Why Your Restaurant Needs Social Media

Social media and restaurant marketing go hand in hand. Business owners need to have a restaurant marketing plan for their establishment, but many don't know where to start or why they would need social media. To make sure you include the right platforms in your next restaurant social media strategy, let's take a look at some of the reasons why social media can boost your business to draw the right kind of crowd.

Go Where Your Audience Is

Restaurant social media strategies are necessary because of an increasingly digital world. Newspaper ads are a thing of the past, so why are so many restaurants still depending on paper products to deliver their advertising? No matter what age you're targeting, your audience is on social media. Sites like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest have a wide variety of ages and social backgrounds for you to market to. If you're passing these sites up, you're retroactively killing your business.

Cost-Effective Advertising

Have you looked at the price of newspaper ads lately? They're expensive! Why go through all the hassle for a small square of space in the Sunday paper when you can market to your audience for free? True, some platforms have Pro accounts that you can pay for, but you can do a lot with the free versions of Facebook and Twitter. Instagram is quickly skyrocketing into the #1 spot for visual advertising, with Pinterest holding strong as well. There's a wealth of opportunity at your fingertips – you just have to take a few photos, throw on some hashtags, and voila!

Interactive Apps

Customers get bored easily, so it's important to keep them engaged, even when they're just stopping by for a quick bite. Social media is highly interactive. Many restaurants have company apps that let you do anything from post a photo of your meal on the company page to finding coupons exclusively for social media followers. The point is that social media is easy to interact with, and when your customers get excited about your brand and want to tweet about it, it's essentially free advertising. They become unofficial advocates for you and don't even know it.

Reviews

You need to get over your fear of bad reviews. There will always be a sour apple amongst the bunch, but having social media accounts for users to post reviews on can greatly increase your online presence and help you build a good reputation. It also lets you view customer concerns more easily. Visibility and incentive are key to getting loyal customers to give you positive reviews, so make sure you acknowledge the ones you receive.

Still Need Help?

We get it; social media can be intimidating! You need someone who knows the ins and outs of social media. Speak to me today to discuss the social media marketing strategy for your restaurant.