Driving Restaurant Revenue With Social Media - Part 6 - Instagram

The photo sharing social network, Instagram, is another visual platform available to restaurant marketing efforts. As the old saying goes, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, and that has never been more true than in today’s society. Rather than talking about their establishments, Instagram gives restauranteurs the quick and easy functionality to share images on-the-fly via their mobile devices - a clear benefit to the fast-paced food and beverage industry.

Instagram was launched in 2010 and was bought in early 2012 by the social media giant, Facebook. According to current figures from the app, Instagram has 100 million active users every month and 40 million photos are shared on a daily basis. This is a tremendous potential audience. This, combined with the public’s love of photographing their food and sharing the images via social media, make Instagram an important platform on which restauranteurs to have a presence. The app is free and extremely user friendly. Photos can be shared directly from a mobile device without the need of a computer. From the app, photos and associated captions can be posted to other social networks including Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr, or Flickr.

 

Here are a few ideas to help make the most of Instagram:

 

1. More Than Food Photos

Instagram should be much more than pictures of food. You can promote upcoming events, let the fans take a tour behind the scenes with your chef, or present to them a new staff member, for example. Use your imagination and creativity. Also, just as on other social networks, never forget the importance of engagement and interaction with your audience.

 

2. Use Hashtags

Just like Twitter, Instagram uses hashtags, (#steak) for example. An image with that hashtag would show up in the search results for steak. Anything in the photo, including your restaurant’s name and location, can be hashtagged.

 

3. Take Advantage of Photo Maps

This new feature of Instagram allows your restaurant to be tagged along with photos on a geo-location map. This will help your fans find your restaurant and view images of your outstanding cuisine.

Because of the unique, visual nature of both the food and beverage industry and Instagram, the photo sharing social network can be a powerful tool for restaurant marketing. In the next part in this series we will examine the benefits of YouTube for restaurant owners

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Driving Restaurant Revenue With Social Media - Part 6 - Instagram

The photo sharing social network, Instagram, is another visual platform available to restaurant marketing efforts. As the old saying goes, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, and that has never been more true than in today’s society. Rather than talking about their establishments, Instagram gives restauranteurs the quick and easy functionality to share images on-the-fly via their mobile devices - a clear benefit to the fast-paced food and beverage industry.

Instagram was launched in 2010 and was bought in early 2012 by the social media giant, Facebook. According to current figures from the app, Instagram has 100 million active users every month and 40 million photos are shared on a daily basis. This is a tremendous potential audience. This, combined with the public’s love of photographing their food and sharing the images via social media, make Instagram an important platform on which restauranteurs to have a presence. The app is free and extremely user friendly. Photos can be shared directly from a mobile device without the need of a computer. From the app, photos and associated captions can be posted to other social networks including Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr, or Flickr.

 

Here are a few ideas to help make the most of Instagram:

 

1. More Than Food Photos

Instagram should be much more than pictures of food. You can promote upcoming events, let the fans take a tour behind the scenes with your chef, or present to them a new staff member, for example. Use your imagination and creativity. Also, just as on other social networks, never forget the importance of engagement and interaction with your audience.

 

2. Use Hashtags

Just like Twitter, Instagram uses hashtags, (#steak) for example. An image with that hashtag would show up in the search results for steak. Anything in the photo, including your restaurant’s name and location, can be hashtagged.

 

3. Take Advantage of Photo Maps

This new feature of Instagram allows your restaurant to be tagged along with photos on a geo-location map. This will help your fans find your restaurant and view images of your outstanding cuisine.

Because of the unique, visual nature of both the food and beverage industry and Instagram, the photo sharing social network can be a powerful tool for restaurant marketing. In the next part in this series we will examine the benefits of YouTube for restaurant owners

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Getting Traffic To Your Blog

It’s all about Content. Here are some quick tips you can use when writing for your Blog:

• Choose topics and issues that are related to your business.
• Post on a regular basis.
• Produce content that appeals to your readers.
• Include pictures and videos where possible
• Write in an easily understandable style
• Be creative and informal.
• Recognize sources of your material
• Include links to your website and source material
• Include a call to action

Practice these suggestions and you will attract more followers.

It’s all about Content. Here are some quick tips you can use when writing for your Blog:

Choose topics and issues that are related to your business.

Post on a regular basis.

Produce content that appeals to your readers.

Include pictures and videos where possible

Write in an easily understandable style

Be creative and informal.

Recognize sources of your material

Include links to your website and source material

Include a call to action

Practice these suggestions and you will attract more followers.

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Driving Restaurant Revenue With Social Media - Part 5 - Pinterest

The highly visual nature of the social media network, Pinterest, makes it perfect for the food and beverage industry. Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board, where users can share or “pin” visual content, including both images and videos. It has been one of the fastest growing social networks since its 2010 launch. Pinterest users started off being predominantly woman, the sites early adopters, but men have been catching on to what the network has to offer and the demographics have been steadily equalizing.

 

Food is King on Pinterest

According to research by Citigroup Global Markets, the most popular topic of content on Pinterest is food.  Thus, the platform is an amazing fit for restaurant marketing. Simple in both layout and use, both large brands and small operations can gain maximum exposure with a minimum of time expenditure. Pinning quality images of your restaurant’s very best dishes, dining facilities, or specialty drinks from the bar are just a few ideas with which to get started. Images can be directly pinned from a restaurant’s website (the links to the site will automatically be included), thereby boosting site traffic.

 

Here are a few more tips to get the most out of Pinterest:

 

1. Keep Posts Short

Remember, Pinterest is all about the visual. Any written content should be kept as short as possible so users do not have to scroll down. However, recipes are an extremely popular type of pin and gain the highest click-through percentage on the site. Also, search engine optimized (SEO) keywords are just as vital in content shared on Pinterest, as with any other site.

 

2. Engage the Audience

Engagement is just as important on Pinterest, as it is on the other social networks. You can’t keep pinning endless streams of pictures of your restaurant’s food, no matter how delicious or visually stunning they might be. Be helpful to your followers by re-pinning healthy diet information from other sources, for example. Re-pin relevant content your followers may appreciate and be sure to comment on and re-pin their pins as well.

 

3. Highlight With Video

Pinning video content from your restaurant is a great technique to get re-pinned. A culinary demonstration from one of your chefs, one that highlights some of the best you have to offer, can prove very shareable and gain exposure for your establishment.

Pinterest may be the most suitable social network for the food and beverage industry with its rich, visual content emphasis. In the next part in this series we will examine another visual social network and its impact on restaurants, Instagram.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Social Media News For The Week Of 4/26/13

Twitter Said to Bolster Security After AP Account Hacked

This past week hackers gained access to the Associated Press’ Twitter account and posted false stories involving explosions at the White House. The reporting of this hoax story temporarily sent the stock market tumbling. This incident has shed light on the improvement which is needed in social network security, especially in light of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent decision to allow companies to use social media sites for sharing market-sensitive news. Twitter is now reporting that they will be introducing a security upgrade to make the reoccurrence of such scenarios more difficult. Full Story Here:

 

An insight into the future of social media

Social media is increasingly becoming a necessary piece of the marketing strategy of businesses of all sizes, while yet still evolving. Social networks appear to be on the verge of dominating consumer spending habits. Brands are discovering the need to meet their customers and prospects where they are spending their time, on social media. In the ongoing marketing revolution, technological developments and innovations will continue to drive the public’s behavior and demands in the future. Full Story Here:

 

Study Shows Social Media Platforms Increasingly Playing a Role in Dental and Health Industry

This story shows how social media, properly utilized, can drive up business for any industry. The health and dental industries have been slow to adopt social media marketing and are missing out on its benefits. Here is a success story from the dental profession. Full Story Here:

 

Small business owners need mobile apps to run their businesses

Mobile apps are increasingly crucial to the success of small businesses, according to the results of study by the online freelance marketplace, PeoplePerHour. 66 percent of small business owners surveyed would have difficulty running their business without mobile apps. Social media management and marketing apps are a favorite, with 52 percent reporting they use this type of app on a regular basis. Full Story Here:

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

 

 

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Driving Restaurant Revenue With Social Media - Part 4 - Foursquare

One social media network that has grown up around the mass popularity and acceptance of mobile technology is Foursquare, which is designed specifically for smartphone users. Based on the geo-locating capabilities of smartphones, Foursquare allows users to “check-in,” or tag themselves, either at a location or specific establishment by name. Then this information is shared with all of their friends via social media networks. It’s easy to see how this application can be extremely beneficial to restaurants. Any restaurant that offers special promotions to foursquare users will be their preference, and their friends as well, over other restaurants in the area that don’t. Here are a few tips to help restaurants get the most benefit from a Foursquare listing:

 

Claim Your Location and Complete Your Profile

Since anybody can create a listing, even users, there may be one or more listings for your restaurant already. You need to claim your listing and eliminate the duplicates. The Foursquare website has information to assist in this process. Fill out your business profile as complete as possible, including photos of your establishment. The more information presented in the profile, the more likely users are to check-in at your location.

 

Give Foursquare Users a Reason To Check-in

Incentives are the name of the game on Foursquare. Offer special promotions to users who come to your restaurant and tell others about it by checking in. Many restaurants have gotten creative and offered promotions based on the number of check-ins a patron has made. There are even so called “Mayors” of various establishments who have the most check-ins and receive special deals or giveaways, only for them. In the last year, Foursquare has added new options for businesses to promote themselves with paid promotions. These promotions will get a restaurant’s specials listed to all Foursquare users searching for where to have dinner that night.

 

Monitor Your Restaurant’s Foursquare Activity

This is extremely important because Foursquare gives users the functionality to give their opinions by posting short reviews. Just like other social media sites, it is crucial that you deal with any negative comments swiftly and positively. Restaurants are especially vulnerable to negative publicity and monitoring will keep you abreast of what is being said about your business. Also, this is a great way to gather valuable marketing information about your customers.

A geo-locating social media network like Foursquare is a powerful tool available to restaurants to leverage into increased business. In the fast paced food and beverage industry, where time seems to always be at a premium, Foursquare requires little interaction or engagement with users.  In part 5 of this series, we will see if restaurant owners can benefit from the Google social network.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Driving Restaurant Revenue With Social Media - Part 3 - Twitter

Twitter is a micro blogging social media network where all posted messages have a limit of 140 characters. This may seem to be extremely constraining, but restaurants should not question the platform’s value for their marketing efforts. The fast-paced, real-time nature of Twitter is highly suited to the time-sensitiveness of the food and beverage industry.

 

Converse With Your Followers

This is the aspect of Twitter that has gotten brands into trouble and turned off their fans the most, it is all about the conversation. Talking at people with restaurant marketing messages is a quick way to lose followers. Start out by just listening, and then join in when you have a feel for the discussion. Answer any questions asked about your restaurant in a timely fashion. Ask questions of your followers in return, for example, what new menu items would they like to see? What is their opinion of certain dishes?  Make sure to include hashtags (#) connected to significant keywords in every tweet. People follow hashtags around keywords of importance to them. Just like all social media, quality content is key and will result in your posts being retweeted.

 

Have a Complete Profile

Twitter gives all accounts a place to make a memorable first impression: the Twitter profile. Make sure it is complete rich with keywords within the bounds of the 160-character biography. This vitally is important to the Twitter search engines. The profile needs to also be as visually eye-catching as possible.

 

Monitor Your Mentions

The quick pace of Twitter means brands, especially restaurants, need to monitor everything said about them. Twitter’s advanced search features make the task much simpler. You can see every time your restaurant is mentioned, whether it is positive or negative, giving you a heads-up in case any situation should arise that requires your immediate attention. With these features, you can also keep on the lookout for anytime specific terms are mentioned, for example, “restaurant New York” or “steak Miami”. A quick response on your part can bring in some new business for your establishment, while being helpful.

It is important to keep in mind why a person would follow a restaurant on Twitter. They want special deals. Twitter followers like to feel unique, so on Twitter only offer specials to your followers and they will keep coming back for more. In the next part of this series, we’ll examine a network seemingly tailor-made for the food and beverage industry, Foursquare.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Driving Restaurant Revenue With Social Media - Part 2 - Facebook

Facebook is the benchmark social network platform and it’s where any restaurant should begin their social media marketing efforts. With over a billion users worldwide, it is by far the largest potential social network audience. It is skewed slightly more in numbers toward female active users, 58% female vs. 42% male. Facebook provides a venue where restaurants of all sizes can set up a page to interact with the people who love their food and reach out to future patrons. Here are a few tips for restaurants on Facebook:

 

Engage With Your Fans

Interacting with your restaurant’s fans will make them feel special and welcome. Great food, service, and atmosphere will make them want to come back to your restaurant. But an interactive experience with your page will keep your restaurant at the forefront of the audience’s mind, which will make them come back more often. Engage by asking users questions, conduct polls and giveaway contests. Seek the fans input on your menu, asking for suggestions for new items they would like to see. Ask them for their opinion whenever you make changes; listen and respond.

 

Include Lots Of Images

The introduction of the timeline format to Facebook last year has given all brands a wonderful place for a splashy cover photo. The food and beverage industry is highly visual, so create the proper impression with a colorful and representative image that you switch out periodically to keep it fresh. Make sure all posts feature images as well, to ensure they stand out and receive the attention they deserve. Also, all images should be of the highest resolution possible.

 

Give Them Something

Facebook is a great platform for offering promotions and highlighting specials. Giving the audience something that is a benefit to both you and your fans. However, keep it occasional enough that you are not giving away the store one day and then they won’t come back unless you are. Another idea could be to let your chefs share recipes and cooking secrets. With the immense popularity of cookbooks, chef sites, and culinary television shows, this will keep them coming back for more.

For a restaurant just starting out with social media marketing, Facebook is a great place to begin. The most important thing to remember is to make your restaurant’s fans feel appreciated and serving them is your pleasure. In part three, we’ll see what Twitter can do to assist the restauranteur.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

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Driving Restaurant Revenue With Social Media - Part 1 - Introduction

The process of successfully marketing a restaurant or chain has changed with the rapid growth of social media networks in recent years. The public’s ever-increasing usage of social media means that restaurants can no longer afford the lack of a presence across multiple platforms. It has become vital for restaurants to reach out to their customers through social channels to not only gain their patronage, but also keep their loyalty.

But it is not enough to merely be present on social media. The nature of the medium commands the attentive efforts of its participants. Interaction and engagement is expected by social media users, as is fresh content. Setting up one or more social media business pages and then forgetting about them will not work. Not to mention the danger of leaving a restaurant social media account unattended. All it can take is one disgruntled patron leaving negative comments on a page, with no response from the establishment, and a restaurant’s business can go into a tailspin. Reputation management requires the food & beverage industry to be extremely pro-active with their social media marketing efforts.

Social media marketing for restaurants is much more than damage control, however. The very essence of social networks lends itself to many of the attributes of the restaurant business. The food and beverage industry is reliant, to a degree, on favorable word-of-mouth. The viral aspect of social media is well suited to this type of marketing.

Many restaurants have already made social media networks a part of their overall marketing plans, while others should be considering it. As the technology progresses, along with the public’s adoption of social networks, it will become a cornerstone of successful restaurant marketing. But which platforms work best for the food & beverage industry? and how? In this multi-part series, we’ll examine each social network that is conducive to a restaurant’s efforts and how it fits into a food & beverage industry marketing campaign.

Written and produced in beautiful Naples, Florida by OnFast.com. Visit OnFast.com today to get your free trial subscription to our Social Media Marketing Service.

 

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Social Media News For The Week Of 4/19/13

Why Small Businesses Are Losing On Social Media

The online business community, Manta, released the results of a survey they conducted of 1,235 small businesses and their social media use. While almost 55 percent of them report using social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, over 60 percent of these small businesses say they have not seen any return on their investment. This indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of how social media works and its proper utilization for business. Full Story Here:


10 Annoying Social Media Habits Businesses Need To Stop Doing

As businesses go through the learning process of using social media for marketing purposes, some mistakes will be made along the way. This story effectively lays down some ground rules of what not to do. Businesses that make these missteps will likely not find very much success with social networks or at worst, appear lazy to their audience. Full Story Here:


9 Questions To Consider Before Developing A Social Media Strategy

Having a well mapped strategy with clearly stated goals and solid plans of how to attain them is vital to successfully integrating social media marketing for businesses. Not having gone through this crucially important process probably goes a long way to explaining the results in the lead story this week. This article effectively explains the questions and answers which any business, large or small, must ask of itself before embarking in marketing via social networks. Full Story Here:


4 Big Ideas for Your Social Media Strategy

The Ad Age Digital Conference was held this week in New York City. Four expert speakers shared their tips and advice about how businesses can stir up talk about their brands and then convert them into spending their money. Full Story Here:

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