Having a loyal customer base is something that benefits every business, especially restaurants. For that, having a strong marketing strategy involving social media is extremely important. It becomes more essential as the number of social media users keeps on increasing on a daily basis.
According to a study conducted in the US during the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a 51% increase in the number of social media users. This makes social media an extremely important part of your marketing strategy.
In this article, you’ll explore the best ways shared by every restaurant marketing agency to build a loyal customer base for your restaurant by utilizing social media.
Social Media: The Best Platform for Restaurants to Build a Loyal Community
As you have limited time and resources, you need to be strategic about where to focus your efforts on social media. For that, there are three different platforms that are beneficial for your restaurant, as given below:
Instagram:
Instagram is a visually-powered social network that serves as a perfect platform to serve delicious visual content in the form of photos and videos. It has over a billion users on a monthly basis. Additionally, users on Instagram are 10 times more engaged with brands as compared to Facebook users.
This further makes Instagram a great platform to invest the time and energy of your diner. Furthermore, you can even prioritize the feeds and stories on Instagram to reach out to more customers.
Facebook:
Developed by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook has far more utilities than connecting with your friends and family online. Potential guests who plan to visit your restaurant will often check out its profile on Facebook to find the address, business hours, and contact information to connect with you directly.
Your customers can book reservations through Facebook if you add a “Book Now” button to your page. Your guests can also post reviews, which work in an impactful manner as social proof to attract new diners to your restaurant.
Pinterest, X, and TikTok:
If you are interested in expanding your social media reach, X(formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Pinterest are the best platforms you can consider for your campaign. Pinterest is a great medium to share visuals and recipes.
In fact, 68% of women controlling household spending in the US are the primary audience on Pinterest, making it the best place to share pictures and videos of your restaurant.
Similarly, X is another great platform where you can share rapid updates with your followers, answer queries, and engage in conversations with users.
Tips for Restaurants to Build a Loyal Customer Base on Social Media
Developing a loyal customer base on social media is possible for a restaurant in the following ways:
Utilize High-Resolution Photos:
Wait, you don’t need to hire a photographer for some high-quality photos of your restaurant, its food, or its ambiance. All you can do is ensure that all your dishes and interiors are well-lit and just focus on the camera while clicking anything.
You should also ensure that your pictures have higher resolution and that your surroundings and props complement your restaurant’s ambiance.
By sharing such high-quality pictures, you can definitely take your restaurant’s social media campaign to the next level.
Incorporate Your Restaurant’s Branding:
Showcasing your food and drinks should be a big priority on social media. However, you also need to blend your logo and brand colours into your social media content.
Logo implementation is specifically important for developing brand awareness among new audiences who may not have visited your restaurant before. It helps you give a glimpse into the personality and objectives of your restaurant.
Film Your Restaurant’s Activities:
Apart from photos, customers demand videos. Nowadays, 81% of businesses use video in their social media campaigns. Your restaurant should also jump on this bandwagon. From recipes to behind-the-scenes, you can shoot anything that reflects your restaurant in the finest manner.
Showcase Your Dine-In Experience:
Guests who might be visiting your restaurant for the first time will be excited and want to experience dining like never before. Social media is indeed a great platform where you can share such a piece of information with potential first-time visitors.
Share pictures of your new table setup, generate hype about your new menu additions, and share details about any upcoming events.
Promote Delivery and Takeout:
Whether your guests dine with you in-house or from home, they all deserve some appreciation on social media. If takeout and delivery are your significant revenue streams, include some menu-based suggestions that will satisfy your customers’ taste buds and promote these suggestions on your social media profiles.
Share Essential Updates:
People often use social media to get important updates regarding anything, essentially restaurants. Your guests may not be using your websites to check updates, but they’ll definitely check your social media handles to find out your business hours and whether they need to make a reservation to dine at your restaurant.
Social media is also a great platform where you can communicate updates about the group sizes you’re currently accommodating.
Utilize Research to Communicate Your Content:
Approximately 60% of marketers have shared that social listening will become extremely important by 2020. Furthermore, the use of voice AI tools like Google Assistant, Alexa by Amazon, and various other platforms are making it easier for users to find what they want without the need to type anything.
Social listening is definitely a great tool that can help you understand what your audience is really interested in.
To Summarize
Social media is definitely a powerful weapon for businesses, especially restaurants and diners. Culinary businesses can definitely tap into the potential of social media to drive more customers and traffic towards them. In fact, there are many businesses that have experienced great outcomes through social media strategies.
Additionally, the implementation of the strategies that are mentioned above will further take your social media campaign to the next level. These strategies will further help you drive more sales and reservations, allowing you to serve the hottest recipes to your customers, whether at the restaurant or at home.
