Social media has become a global phenomenon, with people constantly posting and checking for updates across multiple platforms. The F&B industry has also embraced the change as the days of newspaper advertisements are long gone. The digital age is here to stay, meaning every restaurant and CloudKitchen® delivery kitchen needs to have a clear plan in place for their social media marketing. Not only will it enhance your eatery’s presence online, but it will also open the door to a whole new customer base and send your sales through the roof. The path to success won’t be an easy one, though. There are so many crucial factors to get right in order to truly master your restaurant or CloudKitchen® delivery kitchen’s social media marketing and amass a legion of loyal followers.
What does the data say?
The online food delivery market in Singapore is thriving as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Revenue is expected to hit US$531.5 million this year, while the number of people using food delivery platforms will surge to 3.9 million by 2026.
With a broader picture in mind, let’s delve into how social media marketing can benefit your restaurant or CloudKitchen® delivery kitchen.
- Surprisingly, 90% of diners find out about a restaurant online before choosing whether to eat there. This is more than any other type of business
- A whopping 74% of people have admitted that they will likely order food from a restaurant they follow and engage with on social media
- 71% of people will recommend restaurants to their family and friends if the establishment responds swiftly to them on social media
- Almost 50% of customers who visited a restaurant for the first time said they did so because of a post they saw on social media
- Furthermore, 22% said they returned due to a social media post they saw by that same eatery
Data speaks louder than words and with these eye-opening figures in front of you, it is paramount that you have a comprehensive social media marketing strategy for your restaurant. The pros far outweigh the cons as your business could hit unprecedented heights as a result of having a strong online presence.
To get you started, we at Smart City Kitchens have put together 10 tips on how to nail your restaurant’s social media marketing.
- Consistent style
- Pick your colour
- Eye-catching photos
- Human touch
- Engaging Content
- User-generated content
- Partner with Influencers
- Small details matter
- Capitalise on holidays
- Share on Stories
1. Consistent style
Maintaining a particular style is a crucial part of social media marketing as you don’t want to have such stark differences in your restaurant’s posts. Consistent colours, fonts, and images are necessary as they will give your eatery a distinct profile. One helpful bit of advice is to pair your food philosophy with your restaurant’s social media marketing. For example, if your business specialises in vegan food, you will likely use light tones and different shades of green.
2. Pick your colour
Choosing the right colour for your social media posts is an important marketing tool for your restaurant. You want it to reflect the type of cuisine you serve, but also be in keeping with your business’ logo. It’s important to choose wisely as once you pick your colour of choice, you should be using it across all your social media platforms.
Let’s make this easier with a simple example. If your restaurant serves Singaporean delicacies, then your palette will likely feature colours that are bright and really pop, such as yellow, orange and hints of red.
Alternatively, you can base your colours by season or if you opt to undergo a menu change. Ultimately, the colour scheme should complement the cuisine your restaurant specialises in and the brand logo.
3. Eye-catching photos
People are fascinated by photos of food, so it is definitely a good idea to use high-quality images when posting pictures of the dishes your eatery serves. Since there is so much competition when it comes to food photography, you need to ensure your photos stand out from the crowd. So, make sure the food and pictures look their very best before posting them on your social media platforms!
4. A human touch
Showcasing the people behind your business’s success is a surefire social media marketing strategy that will win your restaurant some brownie points. Posting unique, behind-the-scenes content like this will allow you to connect with your customers on a more personal level, and enable them to get exclusive insights into your business.
When posting staff or team culture photos, make sure there’s some energy in them! Start by approaching it with a more human interest angle and allow your employees to talk about themselves and their love for food. In addition, get them to recommend certain items on the menu they really like and even get them involved in sharing exciting updates about the company or new dishes that may be appearing on the menu in the near future.
5. Engaging content
Getting people to interact with your posts is essential for your restaurant’s social media marketing. If you continuously post content that doesn’t require them to do anything, it runs the risk of becoming stale and boring, meaning you are at risk of losing followers and customers!
To avoid this becoming a reality, feature promos on your social media platforms that offer a particular discount or hold a contest where the top three winners win exciting prizes. Getting the public involved will result in great user engagement and will result in people sharing your social media pages, which is exactly what you want.
6. User-generated content
Having your customers lend a helping hand can have an immensely positive impact on your restaurant’s social media marketing. Encourage your diners to post pictures of their food with a specific hashtag or by tagging your eatery. This could help bring in new customers who have a fear of missing out (FOMO), while also giving your restaurant unique and diverse content to post online.
7. Partner with influencers
Influencers hold a lot of sway with the general public and they should be a key component of your restaurant’s social media marketing plan. Since 92% of diners trust the advice of family, friends and influencers, you will want these online celebrities on your side. If you are able to partner with one of the top social media stars in Singapore, get them to try your food and review it. This will result in their followers coming to try what your restaurant has to offer.
If you want to go one step further, have a special promotion or discount involving the influencer, who can also promote it on their social media channels. This will more than likely bring a flood of new customers to your eatery and new followers to your social media accounts.
8. The small details matter
A lot of people solely focus on the looks, style and overall user experience when it comes to social media marketing. While all of these elements play a vital role, remember not to fall into the trap of neglecting the small details that can significantly boost your restaurant’s online presence. For example, when using images, especially in blogs, remember to fill in the alt text as it is useful for both accessibility and search engine optimisation (SEO).
Furthermore, if you upload videos to your social media account, make sure there are subtitles. In addition to this, conduct some in-depth research on the top-performing hashtags and start using them to penetrate into that particular user base, who could end up becoming your customers.
Lastly, be sure to also have a content schedule as you want to consistently post on certain days at particular times. If you were to just publish content erratically, it could confuse your followers and result in them unfollowing your account.
9. Capitalise on holidays
There are plenty of holidays your restaurant should capitalise on as part of your social media marketing strategy. However, make sure to focus on some of the more quirky ones as well.
Creating unique, memorable content for special occasions such as World Pizza Day on February 9 or World Vegetarian Day, which is on October 1 this year, may give you an edge over your competitors. It will result in an influx of followers as people will be intrigued by your content since it is different from what they are used to seeing from restaurants.
10. Share updates on your stories
Utilise the stories function on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and a whole bunch of other social media platforms to provide important updates, promotions or discounts. If your eatery is holding a special food event, be sure to post that on there too!
Should you be planning to unveil a new item on your menu, create some excitement by posting on your stories and having people guess what it is. This will ultimately boost your user engagement and follower count in the long run.
What’s your social media plan?
Now that you have a few tips, it’s time to ignite or revamp your restaurant’s social media marketing strategy. Remember, keep it simple, keep it trendy and keep it consistent!
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