Did you know that approximately one in two potential customers are using social media to decide where to go and have a meal or drink? When they do, will your restaurant be at the forefront of their minds – or lists – as they search? If you’re not sure, then you need to look at how social media advertising can drive more traffic to your restaurant.

Social media marketing is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal as a restaurant owner. As a restaurant owner, we are sure that you are on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Pinterest. (And if you aren’t, you are way behind in terms of marketing and need to step up your social media game). But once you are on these platforms, you need to use all your options to make them work for you.

Most of your customers are influenced by comments and reviews online. It is, therefore, even more important to get good at social media marketing. So, it’s how you leverage them that counts. And that’s where social media advertising – and general social media marketing – comes in.

How to use Social Media Marketing to Your Advantage

 

  • User-generated Information

 

Encourage your clientele to check-in when they are at your restaurant and to share photos of their meals online. Incentivizing these activities with a free drink, appetizer, etc. will get more people posting about your restaurant. This encourages brand awareness and “word-of-mouth” marketing as friends are more likely to visit a restaurant other friends recommend.

 

  • Restaurant Social Media Marketing

 

Apart from user-generated content, you can use your own content and turn them into ads on social. Social media advertising when done right, can:

  • increase brand awareness/recognition
  • improve brand loyalty
  • reduce your marketing costs
  • drive foot traffic and more sales.

Top 3 benefits of social media advertising for your restaurant

 

  • Get in front of thousands of potential customers

 

Social media platforms have millions of members and a large amount of data that they have collected from their users. With the platform’s reach, you have the opportunity to get your restaurant in front of thousands of potential customers in a specific area. Plus, this is easy to get started. From the day your website and social media pages go live, you can start seeing real returns on your social media advertising dollars.

 

  • Specialised targeting

 

With social media marketing, you can set your target group and location for maximum impact. This means you are able to actively choose who and where your ads are shown for a higher return on your investment. Say for example your restaurant is located on the way to Old Harbour. You can target potential customers who live or work in the general vicinity and who would be more likely to visit because you are in their area.

 

  • Cost-effective

 

Social media advertising operates like pay-per-click models such as Google Ads. That means you only pay when your users take a specific action. Therefore, you can set your daily or weekly spend targets and monitor your campaigns in real-time. Because of this, you can get adjust as you go along for better returns on your restaurant advertising campaigns and easily repeat the ones that work well.

So, are you now ready to tap into the power of social media? Do you have an intentional social media strategy for your restaurant? If not, then you need to start working on your social media advertising strategy today.