I’m not going to argue that eating out is not an interactive experience. As much as our family frequents restaurants, we certainly do our part to get to know the restaurateurs and waiters. We often search the internet for local menus and specialties to steer us in the right direction to satisfy cravings, so if you own a coffee shop, deli, bistro, or full bar and grill, it’s time you got social online. .
Do you have a website for your restaurant? If so, great! Having an online location card where customers can find menus and directions is important if you want to maintain high visibility among crowds of hungry web surfers looking for a good place to eat. However, given the dynamic nature of business, it may not always be convenient to constantly update your site whenever new events and special offers come up. Supplementing your online presence with active social media profiles keeps your customers informed of changes and encourages interaction that builds trust between your guests and the people who discover your restaurant.
How can you use social networks to promote your restaurant? You will discover that there are many options, all of which can be handled personally or by any Internet-savvy staff:
Post daily specials on Twitter: Which is the soup of the day? Has the dessert cart changed? You can keep users updated on menu changes as they happen with the real-time functionality Twitter offers. A good example is a frozen yogurt bar in Virginia Beach, which informs followers of the daily flavors.
Plus, using Twitter’s search function to determine if someone is taking suggestions for places to eat in your area gives you a chance to sound your own horn. Respond to Twitter users and offer a special to entice them to visit.
Offer coupons through Facebook: Like Twitter, Facebook can be accessed on handheld PDAs through specialized applications, making it easy to promote your business. Set up a fan page for your restaurant and encourage customers to join. Then you will have a captive audience that you can offer discounts on meals and free appetizers and desserts. Once word gets out, your fan base is likely to grow.
Upload commercial video on YouTube: If you advertise on television, why not post your commercials online? YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google, and these days people turn to the Internet more than their TV sets to watch TV. Create a YouTube page for your restaurant and offer TV commercials and even short videos that enhance the dining experience. Show people what they miss when they don’t visit.
Unearthing great reviews: Has it been praised on Yelp or TripAdvisor? You’ll definitely want to link to those reviews from your website, but you want people to know what their bosses have to say. Using social bookmarking features like Digg, Delicious, and similar sites helps spread the word about great reviews and can entice readers to do some research on their own…or even have lunch!
Your restaurant can be a great place to eat and socialize, but the more you use social media to inform diners, the better for your business.