How to Market your Restaurant through Social Media

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The food and hospitality industry needs social media. Here are four ways to ensure you are using it properly and effectively

It’s no secret that the food and hospitality industry has experienced a major shift in the last five years. While public opinion has always had the ability to make or break a restaurant or café, the rise of social media has meant that those opinions have never been so easily shared.

More than almost any other industry, the food industry needs to get on board with social media. If you haven’t already, RUN DON’T WALK to get yourself a solid social media strategy. And don’t worry if you don’t know how to do that, because Tick Yes is here to help!

The following is a brief guide to understanding the opportunities and limitations of social media marketing for the hospitality industry.

They’ll say it whether you’re there to listen or not…

One concern many organisations across the board have regarding social media is the fear that they are ‘putting themselves out there’ for people to abuse. Our advice is this: people with complaints are bound to trash-talk you whether you can hear them doing it or not. Would you prefer to be in on the conversation, and possibly have a chance to rectify the problem, or to remain unaware of the issue? We know which one we’d choose.

Make it worth their while…

It’s important to remember that people need incentives to engage with your brand online. The content you offer should be relevant and engaging, and provide some sort of reward for consumer interaction. Offering a free entrée or dessert for anyone who mentions a Facebook deal, or rewarding popular comments with vouchers is a classic method of keeping people coming back, but it’s also worthwhile using your social media outlets to gauge what your customers want – and then give it to them.

For example, more and more consumers these days have special dietary considerations. Using Facebook polls or Twitter to gauge how many customers would benefit from more gluten-free or low-calorie options is not only a great use of the tools you have, but can improve your actual business model.

Bloggers are your friends…

When was the last time you booked a restaurant and didn’t at least Google a review of it? With more and more sites popping up that host user reviews, not to mention the overwhelming armies of food bloggers descending on restaurants everywhere, getting good word of mouth has never been more important. Having a blogger outreach program in place by offering invitations or special deals will ensure that you at least get people talking about your restaurant. What they say, however, depends on how well you cook!

Respond. Always respond…

The worst possible thing a restaurant can do is neglect to respond to criticism about their establishment. Obviously you can’t monitor every singly blog or review site, but it’s good practice to at least visit the most popular sites weekly to check on how your reputation is faring. If there is negative feedback, do your best to rectify the situation with an offer of a free meal or, at the very least, an apology.

A Tick Yes digital and social media blog