A SOCIAL MEDIA RECIPE FOR RESTAURANTS

You may think business is booming right now at your restaurant, but what if I told you it could be doing a whole lot better? So much better that even the Queen would consider giving you a GREAT Yelp review. A tactical social media marketing plan will make you stand out from your competitors and drive customers to your restaurant. Take a look at this menu when creating your social media campaign for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest:

Mix it up!

Strategically, your social media accounts should not always promote your products. Rather, include a mixture of interesting posts that will keep your fans engaged. You may make a promotional post for every three of four engaging content you publish. For a promotional post, you can talk about a menu item, exceptional deals or happy hour. Since you don’t want to bore your audience, keep them engaged with a behind-the-scene picture, recipes, humor, quotes, polls and fascinating facts. 

Unlike mainstream forms of marketing, social media allows you to use informal language thereby showing that your brand consists of real people. It helps to be witty; you ‘butter’ believe it!

Serve topnotch content

The quality of the material you publish is directly related to the number of people your content will attract. Your customers are expecting appealing pictures on your restaurant’s Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest page, so be as creative as possible when posting content on social media. Close up pictures, action shots and photos of real life settings are well-received on social media.  Instead of a still shot of a pizza pie, use an action shot of the dough being tossed in the air to show creativity. Sometimes it’s okay to choose a picture of the bartender mixing cocktails over a picture of the drink, or show exclusive pictures of the patterns on a latte being made.

Take your customers’ orders

Always make an effort to respond in a friendly manner when a customer posts a review, photo or comment on your page. This shows that you care about your customers and their needs. Polling is a great way to engage with your audience members. Every now and then, post a picture of your bartender mixing a drink and see if your fans can guess the name of the cocktail. You can even ask for their help when naming a new drink.

Dish out promos

From time to time, show your generous side by offering exclusive deals and discounts to social media subscribers. You can choose to offer these promos on certain dates or after reaching a particular social media milestone. When customers notice your generosity, they’ll come back to visit and even recommend you to others. You can boost your posts on Facebook when you have special offers or deals; this will expand your reach and get your special in front of more targeted audience members. 

Add a pinch of blog

Blogging is not only a great way to educate your viewers, but it also helps with Search Engine Optimization. Observe your social media followers and appeal to their interests with your blog posts. Share élite cooking tips from your head chef, short videos on preparing a particular dish or easy ways to make a meal.

Garnish your posts with hashtags

Pay attention to social media trends and use them on your own sites. If #NationalDessertDay is trending, use the hashtag to show your audience dessert options. Remind your customers of #TacoTuesday or #WineWednesday, and tell them about weekly specials.

Toss in other ingredients

You can talk about topics besides food or drinks but you have to do so wisely. For example, show your audience a picture of your staff in their Halloween costume or a short montage of their attempt to sing a Christmas song.  Appeal to your audience’s emotional side by expressing appreciation on Veterans Day and other similar holidays. Look on National Day Calendar to determine what days you want to give homage to.

Advertise in order to Appetize

Be sure to create an advertising campaign that monitors how often you use ads and the kind of content that should be promoted.From time to time, sponsor your best posts in order to expose more people to your page. Thanks to social media, your restaurant is capable of targeting a large number of people with content.

In this day and age, it is important to implement a tactical social media plan for your restaurant. A strategic social media marketing plan will not only draw more people to your restaurant but will also encourage them to recommend it to others.

References: SproutSocial, Geek Chicago