Your restaurant’s social media strategy could be the key to attracting diners and increasing bookings.
That’s right. Now more than ever, social media marketing is powerful for hospitality businesses of all sizes. When you know how to develop a strong social strategy, you can begin to generate interest in your venue and what you can offer.
The result?
Soon, you’ll start to build a community around your brand. Hello, new guests and greater engagement! When you shout your value from the rooftops, you can get people in your local community to care about your business (and stop by for something to eat!).
Define your goals
An effective restaurant marketing strategy should begin with a goals-driven approach.
What are you trying to achieve through social media management? You might be eager to increase brand awareness, promote new menu items, drive email sign-ups, or get more traffic to your website. Or maybe you just want to make your name in the restaurant industry.
Whatever your goals are, you need to place these at the heart of the strategy you’re building. When you know what you’re aiming for, you can take actionable steps to help you achieve your dreams.
Plus, clear, well-defined goals will give you a chance to put your money where your mouth is. You can plan carefully and measure your performance to check that you’re on the right track.
Know your audience
Next, it’s time to get to know your target audience, understanding what potential customers are likely to expect from you.
Your job on social media is to produce content that resonates with consumers, including new customers and old familiar faces alike.
Start by knowing what you do best. Is your business a fine-dining restaurant with a high-profile clientele? Or are you running a laidback cafe overlooking the waves? Your brand informs your consumer network and helps you reach people in the right way.
Create social media posts that use a consistent tone and clear branding and that align with the people you know will like what you do. This is the best way to set expectations about the type of in-venue experience you offer, from the level of service to your specialty cuisine and even the kind of price point to expect from your menu.
Choose your platforms
Get ready to choose your social media platforms! You’re looking for marketing channels where you can find the right social media users.
Maybe your restaurant’s social media marketing strategy needs a Facebook page or an Instagram account. Maybe you’d thrive on Twitter, gain interest on TikTok, or spread the word on YouTube.
You don’t have to be on every social media platform in order to make an impact. You just need to be on the right social media sites to share your message with the most engaged viewers. Remember to consider location! You need to reach local people who can visit your restaurant in person.
Build your social media presence using an approach that meets people where they are online. Your restaurant’s social media profiles are a communication tool, so set them up in a way that works best for you.
This could mean using Facebook Messenger to answer diner’s FAQs and secure bookings or even using your Instagram Stories to communicate menu changes, reservation availabilities and even promote group dining packages.
Craft your strategy
When you know where you’ll publish your content, you can start curating your social media strategy, using a mix of content formats to draw focus to your business.
Produce quality written and visual content that represents your restaurant and the best of what you do. Think about the value your posts offer, and work with popular social media algorithms by using a selection of keywords and trending hashtags.
Using a range of social media channels, you can share everything from favorite recipes to behind-the-scenes footage. Don’t forget to promote special events and exclusive discounts when they arise.
Try to establish content pillars for your restaurant marketing strategy. Using a clear, easy-to-distinguish brand. voice, rely on content ideas and strategies that highlight what makes your business great.
Engage with your followers
Engagement is essential if you want to be successful on social media! You need to be part of building a community.
Put in the work, and engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and reviews promptly. Stick to your brand guidelines, and look for opportunities to start a conversation with other users.
Encourage your followers to share their experiences at your restaurant using a branded hashtag. Positive feedback is invaluable! With permission, you can even repurpose customer posts to create user-generated content that showcases your restaurant’s key attributes. Don’t forget the impact of effective influencer marketing!
Remember, the more you put into your social media presence, the more you’ll get in return. Set aside some time each day to engage with locals and followers from your business profile. Proactive community management can hugely benefit your marketing success.
Track your metrics
Tracking metrics and analyzing data is an important part of helping your restaurant business growth across all social platforms.
Use in-built metrics data and external app-based tools (like Plann) to review reach and engagement rates every time you share something new. You can use what you learn to refine your social media marketing strategy over time.
When you use your social media business account to stay up to date with content performance, it’s easy to arm yourself with information. Gradually, you can better understand your restaurant’s social media and learn the most effective ways to succeed.
Never be afraid to try something new. As long as you’re keeping track of what works and what doesn’t, everything is research. Your restaurant’s social media will grow as you begin to implement research-back posting styles, methods, and strategies.
Get started with Plann
Finally, know that any good restaurant’s social media marketing strategy should be underpinned by a strong, proactive Plann.
You need to take a clever and curated approach to restaurant social media marketing. Learn what social media users want to see from your business, and tailor your approach to suit this. Your content should always be evolving, just like you are!
The best place to get started is with an intuitive social media scheduling and strategy tool for easy digital marketing management. Did someone say Plann? Sounds like it! You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of the Plann Pro now and whip your social media marketing platforms into shape.
