Social Media Marketing for Restaurants: 21 Tips
Our group talked about expanding Mzansi restaurant's social media platform and utilizing different apps for raising awareness of the restaurant and marketing. I found this link that explains how a restaurant can utilize Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The article also shows different restaurants' profiles and this makes it simple to apply these tips to another restaurant. While I'm not technologically involved to this degree, social media is a use it or lose it tool for businesses and those who don't utilize social media get left behind as the markets continue to change and technology advances.
This article provides many useful tips on how a restaurant can create a presence on these different apps to expand their business. The article emphasizes how food can easily be marketed through visuals. The cover image of a business's Facebook page is huge space for free advertising and different uploaded photos of food dishes can provide a visual menu for potential customers. She mentions how the location can be tagged when posting and these "geotags" can allows businesses to show ads to Facebookers in the areas surrounding the restaurant. Videos are also easily shared on Facebook and I thought this would be great for Mzansi because of the entertainment aspect at their restaurant and the videos they already have on their website.
Since food is so visual, Instagram is basically tailored for restaurants. Through photos of the different food items, Mzansi's band, or pictures of the owners or employees, Mzansi could tell their story. Using a geographic specific hashtag like #Capetown, #Langa, #HarlemStreet, Mzansi could be found by people in the area looking for food. People can also stay in contact with the restaurant and comment about their experiences or how much they loved a dish, which only further promotes the restaurant. The article also mentions Twitter, while I'm not very familiar with the Twitter world, it is helpful for businesses and also in creating a following. Tweets can be planned and posted right before lunch or dinner, or before a big event in the area. Twitter is also useful for offering group deals or promotions or coupons, which is another great way to bring in new guests.
This article will be very helpful when we are trying to help Mzansi's establish a social media presence, which is something I also briefly talked about in my blog this week. I never thought of using Instagram as a way to offer customers a "visual menu," but I think it's a great idea. It also seems to explain things in a way that most people can understand so that Mzansi's will be able to maintain their social media accounts after we end our service learning project with them.
ReplyDeleteAfter visiting Mzansi's uninspired Facebook page I definitely think it could use some of the tips provided in the article. Social media is a free way to advertise one's food and if someone could type "Mzansi Restuarant" into Google and see an Instagram page full of photos it would definitely boost business.
ReplyDelete