New rules of engagement T
Social media has revolutionised the way restaurants market their businesses, making engagement rather than discounting a priority. Elly Earls reports
hanks to the growth of social media and mobile technology, all restaurants now need in order to reach potential cus-
tomers is a smartphone. Consumers’ growing love for all things
social has revolutionised the way businesses market themselves, putting start-ups and street food vans on an equal footing with the biggest restaurant chains. Money is no lon- ger the key to success; engagement is. Yet, although the barriers to entry are low,
it’s not easy to get social media marketing right, particularly with today’s customers tiring of their Twitter and Facebook feeds being filled with discount vouchers and in- your-face promotions. “It’s really impor- tant to remember social media platforms weren’t created for businesses to use; they were meant to connect people,” says Sam Lynas, marketing and digital account direc- tor at food and drink PR and marketing firm Sauce Communications. “The most enjoy- able feeds are the ones that are the most hon- est, fun, friendly and informative.”
Hashtag to engage customers Take Shake Shack, which started embrac- ing social media two and a half years ago. “Since then, we’ve experienced double-digit and even triple-digit growth across sev- eral social media platforms including Face- book, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Google+,” says the company’s direc- tor of communications Edwin Bragg. This is largely because the team has used social media not to push vouchers, but to connect with its fans.
“The most successful parts of our social media strategy have definitely centred
“Money is no longer the key to success; engagement is”
around our fans, with one of the best being #ShackFanFriday, where we repost an image each week that a customer has shared with Shake Shack.” At Chameleon Bar & Dining, which oper- ates six pubs across Yorkshire and Lan- cashire, it’s been a similar story. “Since changing the way we have used
social media, incorporating more visual con- tent and including links back to the websites, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in traffic to the websites from social platforms, which we track,” says managing director Phil Strong. “You can also see far more conversations unfold between users and the sites, partic- ularly in response to images being posted, whether that’s of the food, views, the team or an event,” he adds.
A picture is worth a thousand words According to Alexandra Bertram, senior account executive at marketing, PR and com- munications specialists Custard Communi- cations, images should be a key part of any restaurant’s social media strategy. “Humans respond well to visual stimulation, which is why we’re always emphasising the impor- tance of quality images,” she stresses. Research published on eMarketer in
3:1
April this year reported photos achieved the highest rates of engagement on Facebook, accounting for 87% of content shared world- wide, followed by web links at just 4%. Although, it is important for restau- rants to post a variety of content. “General news and events all help spur conversa- tion, which in itself helps sell the restau- rant without being too in your face,” says Bertram, adding that, of course, there is a time and place for the hard sell. “We recom- mend that for every one promotional tweet or post, there are roughly three non-sales- orientated messages to balance it out.”
Three non-sales- orientated messages for every one promotional tweet, message or post
Restaurant Insight Report | September 2014 10
Don’t underestimate the power of the database
Social media is not the only way restaurants can use technology to engage with and encourage loyalty from their customers. Chameleon Bar & Dining has found that maintaining a healthy database of previous customers for each site and communicating with them regularly is invaluable. “It’s a great tool for increasing bookings and the traffic to all six pubs’ websites has also risen so far this year by an average of 21% compared with 2013,” explains managing director Phil Strong. “Each campaign sent is linked to Google Analytics and we closely monitor the stories that are most popular with readers.” At Ed’s Easy Diner, the company’s online
Ed’s Club has been phenomenally successful. It now has nearly 450,000 followers online and is adding between 5,000 and 7,000 people a week, according to chief executive Andrew Guy, who emphasises that members of Ed’s Club receive vouchers only a couple of times a year. “The rest of the time, they’ll get Ed’s news, which includes new openings, charity events we’ve held, silly pictures and our monthly Ed’s quiz.”
www.thecaterer.com
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