Social media is an integral part of every modern business, including restaurants. It provides an accessible medium for you to promote your business and maintain the brand you’ve worked so hard to build. It can be hard to master, but with these tips, you should discover that social media marketing is more about having a plan than having a single skill set.
- Cater to a millennial audience
It’s no secret that millennials are the most likely to use social media in order to make decisions regarding retail purchases. The millennial generation also has the largest purchasing power. So, it makes sense to bend your social media marketing strategy towards millennials. Pew Research found that YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the most used social media applications. Having content that is sharable on each of these platforms is key to ensuring you reach the right markets.
- Create a consistent voice
You don’t have to use textbook grammar if it doesn’t fit your brand. If you run a southern restaurant, use colloquialisms and throw in an occasional y’all in your content. A consistent voice brings an air of authenticity to your marketing strategy. Customers see it as you communicating with them instead of using catchy marketing tricks to get them interested in your restaurant.
- Share customer-generated content
Customer-generated content is typically pictures or videos that your customers take while they’re in your restaurant. Sharing their posts on your social media pages makes them feel like they’re part of the business as well. Create your own hashtag, or even host a picture contest to help generate sharable content. You can also offer rewards for the most creative posts.
- Spotlight your employees
A lot of people use social media to keep up with the lives of their family members. Sharing content featuring your employees is an easy way to make your business feel like one big family. This kind of content helps humanize your business in a way that resonates with your customers. Share funny anecdotes or the best jokes that your employees tell. Make it fun!
- Polls
Polling your customers for new ideas to incorporate into the restaurant is a great way to build customer engagement. Ask them for their favorite items, or what they’d like to see on the menu. This is a great way to tell your customers what’s happening in the restaurant as well. If you need a good example follow Which Wich on Twitter (@whichwich).
- Film videos
These don’t have to be expensive Hollywood-esque commercials, or short movies. Just walk around the restaurant with your smartphone and film some interesting happenings around the business. This gives your customers a behind-the-scenes look at how your business runs. It also allows them to engage with your restaurant in a way that is otherwise not available to them.
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