Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter... Social networks have become veritable shop windows for restaurateurs looking to attract new prospects and build customer loyalty. But restaurateurs aren't necessarily experts in communications. What strategies are easy to apply when you're not a marketing pro? How do you stand out on these highly competitive platforms? How can you reach the largest possible number of customers? Here are 8 tips for developing your restaurant with social networks.
1. Create your social network accounts (= the basics)
We can't stress this enough: social networks represent an opportunity to reach a wide audience. For those still unconvinced by the colossal power of social networks, here are a few figures:
- 52% of restaurateurs report an increase in sales thanks to Internet use (Source: francenum.gouv.fr, 2022).
- 44% of restaurateurs say they manage to generate between 10% and 30% of their sales thanks to their online presence (Source: francenum.gouv.fr, 2022).
- 69% of French people choose a restaurant after consulting online reviews, including 80% of millennials (Source: Alioze, 2022).
- 48% of individuals follow the account of a restaurant or food brand on social networks (Source: Lunchbox, 2023).
So things are clear: by using social media, you can increase your restaurant's visibility, attract new customers and retain existing ones. You can use social media to create a strong brand identity and stand out from the competition.
To do this, create a social media strategy: define your objectives and identify your target audience based on typical age, gender, category and consumption habits. Then choose the social platforms you want to use. Make your choice according to your target audience.
Establish a regular, engaging content plan. You need to publish content regularly to strengthen the bond between you and your "community". The more you publish, the more social networks will reward you by making your content appear on a wider scale.
Through content shared on social networks, you can :
- Present your dishes and your atmosphere,
- Promote special offers and events,
- Respond quickly to customer comments and feedback,
- Long-term loyalty,
- reach new customers,
- etc.
Social networks, and particularly Instagram for restaurants, have become an indispensable tool for developing and maintaining a restaurant's success in an increasingly connected world. And don't forget that social networks are constantly evolving. They're constantly developing new tools and features, and falling victim to fashion trends. Keep up to date with the latest trends to stay ahead of the game!
2. Social networking strategy: the Ton of voice
It's important toadopt the right tone of voice to generate interaction with your community. Defining your tone of voice on social networks is essential to creating a coherent identity adapted to your clientele. The tone of voice and style you use must correspond as closely as possible to your target audience, its expectations, language and communication preferences.
If you're not sure how to go about it, do some research on social networks to see how your competitors express themselves and communicate. This will enable you to draw inspiration from them, differentiate yourself from the competition and find a unique tone of voice for your communication.
3. Think design!
Photos, videos, logos, written content, as well as the template and design of your website, are all elements that contribute to your restaurant's online presence.
With these assets, your aim is to make your customers' mouths water and make them want to push open the door of your restaurant! To achieve this, you need to let your creativity do the talking. Be original and consistent. That way, you'll be able to create your own identity and stand out from the competition.
If you don't have the time to manage content and prefer to concentrate on your core business, i.e. catering, you can delegate this work:
- A designer or graphic artist to create visuals and/or a logo (he or she will surely be better than you at Photoshop or InDesign!) ;
- A content manager to manage the coherence and effectiveness of your content. He or she oversees the creation, management and publication of your online content.
4. Take care with the formatting of your posts
Each social network has its own recommended formats. On Facebook, for example, landscape videos (16:9) and square videos (1:1) work well. On Tik Tok or Instagram, on the other hand, portrait format videos are preferable.
If you want to publish your content on Facebook, Insta and Youtube at the same time, it's possible! But each platform has its own requirements and content formats, so it may be necessary to adapt the format to meet each platform's specifications.
In general, you need to develop and implement a coherent, effective content strategy. To do this, you need to :
- Put photos in the right format, whether for a post, a story or a real one.
- Use relevant emojis to embellish your content (if it matches your tone of voice!).
- Use the popular short video format.
- Write powerful captions, descriptions and messages to accompany your visual assets.
- Choose relevant hashtags (Remember that the #food hashtag concerned more than 391.9 million posts on Instagram in 2021. And the same goes for the many hashtags around the restaurant world). (Source: Hootsuite, 2021).
👉 Going further: 11 Instagram post ideas for your restaurant.
5. Create a sense of urgency and master the art of teasing
Users of media platforms see hundreds of pieces of content a day. To capture the attention of your followers and arouse their interest, there are several tips :
- Set a deadline: Announce a special offer or an upcoming novelty by setting a deadline. Use phrases like "Available for a limited time: don't delay in taking advantage!" or "Limited offer: what are you waiting for?" to encourage users to act quickly.
- Use powerful words and calls to action: Use powerful words and phrases to communicate urgency. Examples include "hurry up", "don't miss out", "exclusive offer", "now or never", etc. To encourage users to participate, attend or share.
- Master the art of teasing: Use cryptic messages, captivating visuals or teasers to arouse curiosity and anticipation. Mention an upcoming event or important announcement without revealing all the details, encouraging users to want to know more.
- Organize contests or challenges: Offer time-limited contests or challenges that require immediate action. For example, ask users to share a post, answer a question or create content to participate.
- Build suspense: Reveal information gradually rather than all at once. Start with hints, teasers or previews to maintain interest and create anticipation. You can also use stories or series of publications to tell a story and keep the audience engaged.
Be creative and original in your approach. Experiment with unexpected ideas and emerging features to attract attention and create buzz!
6. Interact with your community
Get your audience to react to your posts to generate interaction and engagement:
- The more reviews, comments, reactions and likes you receive, the more your account will be promoted.
- Ask questions about your followers' preferences. Explore and use the different features offered by social networks, such as stories, polls, Q&As, real, etc. These features can help diversify your content and boost engagement.
Don't be afraid to experiment and adjust based on your audience's reactions. Monitor users' comments to see how they react to your posts and make any necessary adjustments!
7. Get help from digital marketing professionals
The time spent by restaurateurs managing their website and social networks breaks down as follows:
- 37% say they spend 1 hour a day or more,
- 36% devote 1 h per week to it,
- and 26% spend just 1 h per month on their Internet visibility.
Among the companies surveyed, 93% consider the time invested in social networks to be profitable." (Source: francenum.gouv.fr, 2022).
However, not all restaurateurs have the time to spend on managing their social networks. If this is the case for you, enlist the help of a communications agency or digital marketing professionals. These experts in communications strategy and marketing take care of everything. Photo shoots, videos, content writing, publications, sponsorship, review management...
Thanks to them, you'll save time, ensure impeccable quality in the consistency of your communication and, above all, achieve your objectives more quickly. It would be a shame to miss out!
Alternatively, there are social networking training courses for restaurateurs. It's a good way to keep on top of your networks while developing new skills.
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8. Analyze results and track performance
Does it work? Not working?Analyzing the performance of your posts on social networks is essential to understanding and improving your content strategy. By using the analysis tools available and interpreting the data in a meaningful way, you can fine-tune your efforts to maximize your impact on social networks.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube offer integrated analytics tools that give you access to data on engagement, reach, impressions, clicks, conversions and other key metrics. These tools let you track the performance of your posts and your overall profile.
Like a chemist in the lab, experiment! Publish on such-and-such a day at such-and-such a time, then change the day, and so on. This way, you'll be able to identify the types of content that work best, understand trends, the times when engagement is highest, the topics that generate the most interest, and so on.
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Did you like these 8 tips? Don't hesitate to consult our other articles on our blog to guide you and increase your productivity!
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