Social Networking for Restaurants: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• 3+ billion active users per month
• 3 in 4 customers make restaurant decisions based on social media posts
• 92% of U.S. restaurants use Facebook
• Avoid costly social media mistakes

Why Should Restaurants Use Social Media?

Social media has more than 3 billion active users. That’s nearly 40% of the global population! And guess what? Every business wants a piece of that pie. So how do you get even a fraction of those 3 billion users to notice your restaurant? Well, a good place to begin would be to create a page!

Social media is a great way to interact with customers, promote specials, offer incentives, and resolve customer concerns. Facebook posts do matter! In fact, nearly 3 in 4 customers have used Facebook to make restaurant or retail decisions because of comments or images posted by other users. So there’s no doubt that new customers are out there, just waiting for your attention. But don’t put all your energy into finding them. Why not? Because the power of social media lies in its ability to turn first-time visitors into repeat customers.

Common Do’s and Don’ts

More than 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook every day. That’s why it’s important to focus your time on creating a compelling, entertaining, or show-stopping post that stands out. For example, you could post a picture of today’s happy hour specials. Experimenting is key. Why not try this: stage and then shoot several photos in various areas of your restaurant. Grab some shots from different angles, and vary the lighting. Take some in the morning, others in the afternoon, and even after dark, when the light is dim. If you aren’t that creative, no problem: that’s what smartphone (and Instagram) filters are for. But these subtle effects will give you a much wider selection of photos to post, and will mean the difference between
this:

and this:

And don’t forget, you need to communicate on a regular basis with your social media followers. Think of your social media page as a club where people go to hear the latest news about your restaurant. And don’t worry about annoying your audience, because that’s unlikely. Remember, posting every day gets better results! Also, just because your followers don’t always interact with every post, doesn’t mean they aren’t listening. They are!

Facebook and Instagram – Know the Difference

The same company owns Facebook and Instagram, but these platforms are two vastly different machines. Ninety-two percent of restaurants use Facebook, a social media giant which is all about establishing credibility, trust, and having open communication with new and existing customers. You can post a simple message, photos, videos, or even poll your audience. The Facebook posts that perform the best are the ones that inspire your audience to share, tag their friends, or comment.

Sharing is the primary goal of Facebook posts, because sharing drives up the number of new people who see your post. And that, in turn, can bring you new followers—and new customers. Customers can also use your Facebook page to send you direct messages, leave reviews, find out what time you open and close, and even tag you in their posts. In fact, restaurant guests are more likely to leave high ratings on Facebook than on any other review site, so use that to your advantage. Stay active on Facebook, and engage with your followers!

With Instagram, users tend to “like” more than they “share.” Instagram has a strong visual aspect because this platform only allows photo and video posts. Those posts are cropped and show up as squares because of the app’s grid-like interface. Instagram users can send you messages, like and comment on your posts, and share your posts directly with their friends.

Instagram’s “story” function is a noteworthy feature. You upload a photo or a video, which acts as a simple visual message for your followers. Your message disappears after 24 hours, making it an excellent tool for promoting daily specials. Instagram also allows for hashtags and location tags. Hashtags help your posts become visible to a wider audience with a specific interest; tagging your location helps people within a certain geographic area see your posts.

We know these features can seem overwhelming. So our goal at Tría is to educate and guide you in these important aspects of your business. Then, after you’re trained, you can use them to their fullest potential. For a more in-depth look at Facebook and Instagram, as well as their unique features, schedule a demo with a Tría coach today!

The Benefits of Using Social Media Correctly

Now let’s look at a scenario in which a restaurant uses social media to advertise a new menu item. A Burger Town employee takes a photo of the restaurant’s new burger, then creates a post on both Facebook and Instagram. The photo caption reads: “Introducing our new spicy bacon burger! Tag a friend in the comments section for a chance to receive a free combo meal that features our new burger!” Employees share the post, which helps spread the word about the promotion. Once their friends and family members see it, they tag their friends. Soon the post reaches more than 500 people, because friends of friends continue tagging and sharing the post—hoping to receive a free meal.

Out of curiosity, a handful of those people also visit Burger Town. Because they never heard of Burger Town before being tagged, they want to check it out. A few of those people become repeat customers. Ultimately, one post and one free combo meal has allowed Burger Town to reach more than 500 people—without spending a single dollar of their advertising budget. The Burger Town staff also stays active with its followers by answering comments, responding to reviews, and resolving any conflict quickly.

Conflict resolution is crucial when it comes to restaurant customers because 71% of customers are more likely to recommend a restaurant that quickly replies to their social media messages. All of this increases brand recognition and customer loyalty—and the Tría team can teach you exactly how to achieve these very results!

Social Media is Not Magic

In the Burger Town example above, the restaurant did not simply create a page and pull customers out of thin air. Social media requires a conscious effort. You create posts designed to garner audience engagement, by encouraging your followers to act in a desired way. For instance, by convincing them to share your posts with their friends, or by dining at your restaurant. Many restaurant owners don’t think they have the time for social media engagement, or to take pictures and videos that promote their menu and other features about their restaurant. That’s why Tría provides social media coaching and ongoing training programs. This training helps restaurant owners to feel confident enough to use these platforms themselves. We make it easy for you, and even provide dozens of post examples that are certain to spark engagement with your followers.

Social Media Can Get Ugly

While Facebook and Instagram can prove to be useful tools for restaurants, there are some crucial things you should know. A common social media mistake is when you accidentally post something in the wrong place. For example, maybe you thought you were signed in as your business—when instead you posted your restaurant’s happy-hour special on your personal page. Then, when only your friends see it and you don’t have as many customers show up as you expected, you can’t figure out what went wrong.

This can happen to your customers, too. We have seen customers try to leave a review on a restaurant’s page, when all they actually did was post it on their personal page, where only their friends see it.

However, this could potentially get much worse. We have seen pages lose many of their followers—and their customers—when the owner or even an employee posted their personal views on a controversial topic. Something as simple as a questionable post meant for the owner’s personal profile, but was accidentally shared on their restaurant’s page, can cause this. Or perhaps the owner shared a controversial viewpoint publicly on their personal profile, and a customer found and shared it. The domino effect of that first post being shared can cost you customers.

Tría provides guides for our clients on social media best practices, as well as one-on-one advising with a Tría coach. This will help you avoid these mishaps before they happen.

In spite of those occasional missteps, social media isn’t as stressful as it might seem. Think of it as a long-term investment. Spending a little time to get the right angle, good lighting, and a thoughtful caption that captivates your followers will, over time, provide great benefits and increased revenue. And don’t be discouraged by a lack of engagement. While you may not receive many likes or comments at first, there are many strategies that can help increase customer engagement with your page. These include offering in-store specials to people who follow or review your page, putting up signage that advertises your pages, and even simple word-of-mouth marketing! Once you reel some customers in, you can keep them coming back by posting engaging content. And who knows, you may even gather a cult following on social media that you can use to promote your business!

Tría wants to help you put your best foot forward and engage with customers so they know they can trust you. We also want those customers to get so excited that they tell their friends about your business. Social media may not be the golden ticket to instant wealth, but at Tría we can help ensure that you’re reaping all the benefits possible to build a successful business!