The power of social media marketing has been proven effective since the boom of the digital world.  Not everyone knows but SixDegrees is the first social media platform that was launched in 1997 and lasted until 2001.  Now, we have social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  While it has been favored by many personally as a way to get off their stress or catch up with someone they haven’t talked to in many years, business turns it to something different.  The food industry is one primary category of business wherein restaurants’ social media marketing lead the way.

Way back then, social media didn’t sound as appealing to restaurants.  But now, it has been a necessity to boost a business’ presence online.  In a survey, 75% of people do purchase a product based on what they see on social media.  So, if your business isn’t maximizing the capabilities of social media, here are the effective ways to use it fully.

1. Create the right profile

How do we know you’ve got the elements of a good profile?  It’s when all necessary and important information is included in the profile.  One can include a short description, the website address, and most importantly the location of the restaurant.  This information should also be in line with the ones you have in Google My Business, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.  Aside from that, the primary face of the restaurant comes down to the branding or the logo itself.  Be sure to have a unique one so people would be able to set you apart from the rest.

2. Use a lot of photos

You can never go wrong with the use of pictures for marketing your restaurant.  With the number of photos shared over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, any business would surely get engagement from its users.  Why does it work?  It is because photos are visual.  Users who see photos are enticed by what they see firsthand.  That is why it is vital to have beautiful and attractive pictures of foods.  If you also have wonderful photos of the restaurant, then you can also feature that to attract customers and consider visiting your place. Still unsure?  One company in the Toronto and Markham areas can offer their service to the job and its eRestaurant Consulting.  They’ve got the best services yet at an affordable price.

3. Add videos

While photos give customers a birds-eye view of the dishes, the videos shared of how it’s made is even better.  It is estimated that about 1,200 percent more shares are generated through uploaded videos when compared with text and photos.  The best thing about videos is that it gives the audience more of what a text and photo can give.  If you are in the restaurant field, you may add a video of how your cook or chef creates the bestselling ones or the specialties you offer.  If you also have new specials, would want to feature your employees, or simply want to show off some real-time visits of your customers, a video would do it best.

4. Run social media contests

Who wouldn’t love to join a contest where you can possibly win freebies that not all can ever have?  If you want to instantly attract potential customers, you may start devising your own contest.  It could mean having to give free gift cards, free dinner for a year or even tickets to some of the best shows like the Super Bowl.  These contests could give you instant spotlight but one thing to keep in mind is to lay out the instruction well enough.

5.  Respond to reviews

We can never please everybody but at least try to accommodate them as much as you can.  That is what reviews are all about.  People can tell what they think of your restaurant and it could mean two things – good or bad.  You may not worry about the good ones but when it comes to the bad reviews, it needs urgent attention.  Be sure to send out a message as soon as you can because it could resolve the situation.  On top of that, reviews give the chance to correct or somehow improve on some areas of the business itself.

6. Write meaningful content

Restaurants’ social media marketing can never be complete without that piece of content your followers can benefit from.  Where to start? You may first identify who you are writing to.  A lot of posts are left to oblivion because the target audience is not identified in the first place.  From there, you may incorporate how you want the post to be.  Should it be just fun or formal?  There are days we want to look as professional as it can be but it cannot hurt to be playful at times.  It can instill a mindset to the audience that your business has a fun side, too.

These are just some of the ways you can follow before delving into the world of social media.  Which one of the social media marketing techniques do you think you’ve used in the past or would like to give it a try at the moment?  We would like to hear your thoughts.