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Using Social Media, Facebook, Twitter for Restaurants | LOOMIS AGENCY

Posted by The Loomis Agency in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Oct 23, 2009

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!

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 SM. 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 SM. Reward them with smart engagement, and they will reward you back.
Make sure somebody in your organization “owns” SM. It needs to be assigned to an individual with the authority to make customer decisions spontaneously.

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 social media. 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 a Twitter following 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 its Twitter following 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 his Twitter following 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 SM 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 following 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=13864

11. A Grand-Slam for Denny’s?
Synopsis: A discussion about how Denny’s has used social media 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