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View Winners → ADvocate Dec 17, 2021
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Marketing your local restaurant can often feel like pouring a thimble of water into the ocean. The current sea of dining options is expansive and easily accessible for consumers. Yes, you make excellent cuisine, but is it as good as the restaurant down the street, which happens to be 25% cheaper? Essentially increasing the reach of your restaurant is not about convincing (or begging) your audience to give you the time of day. Rather, it begins with clearly establishing your brand mission and just as concisely plugging it into your local network.
Social media platforms allow local businesses to accessibly market to a niche audience. Facebook Ads in particular are an ideal way to carefully craft your client demographics to get optimal engagement from your target demographic.
Target Your Facebook Ads Carefully
Studies show that up to 75% of consumers report using Facebook as a way to help locate a place to chow down. With this in mind, built in marketing tools, such as Facebook Ads become imperative to having visibility on the platform.
If possible, gather video content to include in various ads. Only three percent of social ad content is in video form, but videos consistently receive the highest engagement online.
What Kind of Content Should You Share?
As you poise your ads and content online, you may wonder what exactly you should be sharing on Facebook. These specifics vary depending on your business mission and goals. There is no cookie cutter method to a perfect Facebook post. Rather, you should take the time to establish your restaurant’s culture and persona so you can offer the best impression online.
Think of your Facebook content as a window peering into your business. A curious onlooker peeking through this translucent portal might spot a friendly freckled face behind the bar, or a decadent seafood appetizer being whisked away to a hungry patron. This platform is your opportunity to give people a taste of what the dining experience entails before their entrees even arrive.
Consider posting staff highlights on your Facebook page. Putting a name to that freckled face helps potential guests feel more connected with your business. Share about a staff member’s birthday, a special talent, or their recommended dish/drink.
Showing happy customers is another way to humanize your digital presence. Concepts such as a pizza establishment hosting an on-going “eat a whole pie” contest helps provide user generated content to share on the socials.
Incentivising pays off. In a world of digital perks and tangible rewards, many customers expect some sort of payoff for their valuable virtual engagement. Offering meal discounts and birthday treats is an excellent way to keep guests coming back to your establishment. Be sure to reward a follow, like, or a re-share on the socials.
Lastly, when marketing your local restaurant, be prompt in your replies to post comments and direct messages. Studies show that 71% of customers are more likely to recommend a brand that responds promptly to them on social media.
