Whether you own a small business, like a pizzeria, restaurant, sandwich shop, ice cream shop or what have you… Social Media is here to help! In this post we will briefly go over what you can do to make the most of the multiple Social Media Sites. The goal of Social Media Marketing is to engage your customers, the fact that you have a Facebook page, a Twitter account and your sign-up for Foursquare, doesn’t mean you are utilizing the social media market. Think of it as interactive marketing, where you can literally interact with your consumers on a personal level. What other form of advertising allows you to do this, go on take a minute… exactly, NONE.
So whats the next step, now that you are signed up for these sites. Here are some quick ideas for marketing on a few different sites.
Lets start with Facebook, and the goal here is to upload interesting engaging material as well as promotional information. You want to keep people coming back to your page to comment on posts, for top of mind awareness, but you also want to make sure you are letting them know what is happening… Is there a special during happy hour tonight, do you have BOGO medium pizzas only during lunch hours (obviously to boost lunch sales). You also want to post interactive things as well, such as what is your favorite toppings on a pizza. And finally posts that have nothing to do with your restaurant but let the people know you are local and a people person, such as “are you a dog or a cat person”, or “are you going to the town meeting today”? These questions keep people interacting with your site, which in-turn pops up on their wall which their friends can see and in turn boosts your viewership.
With Twitter you are able to engage your customers with real-time information. You are also able to use Twitter to monitor your brand mentions. Twitter is great for announcing new products, or a dinner special for this evening on the same day that it is running. Tweet about a certain popular food that tends to run out quickly, “New batch of Triple Chocolate Fudge will be available tonight!”, “Back by popular Demand, Fiesta Tortilla Soup!” This keeps your regulars up to speed with what you will be serving but also alerts new customers or not so regular customers up to date with what you have. Do you have TV’s in your shop, maybe you’ll be showing a Movie, or the Local Sports Team or keep it super local and have the High School Football game on. Don’t forget to keep your followers engage with posting questions, and replying to them! As well as having contests for existing followers 10th person to post about us gets a $5 gift card, or the 25th person to DM me will receive a free appetizer.
Lets round this up with Foursquare… Tho foursquare and other geolocating sites were a bit on the slow side to get things going with social media, they are starting to get some traction with businesses and consumers. This is just another way to keep your customers engaged with your business. You are able to reward your customers when they check in, maybe its a $5 gift card on their first check-in, and a Free Appetizer on their 10th. You are able to promote check-in giveaways on foursquare, the consumer maybe looking for a place to eat on foursquare by looking whats nearby and you are offering a 1/2 price app with a check in and your competitor is not offering anything… That customer is much more likely to stop in at your restaurant rather than your competitors. On the flip side, you may not promote a special but have a sign when people walk in that states, get a free dessert with a check in. It’s a delightful surprise to the customers that may not have been thinking about checking in to begin with. Oh and don’t forget your mayors, on foursquare that is, these individuals are most likely your regulars and just like a punch card (punch the card for each app and get the 10th one free), why not surprise them with a free entrée/app/dessert or the likes.
More than likely they will post and thank you for it, thus encouraging others to go to your restaurant more to see if they can gain mayorship and maybe get that free offer.
We have been mentioning a lot about FREE this or FREE that and some of you maybe thinking about WHY you should be giving stuff away. And no, I am not saying to give your customer a whole meal for free and say thanks see ya later. I am saying that offering a free appetizer or dessert or a BOGO entrée will lure these customers back another time. Also since they are getting something “Free” they may purchase an extra drink, or appetizer/dessert if they are getting the other one for free. It’s all about being enticing and giving the customers another reason to come back again and again (besides your delicious food!).
And finally, the only way your social media marketing will work is if you STICK WITH IT. You cannot post once a month, or tweet every other week, your audience will stop following you and will continue to follow a company that is keeping them engaged. Take some time and sit down to put together a social media marketing plan once a month, this way everything is laid out for you and you are able to maintain that plan throughout the month. Rather than trying to figure it out day-to-day which will end up costing you time and money and will most likely be ineffective. So what are you waiting for… social media is not going away and will only continue to grow!
So whats the next step, now that you are signed up for these sites. Here are some quick ideas for marketing on a few different sites.
Lets start with Facebook, and the goal here is to upload interesting engaging material as well as promotional information. You want to keep people coming back to your page to comment on posts, for top of mind awareness, but you also want to make sure you are letting them know what is happening… Is there a special during happy hour tonight, do you have BOGO medium pizzas only during lunch hours (obviously to boost lunch sales). You also want to post interactive things as well, such as what is your favorite toppings on a pizza. And finally posts that have nothing to do with your restaurant but let the people know you are local and a people person, such as “are you a dog or a cat person”, or “are you going to the town meeting today”? These questions keep people interacting with your site, which in-turn pops up on their wall which their friends can see and in turn boosts your viewership.
With Twitter you are able to engage your customers with real-time information. You are also able to use Twitter to monitor your brand mentions. Twitter is great for announcing new products, or a dinner special for this evening on the same day that it is running. Tweet about a certain popular food that tends to run out quickly, “New batch of Triple Chocolate Fudge will be available tonight!”, “Back by popular Demand, Fiesta Tortilla Soup!” This keeps your regulars up to speed with what you will be serving but also alerts new customers or not so regular customers up to date with what you have. Do you have TV’s in your shop, maybe you’ll be showing a Movie, or the Local Sports Team or keep it super local and have the High School Football game on. Don’t forget to keep your followers engage with posting questions, and replying to them! As well as having contests for existing followers 10th person to post about us gets a $5 gift card, or the 25th person to DM me will receive a free appetizer.
Lets round this up with Foursquare… Tho foursquare and other geolocating sites were a bit on the slow side to get things going with social media, they are starting to get some traction with businesses and consumers. This is just another way to keep your customers engaged with your business. You are able to reward your customers when they check in, maybe its a $5 gift card on their first check-in, and a Free Appetizer on their 10th. You are able to promote check-in giveaways on foursquare, the consumer maybe looking for a place to eat on foursquare by looking whats nearby and you are offering a 1/2 price app with a check in and your competitor is not offering anything… That customer is much more likely to stop in at your restaurant rather than your competitors. On the flip side, you may not promote a special but have a sign when people walk in that states, get a free dessert with a check in. It’s a delightful surprise to the customers that may not have been thinking about checking in to begin with. Oh and don’t forget your mayors, on foursquare that is, these individuals are most likely your regulars and just like a punch card (punch the card for each app and get the 10th one free), why not surprise them with a free entrée/app/dessert or the likes.
More than likely they will post and thank you for it, thus encouraging others to go to your restaurant more to see if they can gain mayorship and maybe get that free offer.
We have been mentioning a lot about FREE this or FREE that and some of you maybe thinking about WHY you should be giving stuff away. And no, I am not saying to give your customer a whole meal for free and say thanks see ya later. I am saying that offering a free appetizer or dessert or a BOGO entrée will lure these customers back another time. Also since they are getting something “Free” they may purchase an extra drink, or appetizer/dessert if they are getting the other one for free. It’s all about being enticing and giving the customers another reason to come back again and again (besides your delicious food!).
And finally, the only way your social media marketing will work is if you STICK WITH IT. You cannot post once a month, or tweet every other week, your audience will stop following you and will continue to follow a company that is keeping them engaged. Take some time and sit down to put together a social media marketing plan once a month, this way everything is laid out for you and you are able to maintain that plan throughout the month. Rather than trying to figure it out day-to-day which will end up costing you time and money and will most likely be ineffective. So what are you waiting for… social media is not going away and will only continue to grow!
Jonathan Nixon, Producer/Director
