social engagement - how restaurant marketeers are finding new ways to connect with their customers

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



PRINT ADVERTS

& POSTERS

NO GUARANTEE

OF BEING SEEN BY THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Expensive

Intrusive

Radio Adverts


Radio Adverts

Expensive

Intrusive

No guarantee of being heard by the right people



DISCOUNT DEALS SITES


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.


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


Top tip:

Use hashtags to categorise content

and help it get found e.g. #healthyfood

#foodie #foodporn


Instant social media

Use platforms like Twitter and Snapchat to deliver instant

communication

Promote last-minute availability or time-limited offers

!OFFER


Top tip:

Timing is everything. Post close to mealtimes to

encourage interest and traffic

!OFFER


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


Top tip:

Facebook likes faces! Post images of your staff

to show the personal side of your business.

2-4-1

All social media:


• 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:


Behind-the-scenes and sneak peek content adds value and

fosters loyalty and engagement.

Consider posting food prep or renovation updates.


Targeted email marketing

Use online reservations to build a database of

past customers1



Promote targeted offers and promotions to them

2



Get better chance of conversion with less

expense than traditional advertising3


Top tip:

Make sure you have access to and ownership of the customer data collected

by your restaurant reservation system.4


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

3


Top tip:

Ditch the paper loyalty cards and let customers collect points on your

restaurant app instead.

The Restaurant

3


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


Top tip:

Use mobile ordering to automatically suggest

upsells like extra sides or recommended drinks

order


Pay-at-table

• Lets customers use smartphones and tablet devices to securely pay

• Reduces customer waiting times

• Frees up staff and increases efficiency


Top tip:

Maintain the personal touch - despite being

open to using technology, customers still want to be greeted and treated like

special guests


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


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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwoV16TMqFQ

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.

http://blog.pizzahut.com/flavor-news/order-a-pizza-with-your-eyeballs/

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

3

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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social engagement - how restaurant marketeers are finding new ways to connect with their customers

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