Social Media Marketing for Restaurants Posted by the LOOMIS Agency

Social Media for Restaurateurs

A Google search of “social media” will turn up no fewer than 210 million results. Type the same into Amazon’s search box, and you’ll come up with more than 39,000 titles.  It’s overwhelming, and there isn’t anything we can say here to usefully expand on the topic. In fact, we believe it is more helpful to attempt to narrow down the volume of information to something more useable and actionable.

Social media obviously represents an important cultural development that shouldn’t be ignored by marketers—local or otherwise.  The challenge is finding digestible tips and information about how to use social media for a given category.  We’ve combed the Web and have collected 12 articles we believe provide a good start for moving forward for restaurateurs.  We’ll add to this list just a little of our own advice—and keep it brief!

·         Make sure somebody in your organization “owns” social media. It needs to be assigned to an individual with the authority to make customer decisions spontaneously.

·         Create a social media strategy complete with objectives, messaging, tactics, and timing for execution. 

·         Measure and monitor the effort to determine the impact. (Search the term “measuring social media” in Google, and you'll find more than 2.7 million results on that topic alone!)

·         Don’t try to do too much.  Grab a handful of ideas and go.  Developing an approach to social media is an iterative process that will change and evolve over time as new technologies and options come on line and you learn more about what works for you. Because it’s so new, marketers are still in the experimental stage with respect to social media.  While there are volumes of case studies and best practices established for traditional media, new tactics and strategies are surfacing all the time for social media.  Take a look at what others are doing and start experimenting for yourself.   

·         Have fun with it.  The numbers don’t lie—people love social media.  Reward them with smart engagement, and they will reward you back 

12 Articles on Social Media for Restaurateurs

1.    Social Media Case Study: Dairy Queen. Synopsis: Provides a comprehensive overview of the way Dairy Queen has used SM successfully to build customer connections and generate brand engagement.

http://www.michaelfruchter.com/blog/2009/07/social-media-case-study-dairy-queen/

 2.    Tweetable Eats: What Street Vendors Can Teach Businesses About Twitter. Synopsis: There are eight specific steps for building and activating a Twitter following to increase sales for your restaurant.  The article uses a street vendor as an example of best practices.

http://mashable.com/2009/07/17/twitter-street-vendors/

 
3.    Social Media for Restaurants. Synopsis: The article provides a list of 15 tools and ideas for connecting with customers through SM.  It includes three additional links to related articles on how restaurants have put social media to effective use.

http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2009/01/30/social-media-for-restaurants/

 
4.    'Tweets' on the Menu Are a Sweet Deal. Synopsis: An interesting review of one Boston restaurant entrepreneur’s use of Twitter to connect with customers, building a sense of community and engagement with the restaurant and generating traffic in the process.

 
http://www.boston.com/ae/food/restaurants/articles/2009/06/29/restaurants_finding_twitter_a_cheap_effective_marketing_tool/

 
5.    @coffeegroundz: Strengthening the Bond With Customers. Synopsis: A Houston-based independent coffee shop owner uses Twitter to get to know his customers on a personal basis, building a better rapport with them and increased customer engagement and loyalty.

http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/case_coffeegroundz

 
6.    @NAKEDPizza: Twitter Becoming Mission Critical to the Business. Synopsis: With the encouragement of investor Mark Cuban, this pizza shop owner began using Twitter to promote his business.  One record-setting Twitter promotion drove 68.6% of total dollar sales for a single day.

http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/case_nakedpizza

7.    Social Media For Small Business: Caminito Argentinean Steakhouse. Synopsis: This single-unit steakhouse owner used an integrated approach to social media and search engine optimization to drive a 30% increase in sales.

http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2008/10/27/social-media-for-small-business-caminito-argentinean-steakhouse/

8.    Peyton Media Management Case Study: The Local Restaurant That Could. Synopsis: An excellent case study illustrating how one Portland café used SM to generate a 34% increase in sales.  The article provides specific detail on the campaign concept and execution.

http://www.peytonmedia.com/some-awards-finalist-the-local-restaurant-that-could/

9.    Marketing Without Faking It – A Case Study. Synopsis: The author recounts an invitation via Twitter from Z'Tejas.  It illustrates the way Twitter (and SM in general) can be used to make authentic social gestures and build customer relationships one-to-one (and one-to-many).

http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2009/03/16/marketing-without-faking-it-a-case-study/

10. Social Media Case Study: The Lucky Burrito. Synopsis: Qdoba Mexican Grille uses social media (FaceBook) to build and leverage event/fan promotions.  The idea translates nicely to local team support and fan-base outreach for restaurant owners.

http://www.secondwindonline.com/knowledge_display.asp?id=1386411

11. A Grand-Slam for Denny’s? Synopsis: A discussion about how Denny’s has used SM extensively for building business during off-peak hours.  Includes links to several examples.

http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2009/06/a_grandslam_for_dennys.html .

12. Using Facebook to Grow Your Business. Synopsis: While not restaurant focused, this is a very good “slide-show” primer on FaceBook and the benefits of using it for business.

http://www.slideshare.net/casephilip/using-facebook-to-grow-your-business