created equal
The key to social media content is to show, not tell. Audiences prefer engaging with visual content over text anyday; did you know that tweets with image links get an engagement rate 200% higher than those with just 140 characters? Flooding your feeds with line after line of text could cause you to miss out on a huge opportunity to connect with your buyers. Instead, we should be emulating brands like Oreo, whose Twitter feed is addicting thanks to charming illustrations, clever videos and mouth-watering images.
Your social strategy shouldn’t be one size fits all. Find the channels that best align with your audience's interests, then experiment with the type, cadence and style of content you think will resonate most. Measure what works and what doesn’t and optimize accordingly. Instead of publishing the same content to every channel, the best social media teams create tailored approaches based on the medium and the message. Know the network; know your audience.
Lucky for us, it’s easier than ever to share visual content, thanks to free design tools like Canva and seamless embed options on social platforms. For marketers, a picture really is worth a thousand words — act accordingly. 2. Putting on a one-man show Trying to apply your advertising approach to social is a big mistake. In fact, one of the reasons social media is effective is because so many people tune out traditional media and mass messaging. On social, it’s even easier to mute brands that talk, but don't listen — with a quick click, consumers can unfollow or remove your content from their feed for good. Instead of talking about yourself nonstop, make your audience the center of attention by highlighting their interests, like Monster Energy on Facebook, or sharing their content on Instagram like Sharpie. Your social following isn’t a captive audience, so take a break from broadcasting and start sharing content they'll actually want to click on. 3. Forgetting to think before you tweet Staying relevant today isn't easy — trending topics go from viral to ancient history daily. So how can marketers keep up? Cue newsjacking. Instead of trying to generate buzz from scratch, brands piggyback on the popularity of top headlines to amplify their own content. We see clever newsjacks during the Super Bowl and the Oscars, but occasionally, the not-sosavvy attempts end up being headlines themselves. Last year, AT&T earned serious social backlash for a failed 9/11 tribute, and Gap crossed the line when it took to Twitter to promote discounts during Hurricane Sandy. It’s true that marketing today is time-sensitive, but you'd rather be late to the game than be perceived as offensive.
Need inspiration? Check out GE’s Vine, JetBlue’s Instagram, L.L Bean’s Pinterest or Cap’n Crunch on Twitter. Each has a pitch-perfect approach for the company and the channel. 5. Putting your customers on mute It used to be that if a customer had a complaint about your product or service, they could tell their friends, family or a 1-800 number. Today, consumers can share negative reviews with their entire network — and the searchable social web — through a simple click. Not surprisingly, 72% of customers who complain about a brand on social networks expect a response within an hour. But in some cases, they are lucky to get noticed at all. Whether you only have a handful of followers or 31 million Facebook fans like McDonald’s, you can’t afford to ignore your audience, period. 6. Forgetting to be human In an age where buyers are constantly bombarded with deals, promos and ‘lowest price’ taglines, your brand’s personality is crucial to stand out from the pack. Corporate jargon and automated replies will send your audience running in the other direction, while brands that aren’t afraid to let loose will be welcomed with open arms. Ultimately, building a community of brand advocates today isn't about what you're selling, it’s about what you're saying. Luckily, the casual nature of social media makes it easier than ever for us to talk to our audience like humans.
POST DARK, BLURRY, DISCOLORED OR OVER-FILTERED FOOD PHOTOS With digital cameras, there’s no reason to post bad photos. Just retake them until they look great! Unappetizing food photos on your social media networks are 24/7 anti-advertising, and may even scare away potential customers! Find good lighting. Avoid retro filters in Instagram. Never use black and white food photos. Purchase a small tri-pod. And only post great shots!
POST WATERMARKED, UNLICENSED STOCK PHOTOS
PICK A FIGHT OVER A NEGATIVE REVIEW
A Google search might return all kinds of pictures you’d like to post, but don’t post pictures you obviously don’t have the rights to. A watermark from depositphotos, shutterstock or istockphoto is a dead giveaway you’re using stolen imagery on your social media feed.
There’s nothing more distasteful than a public flame war. Never go on the offensive – you’ll always look like a bully picking on a wronged customer. Instead, be humble and try to learn from whatever grain of truth might be in the user’s negative review. Apologize if the situation merits it, and reach out to the customer for additional feedback.
Image vendors use watermarks to discourage illegal usage and sharing. Luckily, licensing stock images is easy and affordable. It’s still cheaper to take your own shots!
RUN A GROUP COUPON UNLESS YOU’RE PREPARED If you’ve had success with them in the past, great. Many restaurants aren’t equipped to handle the horde of bargain seekers who aren’t regulars or even in your target audience. These folks might not be right for your brand, but they are social media-savvy enough to leave reviews on Yelp or TripAdvisor. Proceed with caution.
NEGLECT CURB APPEAL Maintaining your digital identity and digital curb appeal is crucial, but so is making sure your business is well-kept, clean, inviting and professional. Any part of the customer experience might end up in a review or in a photo posted online, so keep that parking lot tidy, and everywhere else, too!
assume they’ll find you Social media isn’t a ‘Build it and they will come’ scenario. Once you invest the time in launching your sites and begin generating compelling content, you still need to let the world know. Promote your social media pages online and in-store.
OVER-EXTEND YOURSELF Be realistic about your resources. Don’t attempt five social networks when you only have time/staff to do one site well.
GET DISCOURAGED The world of social media is constantly changing and can feel overwhelming. It may take longer than you expect to learn how to use the popular networks and even longer to find and build your audience. But keep working at it, making your sites interesting and well-branded, so that when people DO find you, there’s appetizing content for them to enjoy.
LET YOUR WEBSITE GET STALE Your website is still the heart of your digital identity and the first place customers will look for your menu, your hours of operation, directions, etc. Talk to your web designer about Responsive Design and ensure your site is viewable from smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. A steady stream of professional food photos is a must, and be sure to prominently feature your limited time specials, just like the chains do! And if you have an entertainment calendar or schedule of events, update it regularly.
LIST A PAGE ON YOUR SITE AS “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” Because – let’s be honest – that message will probably still be there in six months. Finish the entire site, photo galleries and all, before it goes live. Don’t disappoint your customers with a half-hearted, half-finished web experience!
LOOK LIKE A GHOST TOWN Avoid loading your website and social media pages with too many photos of your empty restaurant. They might be well-lit and even taken by a professional, but they also lack life and energy, and may give the impression that you have no customers. Always showcase your restaurant’s best features, but it’s usually smart to limit the big empty-room shots.
ignore pinterest Pinterest has over 57.9 million unique monthly visitors in the U.S. alone, 80% of whom are female. Over half a million businesses are already on Pinterest, chasing after those users. Combine those statistics with the photo-centric nature of the social network, and you’ve got an amazing showcase for your restaurant and the delicious stuff coming out of your kitchen!
GO QUIET Even if your business is seasonal, there’s no reason to abandon your social media accounts for months at a time. You might be closed, but your customers are still online every day. Thank them for last year’s success and get them excited about the season to come. Commiserate with them about inclement weather. Share off-season updates about remodeling and renovation projects, new recipe testing, new menu printing, etc. Stay at the forefront of their mind, and they’ll be the first in line when you reopen for the season!
CONFUSE YOUR PERSONAL AND WORK ACCOUNTS As a restaurant owner or manager, you are a public figure and you have a public image to maintain and manage. And that image can affect your restaurant business. You may even have to sacrifice a bit of privacy on your own social media pages. If you’re friends with customers on your personal pages, be very careful not to post overly intimate or inflammatory content that could, by association, damage your restaurant.
HIDE YOUR BEST FEATURES If there’s something special about your business –– some unique angle or thing you do better than anyone else –– make sure the world knows about it! Don’t bury the most interesting things about your restaurant in paragraphs of text on your website’s ABOUT US page. Put them front and center!
POST BLINDLY If you see that a hashtag is trending, don’t just jump on it without understanding the context. That’s come back to haunt several international companies that inadvertently made light of a sensitive social topic. You don’t want to be seen as trying to capitalize on tragedy to gain social media exposure or unknowingly take sides in a controversial public debate.
FORGET THE KIDS Want a shortcut to your restaurant being LIKED and SHARED on social media? Develop some eye-catching, photo-friendly kid’s dinner platings. Parents already snap loads of photos of their kids, and if you create some over-the-top, fun-looking meals, you can bet they’ll be snapped and posted before the check is delivered!
Ask your Sysco Marketing Associate for more information about social media and building your digital identity.