Thanks to the relaxation of restrictions by the government, restaurants are finally allowed to open their doors to customers after a six month hiatus! And more restaurants are resuming operations with each passing day; while this is good news for the guests but for restaurant owners this means stiffer competition. May it be dine-in or delivery services, you need to market them and ensure you reach your customers. And one of the most effective ways to promote your restaurant is social media! The objective is to let the world know your restaurant exists, differentiate it from competitors and motivate customers to purchase.
Despite not being able to visit your restaurant in person, your customers have stayed in touch with it via social media. It’s now time to leverage this connection and push them to order or visit. We realized it might be overwhelming and some owners might struggle with what to post, the best time to do so, how often to post, and that’s why we’ve come up with some ideas and examples that you can implement today!
So, let’s get started:
Who doesn’t enjoy moments behind the scenes? Apart from the workings of a restaurant kitchen and how the food is prepared, pulling back the curtain gives customers a look at the hygiene measures you’ve adopted. Highlight the precautions you’ve taken across your restaurant premises and build customer trust, so they’re confident enough to order and visit.
Another trust building idea is to create short simple video messages either from the restaurant owner or the chef addressed to the customers. Tell customers about the ways you’re ensuring their safety, or talk about your reopening and generate excitement amongst them. It might be a surprise to you, but customers love hearing from you. Urge them to support you by ordering from you directly or visit you if you’re open.
It’s a given that you should use high quality images in your posts, but don’t be afraid to mix it up and use videos once in a while. The social media algorithms are programmed to maximize reach for videos, hence allowing you to leave an impression on a larger audience. Don’t know what to post? It’s simple, highlight your product, your food! Post photos of your best selling items and customer favourites. Make a walkthrough video of your restaurant, so customers can see their safety is guaranteed. Create work-in-progress videos of the food, such as kneading of dough, tossing of vegetables and more. Try your hand at short-form video content using Instagram Reels.
The best part of social media is that it doesn’t always have to be planned, and stories allow you to get candid and post updates on-the-go! It is an amazing way to get real with your customers and show them the happenings at your restaurant in an unpretentious manner.
Stories also have amazing engagement features such as polls, ratings, quizzes, stickers and more! Ask customers questions, learn their preferences, quiz them, give updates and create a buzz using them!
Let’s face it, customers love freebies! And you can leverage this fact to host competitions and make a complete campaign around it. Whether it is a free meal, a discount or a dine-in offer, these contests will help you create a buzz and drive up customer engagement. The best part? The reach is maximized thanks to word of mouth and shares!
Customers are spending more time in their kitchens than ever! It is a great opportunity to leverage this fact and get in on it. Conduct a Live cook-along with your chef using the DIY kits that your restaurant has to offer or a host a cocktail hour with your bartender.
May it be a festival, a dedicated day on the calendar, a viral video, post format or a hashtag, keep your eyes open for ongoing trends on social media. Create a post or a story around it and attract visitors to your pages thanks to them. The social media algorithms actively push trending topics, so if you’re not joining an ongoing conversation, you’re missing out!
Apart from ensuring you reply to the comments and DMs that you receive, it is extremely helpful to repurpose customer generated content and re-posting it on your profile. This gives customers instant gratification and also a little ego boost that encourages them to share more, hence amplifying your reach.
Who said your page needs to be only full of food or restaurant images? Use your page as a doorway to drive customers to order from you using your own online ordering system, and offers is an excellent way to incentivize this! Don’t lose out to third-party ordering platforms, create promo-code based offers for customers to redeem and ensure customers find a good deal and order directly from you. They don’t care if they order through your restaurant or a third-party, so give them the encouragement they need to use your own ordering platform.
Are you introducing a new dish? Do you have a new chef’s special? Adding seasonal items on the menu? Let your customers know! Post about it on social media. These make for perfect content, it generates curiosity and motivates customers to try them out! So start posting and capture their attention today!
--
Social media may look easy from the outside, but it takes consistent and regular efforts to actually make your online presence felt and allow your restaurant to actually engage existing guests and attract new ones. We hope you find this guide of use!
Thrive Now is a modern online ordering solution for restaurants. Gain control over your business, and grow your brand on your own terms.
Thrive by Hashtag Loyalty. Copyright 2023.
All rights reserved.
