Are you the marketing manager for your restaurant or catering business?
One of the most common issues we see today is that restaurants want to engage with their customers, but they don’t know how. In the ever-changing world of social media, it can be rather difficult. However, adding social media to your mix of marketing plans can take you from 0 to 100 overnight.
Stop Thinking Like an Owner or Manager
View this from the perspective of the customer. Think about what you are offering that makes people want to use your business. Is it the best food, the great environment and the friendly staff? Highlight those areas by taking great pictures, and talking to your guests as if they are your neighbors or as if they have been regulars for years. When you start to receive comments or feedback, interact with those people as if they are your friends. Get on their level, and see eye-to-eye with them!
Post Photos!
This is the second, and probably most obvious tip. You can never have enough pictures of your food. Personally, my restaurant does “picture days,” where we make a ton of menu items, and we all take pictures of everything. We share these pictures in a Dropbox folder, and our social media guru posts them to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with unique or fun captions. People see these pictures and will literally bring their phone in to show you what they want to eat!
Use Hashtags to your Advantage
There are always trending hashtags for different cities, days, events, holidays, etc. One of the popular hashtags in my city of Austin, TX is #atxfood – which is to say, that people who click that hashtag, or follow that hashtag, will see your food if you take a picture and use it. People are more likely to find your business if it shows up in what they are already searching.
It can get pretty crazy and complicated sometimes but once you get rolling social media will be like second nature to you! You can start running contests, giveaways, and even highlight guests that come in and take pictures of your food to be more interactive. What it all boils down to is communication with your guests. You are the voice of your company. What do you want your voice to be?
Written by: Kinzington McElvain