Social engagement - how restaurant marketeers are finding new ways to connect with their customers
Transcript of Social engagement - how restaurant marketeers are finding new ways to connect with their customers
Leading restaurant marketers are pushing digital and social media to the limits to engage their diners
How restaurants USED to connect with their customers…
PRINT ADVERTS
& POSTERS
NO GUARANTEE
OF BEING SEEN BY THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Expensive
Intrusive
Radio Adverts
Expensive
Intrusive
No guarantee of being heard by the right people
How restaurants USED to connect with their customers…
How restaurants USED to connect with their customers…
DISCOUNT DEALS SITES
Often hurt bottom line
• Listing fees• Discounted pricing• Commission on
covers booked
Can overwhelm the kitchen
BUT WAIT! Thanks to social media and digital
technology, there are new and better ways to connect and engage with customers
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Social Media
Food lends itself perfectly to social
sharing and discussion
Let’s look at how your venue can exploit it.
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Image-led social media
Use platforms like Instagram to showcase
your food, drink and venue
Tap into the popularity of #foodporn: the art of beautifully arranged and
appetising dishes
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
Use hashtags to categorise content
and help it get found e.g. #healthyfood
#foodie #foodporn
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Instant social media
Use platforms like Twitter and Snapchat to deliver instant
communication
Promote last-minute availability or time-limited offers
!OFFER
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
Timing is everything. Post close to mealtimes to
encourage interest and traffic
!OFFER
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Longer-lasting social media
You can use a network like Facebook for deeper
engagement with customers.
Plan and host events, and use the Offers feature to promote deals to your Facebook fans.
2-4-1
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
Facebook likes faces! Post images of your staff
to show the personal side of your business.
2-4-1
All social media:
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
• Offers the opportunity for two-way interaction - hear back from your customers
• Lets you build a community of existing and potential customers
• Responds well to video content
Top tip:
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Behind-the-scenes and sneak peek content adds value and
fosters loyalty and engagement.
Consider posting food prep or renovation updates.
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Targeted email marketing
Use online reservations to build a database of
past customers1
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Targeted email marketing
Promote targeted offers and promotions to them
2
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Targeted email marketing
Get better chance of conversion with less
expense than traditional advertising3
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
Make sure you have access to and ownership of the customer data collected
by your restaurant reservation system.4
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Apps and push notifications
• Having your own app helps create a deeper customer bond than just a website
• You can send push notifications to alert customers to exclusive deals or new menu items
• Notifications can even be targeted by demographic or geolocation
The Restaurant
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How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
Ditch the paper loyalty cards and let customers collect points on your
restaurant app instead.
The Restaurant
3
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Smartphone ordering
• Restaurants like Chipotle in the US are letting customers access menus and order via mobile
• This can be in advance or even when they arrive, reducing time spent waiting to order
• They use your app to browse items and can save their favourites for next time order
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
Use mobile ordering to automatically suggest
upsells like extra sides or recommended drinks
order
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Pay-at-table
• Lets customers use smartphones and tablet devices to securely pay
• Reduces customer waiting times
• Frees up staff and increases efficiency
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
Maintain the personal touch - despite being
open to using technology, customers still want to be greeted and treated like
special guests
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Online customer reviews
• Consumers increasingly consult platforms like TripAdvisor and Yelp
• A bad review is not the end of the world - it’s how you deal with it that counts
• Put someone in charge of giving prompt and professional responses to customer reviews
How modern restaurants and pubs are connecting with their customers…
Top tip:
You can collect tailored customer feedback
directly (and privately) if your restaurant booking
system collects and stores customer data
for you to use.
As technology marches on, exciting new ways for restaurants to connect with their
customers are on the horizon…
On the horizon?
Interactive tables
There’s a world of innovation out there. For example, restaurants in London and Dubai have pioneered this new technology. Touchscreen table menus allow customers to view menu items, order and pay. Extra features include
sharing greetings with other customers, and requesting a taxi!
On the horizon?
Chef cams
Here’s a new take on the open kitchen. Chef cams allow diners to watch their food being prepared via webcam. Pop into Inamo restaurant in London to see it at work.
On the horizon?
Mind-reading menus
No, we’re not making this up. Pizza Hut has been testing out eye-tracking visual menus in the UK. The tablet
shows a variety of toppings, and determines preference based on which ones were looked at the longest.
But before all this super-technology hits, make sure you’ve nailed these core ways of
connecting with customers:
Social media
Targeted email
marketing
Apps and push
notifications
Online consumer reviews
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The future is bright!Social media and digital technology lets pubs and restaurant connect more intelligently and
effectively with their customers
• Traditional methods like print advertising and discount deals sites are costly and often ineffective
• Social media is perfect for restaurant marketing, facilitating menu showcasing, special offers and instant communication
• Email database marketing allows restaurants to target existing customers cheaply and effectively, provided the data is owned and administered by them and not a third party
• Customers’ familiarity with smartphones paves the way for engagement via apps for loyalty, orders and payment
TAKEAWAYS
Take a deeper look at how digital can transform your marketing for the better.
ME, DIGITAL? Essential digital marketing strategies for the fast-moving restaurant industry
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