Using Social Media to Maximize Your Restaurant

Using Social Media to
Maximize Your Restaurant

by Paul Katsch

From the viewpoint of the Marketing industry, social media has changed everything. According to the 2013 Social Media Industry Report released by Social Media Examiner, 97% of marketers participate in social media. If you haven't noticed, technology has revolutionized the way consumers search and engage with products and services. Rather than a “push” industry, where corporations research what they think consumers will want and then make it available, technology shifts the paradigm. In today's “pull” industry consumers tell corporations what they want via social media, and those who react first get the business. So how does this affect the restaurant industry and what can you do to embrace this new interface?

The National Restaurant Association estimates that the restaurant industry will see $660.5 Billion in sales during 2013, a whopping 4% of the GDP for the entire United States. The truth about social media is that your customers are already looking for you and talking about you. It's up to you to decide if you're going to participate in that conversation or let your competitors grab the spotlight. So how do you get started, where should you focus your time, and how do you get the most bang for your buck? Like many things, social media requires the most time commitment in the beginning while you're learning, but by using your resources, setting an integrated social media plan, and a posting schedule it's much more manageable than it may seem. Don't have the time to commit? Look to a Marketing Manager, or hire a social media intern from your local college to lighten the load.

So you've decided you want to actively pursue social media, but there are so many sites that it can be quite overwhelming to get started. I highly recommend the resources and podcasts available on SocialMediaExaminer.com, as the social media industry is constantly changing they offer regular updates from industry leaders. In their 2013 Social Media Industry Report they list what marketers rated as their top focus, interests, and areas for future growth. The top sites were listed in this order: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogging, and YouTube, followed by Google+ and Pinterest. 69% of marketers are planning on investing more in YouTube, and 66% are planning on increasing blogging efforts. So whats the point of maintaining ALL of those different sites? 75% replied the saw increased traffic, 69% reported their efforts gave them insight into their marketplace, and 65% saw it as a tool to develop a loyal fan base. Now the National Restaurant Association reported that 66% of restaurant patrons would likely support establishments with loyalty and reward programs, so are you using your resources to bring these consumers back to your establishment?

Each of these social media tools could take hours to fully explain their use and opportunities, and if you're serious about being an industry leader I highly recommend you explore more resources to get a better grasp on each. In the simplest form, here is a brief description and the opportunities associated with the sites I previously listed. Facebook is the juggernaut of the social networks, with over 1.1 billion active monthly users (665 million daily!). 751 million of these users are on their mobile devices, which is a challenge and opportunity to share your content in a mobile-friendly format. So what can you do with Facebook? Share updates, spark conversations, and ALWAYS reply to comments as it makes your customers feel unique and appreciated which will increase their loyalty, engagement, and your potential of going viral. Also, create Facebook events and share other specials and promotions with appealing graphics. Twitter is more news oriented than Facebook, giving users 140 characters to spark conversation or lead to videos, photos, blogs, and webpages. Imagine your tweet as a newspaper headline, send your message to trending topics with a “#” hashtag word, or talk to other users and businesses with “@+username”. With 500 million registered accounts, 21% of the world's internet population are using Twitter each month, with the 55-64 year old demographic growing quickest. On Twitter you can follow influencers, spark conversations, and find interesting content to share, but its a great place to exist as a central newsfeed for the articles you blog and photos of your food to keep your restaurant top of mind.

LinkedIn is geared for professional networking with over 200 million users, and it's important to remember not all your social media marketing should be focused directly on your customers. You can also engage with industry experts, B2B, news agents, and your own employees and managers. LinkedIn is a great way to connect to people you already know, learn from like-minded groups, create a business profile so others can learn about your establishment, and post job openings so the most qualified candidates worldwide can find you. The next biggest social media focus is blogging, which can be done from a number of sites such as WordPress or Blogger. Your blog should represent your brand, in a consistent voice that echoes through all of your social media accounts. The best way to engage on your blog is looking at it like having a dinner guest over. You don't want to do all the talking, but you want to bring up topics that will get people to respond and share with you as well, maintained at a steady and regular pace. If all you ever post is about your own restaurant, it will work for some, but you risk losing credibility with others who may have been genuinely receptive to your marketing if it had been packaged differently. YouTube can be used for a number of things, promotional videos, clips of excellent events, or turn your managers and chefs into virtual celebrities. People like to see faces, and supplementing your other social media with short, crisp, clean, and fun videos is a great way to quickly turn up your exposure.

Google+ is similar to existing social networks, but differs in the fact that it really helps your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and can really help streamline between your Google+ page, your Blogger blog, and your Picassa photo album. With 359 million monthly users, this site should definitely not be overlooked. Last, but certainly not least, let's discuss Pinterest. Though there are more men joining the site, it hovers around 97% female and is one of the fastest growing social media sites today. Especially for professionals in the food industry, you need to be using Pinterest to share photos of your best dishes. By posting photos of your best plates online, you can download a Pinterest extension for Google Chrome, and pin those images right from the website to your board. Pinning this way creates a link, so as users share your photo, anyone that clicks on it will be directed back to your website. Ultimately, thats the goal with all your social media endeavors, grab users' attention, give them something they want to share, and let them promote your business for you.

If you've studied social media before, it's likely that most of these sites are familiar to you, so I'd like to share one NEW social media site that can help differentiate you from the pack. DinnerWire offers a free app for your patrons and a superior reservation management system for your front of house needs. Unlike other sites than run solely off of patron reviews (good AND bad!), you can set up your own restaurant profile for FREE, highlighting your restaurants best features. Patrons can find your restaurant based on their location, food preferences, and a number of other criteria such as venues with live music. From the app they can call, make a reservation, check-in, recommend your restaurant to their friends, then leave a photo and review. With a simple sign-up through Facebook or Twitter, they can share their photos and reviews with social media friends and family. This also creates a new opportunity for you as the restaurant owner. DinnerWire was designed to “Connect Foodies to Great Restaurants and Chefs”. It was created to turn your chefs and managers into local celebrities, simply by having them login to create their account. They can follow other influencers, and their fans will follow them and their reviews. By having your chef engage with your customers, it creates a stronger relationship between your restaurant and patrons. It also gives you the opportunity to promote your best meals with a picture and review that will be shared directly with the people most interested in your cuisine.

DinnerWire for Restaurants: 

DinnerWire for Foodies: 

Overall, work with your own team to determine which social media sites are best for you. It's important to first have a discussion on your goals with social media, how you want to position your brand, and what kind of online persona fits your company. Creating a friendly and consistent voice encourages users to build a meaningful relationship with you. You're after more than a one-item-sale, you're developing repeat business that will come back over and over with their friends and family. THAT is the goal of social media for restaurants.  

Statistical Sources: 
Social Media Examiner: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-industry-report-2013/
National Restaurant Association: http://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/Research/Forecast-2013

Additional Resources: 
Socialnomics 2013 (YouTube): http://youtu.be/TXD-Uqx6_Wk

Social Media Madness! - What is Social Media, How is it Used, and Why Should I Care? (SlideShare): http://www.slideshare.net/lulufemmefatale/social-media-madness-what-how-and-why
New Incentives for Dining Out (Infographic):
http://www.creditdonkey.com/image/1/550w/restaurant-trends.png