7 Ways Restaurant Can Use Social Media Effectively For Free

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Restaurants have never had it better.

Not too long ago, restaurants had to spend a lot of money on advertisements in order to bring customers in.

But with the advent of the internet, it is now much easier to draw in customers to your place of business.

The internet has bridged the gap between restaurants and potential customers, making it possible for them to connect with just a few clicks.

Social media serves as an excellent platform where the aforementioned connection can take place. Many restaurants now have social media pages where they showcase their offerings.

The problem is that a lot of restaurants are not making the most out of social media. This is because they do not know what and/or how to post to get their audience excited enough to want to visit their restaurant.

In this article, you are going to learn seven ways you can use social media effectively to draw in customers to your restaurant.

These ideas are pretty simple and easy to apply.

And the best part is – they are mostly free!

You ready? Here they are:

  1. Create An Account

This is a no-brainer, isn’t it?

Before you can use a social media platform, you’d need to create an account on there.

You could use any social media platform you like. They all have their strengths and weaknesses but we recommend Instagram or Twitter. They are both excellent platforms for restaurants.

With these platforms you can interact directly with potential and current customer through the comment section. You could also have your customers reach via direct messaging in your inbox.

It is important to include the necessary details when creating your account. Most social media algorithms use these details to attract the right customers to your page.

But that’s not all.

You should upload crispy photos of your meals, the interior of your restaurant, and a few happy customers. You should also have a link to your menu so that your visitors that see what kind of meals you serve.

  1. Find Your Centre

You have created an account, now what?

What exactly should you post that would interest your visitors? Should you go totally promotional or try to increase your visitors’ engagement with your brand?

The answer to that question is simple – find a balance.

Promotional posts are important as they help to inform your visitors about your offering and any deals you may have. Building engagement is equally as important as it helps you create a bond between your visitors and your brand.

However, overdoing any of the two can hurt your business significantly.

And so, it is important to find a balance between promotional posts and engagement posts.

  1. Know When To Post

Posting at the wrong time is as bad as being too promotional or too engaging.

Knowing when to post is critical for restaurants.

You need to consider what kind of restaurant you run and what time your customers come online. It makes no sense to post during working hours. Few to none of your customers would be online by that time. And by the time they do, your post would be drowned out by other posts in your visitors’ feeds.

Generally, it makes sense for restaurants to posts at the end of working hours. This way, you can attract people to have dinner after work or breakfast the next day.

  1. Take Advantage Of Geocentric Ads

Although you can use social media platforms to grow your customer base without paying a dime, making use of ads has its own advantage.

Social media ads can be programed to show up on your visitors’ wall at the right time, say towards the evenings.

You could also use the location-centric feature that would display your ads when the social media platform users are physically close to your restaurants.

This feature can be set to show ads to only users in the city where your restaurant is located.

  1. Interact With Customer Reviews

It’s easy to ignore reviews, both good and bad, or consider them as unimportant.

This is a big no-no.

Reviews are vital to your brand and can be an excellent tool that brings in new customers. Customers love it when brands interact with them, either in the comment section or review pages.

If a happy customer compliments your restaurant, you should appreciate them and use the opportunity to invite them back. You could ask them to come with their friends without being too sales-y about it.

If an unhappy customer posts a negative review, apologize to that customer and offer to make it up to them. But don’t make promises you can’t keep.

It is vital to know these 5 positive ways to handle a negative review. Other customers watch how you handle bad reviews and use it as a yardstick to measure the quality of your service.

  1. Do A Live Video Stream Of Your Kitchen

Social media users love live streamed content the same way they love reality TV shows.

Fortunately, top social media platforms like Facebook now have live stream features. In the live stream you should show off your kitchen and staff. Or a step-by-step procedure you use to prepare a certain meal.

You could also live stream your fresh ingredients that are straight from the farm which can help build trust in your customers.

Although you need to have a plan before you begin live streaming. This will keep it from being awkward, tacky, or boring.

Planning could also make sure you don’t reveal any implicating detail.

  1. Be Human

It is easy to fall into the trap of trying to sound “professional” or “serious”.

But that is going to leave your comments section empty.

Want to know why?

Because social media users are humans and they want to interact with humans.

You should adopt a warm and friendly tone in all your posts. It’s not a bad idea to spice it up with some humour. Just ensure that you find and use your unique voice and not try to sound like everyone else.

[Update]

Bonus Tip

      8.  Use Trending Hashtags

Instagram and Twitter are great platforms for restaurants for many reasons.

But one reason stands out – Hashtags!

Hashtags are social media elements that help users find content around a certain topic or industry. Hashtags can help people find your restaurant online especially when you use the trending hasthags.

For instance, if today is world Hot-dog day and your restaurant serves hot-dogs, use hashtags like #Worldhotdogday below your posts.

Remember to research the hashtags that are trending for the particular topic you want to get found for. Then use up to 10 to 15 of those per post. This will increase your chances of getting found on Instagram or Twitter.

Don’t forget to include a crisp photo of a hot-dog with the post.

 

These points, when done correctly, could see new customers coming to restaurant every week. It could also help you build your customers loyalty and trust in your brand.

By the way, did you know that offering free social Wi-Fi can boost your restaurant sales and improve your ROI? Read this article: Restaurant Wi-Fi to learn more.

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