A successful online presence and social media marketing strategy is the lifeblood of any popular restaurant today. Through social media, such as Facebook, your restaurant can work to establish and engage your customer base while setting yourself apart from other restaurants in your area that you are competing with.
When the Branning Group begins a new social media marketing campaign for a restaurant, we first discuss:
Who the restaurant is reaching out to and who their target audience is?
- Target Specific People- Your restaurant should not and cannot target everyone.
- Instead, figure out what your restaurant’s niche is (Family Friendly, Fine Dining, Steak House, etc.) and then market to specific people who would patronize that type of establishment.
- Know Your Audience- For example, if you are a family friendly restaurant, let customers know what sort of activities or deals you have for children.
Ideas on engaging audience and getting customers in the seats.
- Establish what sets your restaurant apart from the competition.
- Highlight those areas on Facebook and other social media platforms.
- Tuesday night Buffet, Wednesday Night Meal Deal, etc.
- If your audience cannot find that info on your social media, they will not come.
- People want to know what is going on that week.
- Do you have any promotions or coupons available? Are there any fun or exciting events? Can customers receive a discount if they check in/tag themselves on Facebook while at your restaurant.
- Highlight these things at least once or twice a month.
- Highlight those areas on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Did you know?
We have found that when customers come into a restaurant and tell the staff they discovered their restaurant on Facebook, usually those customers have found them online within the past hour! When people are looking for a restaurant they want to know the deals you are highlighting, because they are hungry RIGHT NOW! There is a sense of urgency, and you can take advantage of that!
Case Study: Local restaurant Giannini Bistro and Grill
Sharon, owner of local Antelope Valley Restaurant Giannini Bistro and Grill, had very limited time to promote her restaurant online. Sharon’s restaurant frequently had unique or fun events that made it stand out from other establishments (Pirate and Alice in Wonderland themed dinners, Jazz Bands, meal deals, etc.), but she was not utilizing social media to advertise them. The Branning Group began highlighting those events ahead of time, so her and her staff had the freedom to focus on the restaurant operations. Before long her restaurant began reaping the rewards of increased patronage and repeat/loyal customers.
Quick tips for running your own social media page.
- Be visual! The more pictures of your food and menu items, the better. (Make sure the photos appear inviting and appetizing!)
- Include the price! By doing so you are eliminating the unknown for customers.
- Keep your Facebook and other social media pages up-to-date.
- Make your promos easy to find! Always make sure coupons are visually accessible.
Pro Tip: Change your Facebook’s cover photo to your restaurant’s current promo or coupon. This cover photo will pop up when customers hover over a review on Facebook, and they will see it right away!
- Push Reviews! People make a decision based on what their peers are saying. Copy and post positive reviews from Yelp, Facebook, and other sources. These positive reviews will attract new customers.
- The “Call Now” button. Facebook offers a “Call Now” button to make it easy for customers to call you to set up a reservation, learn more now, or even see how busy you currently are.
TAKE ACTION:
Grab our FREE Restaurant Marketing Toolkit, which includes all of the content we covered today and a bunch of other helpful resources to get you going!
If you would like the Branning Group to help you with your social media marketing, fill out the form below or call us at (661) 946-0888