by Ben | Aug 10, 2013 | Restaurant Social Media
I’ve just been reading an article at Mashable.com which should be essential reading for all restaurateurs. “13 best practices for restaurants on Facebook” is full of tips, gems and good practice, such as:
Restaurants have a unique opportunity — they can showcase the food, provide recipes, explain the origin of a dish and shoot videos of the chefs in action. That kind of content never gets old, and it doesn’t even have to be original — there’s so much stuff on YouTube, and all you need to do is unearth it.
And
The NBC Facebook and Chipotle promotion for a buy one, get one free burrito was a huge success that got a lot of people buzzing and in the shops, but the business didn’t have to lose too much money on it, because for every free burrito, there was a paid burrito. Just giving away product or offering steep discounts a la Groupon can have detrimental effect on the perceived value of your product, thereby making customers less likely to want to pay full price once the deal is over. A once-in-a-while promotion that isn’t too generous — like the Mermaid Inn’s Social Media Monday word of the day for 20% off — keeps people coming back week after week without giving too much away. Plus, you’ll get a sense of your social media influence if you offer a code or buzzword on Facebook for in-store redemption.
Go and read the rest – and you’ll learn how to improve your use of Facebook immeasurably. http://mashable.com/2011/08/29/facebook-marketing-restaurants/ And, of course, if you want to speak to Blue Gekko – we can create and implement a Facebook strategy for you, leaving you to create great meals and great service.
by Ben | Jun 10, 2013 | Restaurant Social Media
Here’s a very good example of a restaurant building up a loyal following – and customer base – using Twitter. (Source: STV)
According to the article, Hula first introduced Twitter 18 months ago, and ‘the business put all their focus into sending daily tweets to customers and sharing activity in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh.
Using the site as a conversation tool between the café and customers has enabled them to develop a relationship with their audience which they can monitor and keep up-to-date as much as possible.
Susan (the owner) said: “I find Twitter really easy and it’s a natural conversation tool. I talk to loads of people and they are connecting with Hula all the time.
“It helps you make this connection with the customers, but also your network. The Grassmarket area is an area that we love and Twitter helps us connect and share what other businesses are doing and promote each other.”
‘ Twitter is a great way to build up a rapport with existing and new customers, and there’s no doubt about it – if your customers feel connected to you they will turn up more often!
You can follow Hula Juice Bar at https://twitter.com/HulaJuiceBar
And you can connect with me at https://twitter.com/ Blue_Gekko
by Ben | Jun 10, 2013 | Restaurant advertising in the news
The Beefeater chain is launching a new marketing campaign featuring cricket legend Sir Ian Botham as “The Boss of Beef”. (Source: CricketWorld)
While most restaurants don’t have the budget to enlist personalities such as Beefy, there are a some points to note about this story.
Firstly it shows that Beefeater recognise the need to market their restaurants in order to get more customers more often. And I’m sure they will be monitoring the effectiveness of the campaign for its return on investment. But “brand” advertising is not easy to gauge.
Secondly, it shows they are waking up to the social media age with “brand new Facebook and Twitter pages”
You don’t need Beefeater’s budget to successfully market your restaurant, and direct marketing would be a much better use of your marketing spend than brand advertising. If you would like to know how to get a measurable, positive return on your marketing efforts, please get in touch.
I’ve just been reading an article at Mashable.com which should be essential reading for all restaurateurs. “13 best practices for restaurants on Facebook” is full of tips, gems and good practice, such as: