You’re wondering whether a Facebook page for your restaurant mightbe important.
In Canada, nearly 25 million people, or around 68% of the population, will be using Facebook. In other words, a large proportion of your customers are on Facebook. That’s why having a Facebook page for your restaurant can be a big plus. So what are the possible strategies and advantages of having your own page on Facebook?
Why is a Facebook page important for my restaurant ?
Having your restaurant on Facebook will greatly increase your visibility if you use the right strategies. It’s an extraordinary window onto a huge potential of customers who in a way are practically on your doorstep. It’s also about having the opportunity to access a large database of profiles of potential customers you’d like to target with your service offering. Profiles that are grouped by categories of taste for various kitchens, by age, location, user favorites and more. A database that enables you to reach your target customers directly. For example, if you have a restaurant concept focusing on Italian cuisine, you can reach out to Italian food lovers and publicize not only your menu but also your various service offerings. Like your delivery service, cooking workshops or your dish of the week.
In connection with your dish of the week, which is a service offer, Facebook lets you promote it. There are many ways to do this. For example, by creating an advertising campaign highlighting the benefits of the dish in question. You could also pair it with a dessert and promote it as a combo. You can define Tuesday as a slower day for your restaurant, and decide that the dish on that day should be discounted to generate traffic.
Facebook allows you to display important elements related to your activity, such as :
Your menu
Your opening hours
Your delivery service
The possibility of booking
Your events
Wine list
Website
E-mail
Phone
And more
That’s more than a business card can hold. If you want to create themed evenings or gastronomic events, Facebook is the ideal partner for spreading the word. You’ll get more coverage than you could ever hope for. Especially since an event will enable you to make yourself known to a new clientele who might be interested in your offer. As a result, you’ll increase your circle of customers, and at the same time succeed in retaining a percentage of the new customers you acquire. These same customers could prove to be excellent ambassadors for word-of-mouth advertising. As the saying goes, you kill two birds with one stone. All you need is targeted, controlled advertising campaigns. This requires a certain amount of preparation and methodology beforehand. It’s important to take the time to know what you’re doing and how to use a tool like Facebook.
What results can I expect from a Facebook page for my restaurant?
The results can be fruitful, as long as you offer the best possible service. You can expect a higher rate of customer loyalty. They can subscribe to your Facebook page and share your posts with their community. This is really one of the most important points, because by doing so you avoid spending astronomical sums on marketing. They really do become ambassadors. Customers you can ask for opinions and invite to tastings of your new menus, which can then be promoted on social networks. In this case, the advantage is twofold.
Directly linked to this is the sharing of positive reviews. This is another key element. A simple positive review, a recommendation from them could increase your traffic of new customers. These include new customers to build loyalty with, who will enrich the already loyal customer base and provide the much-needed economic cushion for your restaurant. The more positive reviews you have, the better your restaurant’s reputation will be.
Managing notices
Of course, some negative reviews are to be expected. Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal for the volume of customers you can receive. But it’s a great opportunity to turn some of those negative reviews into positive ones, and believe me, it can be fruitful. Now’s the time to respond to this kind of advice and turn things around. Already as a professional and for you, it’s the right way to know what happened and not to repeat this kind of experience. Be sincere, and if the mistake is yours – which can happen for a thousand and one reasons – show your customer that you want them to have a dining experience worthy of your restaurant. They could become your best customer and recommend you many times over.
The other major point concerns the tourist clientele in search of gastronomic pleasures. Facebook effectively allows customers to make certain choices before they leave, according to their desires. A restaurant Facebook page with a certain number of subscribers, positive reviews and a dynamic page could bring you new customers eager to discover. Tourists can be local or international.
There are other advantages, such as granting contras, developing your business, various possible marketing strategies, generating online orders, broadcasting videos, the tools that Facebook offers, but we’ll come back to these in future articles.
Interesting, but where do I start with my Facebook page?
That’s a good question, because there are so many aspects to fill. Having a Facebook page for your restaurant is important, yes, but it needs to be carefully thought through. The first thing I’d tell you is to define a framework for your Facebook marketing strategy. You’ll need to define the customer segments you want to target. You need to think about the offers you want to put forward. Afterwards, time will be given over to building your strategies. A calendar will also be set up to help you keep track of your advertising campaigns. If you don’t have a page, you’ll need to create one.
Of course, budget will be an integral part of your strategy. You’ll need to determine a budget for your various campaigns. The other good thing about Facebook is that you’ll be able to see the results of each of your campaigns. Facebook allows you to obtain precise reports and concise statistics on your ads. This will enable you to see which ones are working and adjust your advertising campaigns accordingly.
In conclusion
As you can see, having a Facebook page for your restaurant can be a real plus. Facebook is a valuable tool for your restaurant. It will help you build your brand and position yourself in the market. It will enable you to reach more potential customers and raise your profile. And if one day, you want to sell your restaurant, your Facebook page will be a real asset thanks to your loyal customer base. We’ll continue to expand on Facebook in future articles.
