With dine-in out of the question during the COVID-19 pandemic, how do you maintain, and build on, the relationship you have with your customers? How do you bring personality to your business and stand-out from the crowd? How do you offer your unique customer experience when the customers can’t come into your restaurant?
As a restaurant owner, the need to have a digital presence for your restaurant right now is more important than ever. In many ways, it is the only way to connect and add the “human touch” to your business.
The biggest problem I am seeing on social media, as restaurants try to be seen, is the lack of diversity and creativity in what they are posting. Social media and digital marketing can both be great opportunities to differentiate your business from all the others, and this is where you can channel some of your creative energy right now.
So, in a time when it is more important than ever to stand out, here are some suggestions on how to bring more personality to your social media posts:
1) Don’t just snap any old pictures and think they are okay to post.
Take a good look at each photo and ask yourself, “Would that be something I would pick up the phone and order if I was hungry?” There are a lot of great restaurants posting beautiful food pictures on Instagram. That is your competition! The good thing is, most cell phones these days take amazing pictures that are more than fine to use for your social media. Google “how to take beautiful food pictures” to find some pro-tips from the experts on how, with a few minor adjustments, you can make your customers salivate with your photos.
2) Add video!
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words and analytics show video receives a significant amount more interaction than an image. That means that in addition to stylized food shots you are missing out if you are not incorporating videos in your social media posts. If it is done right, it can be a key element in growing your following.
Wondering what to post? Post videos about your team in action, you can thank your customers for support, suggest that they buy gift cards, review a new menu item or show the bartender making a cocktail. People are also always interested in what goes on behind the scenes, give them a virtual tour of your restaurant.
3) Highlight your staff.
Remember that this is a time when people are craving connection more than ever and are missing their social communities and their favorite places. Showing the people behind your restaurant is a great way to keep your customers connected. Post interviews with your staff members, asking them fun and interesting questions that bring out their personalities and could engage your followers. This can be done with a video or by posting their picture and content.
The beauty of this is that it not only engages your customers, but it is also a great way to keep your staff stay involved and make them feel valued. They’ll want to share on their social media and you’ll connect with their friends and family too. Now that is great free advertising and it makes your brand more personable.
Is one of your staff celebrating a birthday or a work anniversary? You can show them the love by giving them a shout out in a special post. It is an easy way to make your brand more personable and make your staff feel special.
4) Focus on the community.
Are you doing something to give back to your community during this hard time? If you are preparing lunches for school children, feeding first responders, or giving to your local food bank, let people know. You can also start a GoFundMe page for your favorite food assistance organization and ask your customers to lend support. People like doing business with businesses that support causes they care about, so lean into your community and find ways to help.
5) Educate and give helpful tips.
This could be as easy as letting your customers know the best way to heat up leftovers, or some of your personal favorite go-to dishes you cook when you are home. With everyone limiting their grocery store visits, why not give them ideas on how to use some of the items that might be going bad in their refrigerator. Or show them how to make one of the favorite dishes at your restaurant that they are missing. This is a great time to present yourself as the expert in the kitchen that you are!
You probably did not get into the restaurant business because you were an expert marketer, but times have changed - and will continue to change. Now, more than ever, your customers want connection.
Even if your doors are closed for now, you need to up your game with your digital marketing. If you are open for take-out, you need to get the message out about what you are offering and how to order, and add life to your business for people to see that you are still open for business.
Even if you are fully closed, you still need to find something to post to stay connected and relevant to your customers, you don’t want to be forgotten about. Putting the effort into marketing and engaging customers, that you no longer have a face to face contact with, is not the silver bullet to get you through this crisis, but it is a positive action you can take right now to support your business going forward.
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