In the era of online marketing, it appears that restaurants are the slowest establishments that embrace social media marketing. This could be attributed to the fact that they want to protect their secret recipes or they’re just reluctant to see what people are saying about their brand. Regardless, Rev Media Marketing reported that new breed of restaurateurs are beginning to incorporate social media marketing to their campaigns.
Bringing the Right Message
Delivering what their customers want is one way for restaurants to use social media. Owner of Let’s YO Yogurt Eric Casaburi shared:
“The customer for Let’s YO yogurt is just a huge demographic and the way we communicate with them … we’re just going to market so many different ways, talking to people who we know are customers because we’ve identified them. We know how to speak to them — that’s key. We have the message in the right place.”
In fact, Pew Research Center recently released a study stating that 55 percent of adults search for restaurant, bar and club information online. Majority of the respondents uses the Internet to search for that information, and 3 percent of them are using social networking sites. Therefore, restaurant owners must strategically use the power of social media for their benefit other than expanding their fans or followers.
Using the Power of Social Media
Other than amassing a number of followers, there are different strategies that restaurant owners can use social media to promote their brand. Below are simple tips on how restaurateurs can use social media to their advantage.
- Reach out to customers who share positive feedback about your brand, and make their messages a part of your restaurant’s marketing campaign.
- Make your customers feel a part of your brand’s success by giving them the first glimpse of what’s new from the kitchen. To make the experience even better, invite them for free tasting.
- You can also allow your followers to promote your business page by having a “fan of the week” contest. Have them take a picture of themselves with their favorite product from your restaurant, and let their friends vote for the picture. Whoever gets the most number of votes will get a free or discounted product from your establishment.
Food industry using the social media is good news for marketers, as restaurants are starting to take advantage of this platform to make their customers’ experience the taste of their brand. As for restaurant owners, they’ve found a new and creative way of engaging their consumers.
