4 reasons why hospitality brands should be on social media

For hospitality venues, being on social media is no longer an option. It’s a necessity. Even if you don’t have a social media presence, your customers are still talking about you online. As a pub, restaurant, bar or club, you need to get in on these conversations to increase brand awareness, portray your brand in the best possible light and reach your target market.

Here are four reasons why your hospitality business needs to be active on social:

1. Get to know your customers

When people are out having a good time with friends, enjoying great food and drinks, they want to tell people about it. This is why news feeds are constantly being filled with people checking-in, praising, complaining, recommending and tweeting-what-they’re-eating. Create a voice for your brand, join the conversation, and get to know your customer’s likes, dislikes, wants and needs.

2. Keep up with the competition

It’s a dog eat dog world out there. The longer you’re offline, the quicker your competitors are taking over and encouraging your customers to come to their venue, instead of yours. If you’re just starting up in the social media sphere, chances are the majority of your competitors are way ahead of the game. However, with a solid social media strategy, you can not only win those customers back but also attract a whole lot of new business. 

3. Increase brand awareness

This is particularly important if you’re a new business. Pubs, bars, and restaurants rely heavily on word-of-mouth promotion, especially if you’re not located on a busy street in the CBD. Social media is an inexpensive way of marketing your business to a huge audience. There are currently 15 million Australians on Facebook and 5 million monthly active users on Instagram. By sharing visually stimulating content, that sparks conversation, you will build a loyal community who believe in you and your service, ultimately, bringing people through the door.

4. Step up your customer service game

Consumers are making purchasing decisions about brands even before going to their websites. In actual fact, over half of social media users read reviews online before making a purchase. A negative review on Facebook can cause a substantial amount of damage to your brand, especially if you ignore it. Social media allows you to monitor the sentiments of your customers and address their concerns before the news spreads.

If you’re a café, restaurant, pub or bar and need help with your social media, I'd love to chat! Visit the Epik Digital website to get in touch.