How Can Social Media Impact Your Restaurant’s Success?

Increasingly people depend on social media to get information and make purchasing decisions. As a restaurant owner there are several ways that you can leverage social media to make your restaurant more successful.

Attract New Customers

Offer discounts through online deal sites like Groupon, Living Social, Deal Chicken, etc. Discounts can bring in new customers who may not have tried your restaurant before. You can also offer promotions on your Facebook page or link deals to Twitter.

Build a Loyal Clientele

Social media engagement is a great way to build loyalty among existing customers. Offer an insider view of your restaurant by posting behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram or Twitter.

Start a blog and ask chefs or other key employees to contribute posts. Keeping customers engaged with your restaurant by providing regularly updated content can help to build a loyal fan base.

Monitor your Reputation

Keep up with what people are saying about your restaurant on Facebook, Twitter or review sites like Yelp. Reply to, like or retweet positive customer tweets. Thank customers who leave positive feedback on Facebook or Yelp.

Social media can be a gift to business owners. Previously, dissatisfied customers would complain to friends and family, leaving you with no ability to address their issues or control the damage to your reputation.

Address Customer Issues

If you get a complaint on your Facebook page, don’t delete it – address it. Diffuse it as much as possible and try to take the conversation off line. Fix what you can if you were wrong, but above all – treat the customer with respect and professionalism.

Don’t overreact to a bad review. Potential customers won’t take a one-off bad review seriously as long as there is a pattern of mostly positive feedback. And handling negative responses respectfully will only raise your reputation in the eyes of those who rely on social media.

For help finding the most highly qualified employees for your restaurant or hotel contact the experienced recruiters at Horizon Hospitality. We have placed top-tier hospitality executives, front of house managers, and chefs for variety of restaurants, hotels, resorts and country clubs. If you are looking for restaurant recruiting firms, contact our team today.

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