Restaurants face an incredible amount of competition, and it takes a lot of work to make yours stand out from the crowd. Many other restaurants will have some advantage over yours, whether it’s the view, the prices, or the cuisine.
Restaurant marketing has moved far beyond traditional advertising. Gone are the days of putting up an ad or two and relying on word of mouth. In the digital age, you need to have a robust social media marketing strategy to attract new customers and retain your regulars.
Why Use Facebook Marketing Strategies For Restaurants?
Surprisingly, instead of turning to Google or food blogs, 49% of people use Facebook to find new restaurants. Some of these people are deliberately looking for a restaurant, while others encounter ads organically while simply browsing Facebook.
Many people use Facebook instead of expert sites because they’re suspicious of traditional advertising and prefer a more genuine approach. The vast majority of customers will make a retail or restaurant decision based on comments from other users. Most younger adults will only rely on social media to make their decision where to dine and spend their money.
The Basics of Facebook Marketing
You don’t have to be a marketing guru to take advantage of social media restaurant marketing. Understanding which KPIs drive traffic to your restaurant and use of a few simple steps can significantly impact your visibility and take your restaurant to the next level.
In fact, some the very same tactics that work in many other hyper local niches like, Attorney marketing on Facebook, work just as well in the food and beverage industry.
Identify Your Audience
Your first step is to understand your customers. Figure out what they’re interested in, what they want from their food experiences, and their lifestyle patterns. Marketing and interactions between customers for an upscale Michelin-starred restaurant will be very different from the local gastro-pub.
Create Unique Marketing Campaigns
Once you understand your customers, you’ll know what appeals to them. Regardless of your niche, make sure you have the best possible photos for your restaurant page. Unappealing food photos (or no photos at all) are among the main reasons people won’t want to visit your restaurant.
Also, consider offering promotions that will entice your desired crowd. However, don’t overuse these, as getting a reputation as the ‘specials place’ will devalue your brand.
Talk To Your Customers
The best reason to get on Facebook is to talk to your customers. Genuine interactions will generate interest and foster a sense of brand loyalty. Engage with your customers by asking for their feedback, provide exciting or informative posts about your cuisine, and generally start forming a community. If you don’t have the time to do it all yourself, look into some chatbot marketing options to ease your load.
While it’s tempting to ignore negative feedback, it’s one of the most valuable aspects of social media marketing. Don’t brush off negative reviews; instead, try to take the customer’s experience to heart and react appropriately. Often times, responding in a public forum can get all your fans to come to your aid and it can also be an opprotunity to show a past customer that they should give your restaurant a second try, for maybe that free bye one get one free item you offer.
Don’t Forget About Paid Ads
Facebook also offers a paid ad service that will show your page to people interested in restaurants. It’s a great way to complement an organic Facebook marketing campaign and see instant results. The best part, you can target people in the local area with video views often for less than a penny per view.
If you still feel intimidated by digital restaurant marketing, contact Bistro SEO at (941)662-4889. We’ve helped many local restaurants improve their visibility using Facebook marketing strategies for restaurants, and we can do the same for you.