Social media and food go hand in hand as foodies search for recipes, post pics of their dishes, and connect with like-minded diners globally. Does your marketing plan include a social media strategy? If not, it’s time to get social! These platforms can help you reach an untapped audience, announce news, engage with your customers, and so much more.
There are a few social media perks that you can capitalize on to maximize your restaurant margins.
Improved customer service
Social media is a tool that can help restaurants prioritize customer service. From an engagement perspective, your platforms allow you to create communication and dialogue between your restaurant and guests to build relationships and boost loyalty. Responding promptly and authentically to posts, comments, or reviews adds credibility to your business, improves guest interaction with your restaurant, and could give you a leg up on the competition.
Community building
Online interactions help build a community of support for your brand, from your regular guests, to influencers, and more. Filling your social media channels with interesting content helps diners get more familiar with your brand, and people like to support businesses they know. By posting regular content, your audience will start remembering your restaurant and looking for your posts. Don’t forget to use hashtags, encourage guests to share content, and re-share relevant posts to attract new attention and grow that community even further.
Detailed analytics
Getting to know your customers better means accessing data on demographics, preferences, and habits – and social media can help! If you have a budget for advertising, you can see who clicks on the ad, accesses your website, or makes a reservation, to create detailed, targeted campaigns. But even without an advertising budget, social media helps you see who’s following, commenting, and engaging with your brand, and that gives you insight into your demographic. Spend the time to look into your audience, follow back, share, and engage with their posts so they know you’re listening. Using data to create targeted marketed campaigns saves you a lot of trial-and-error time, leaving you the time you need to run your restaurant.
Social media is an effective tool to reach more people, build relationships, and gain valuable insight into your customers’ preferences. Use your platforms as part of your restaurant’s marketing strategy to connect with your guests and build your profits.
