Bar and restaurant social media marketing is a powerful marketing strategy more and more businesses in the industry are adopting. Why? Because, with more than half the global population on social media, your reach is virtually limitless.
Here is everything you need to know about social media marketing for bars and restaurants, including the benefits and 11 great tips guaranteed to bring in clients and build your online presence.
Without further ado, let’s develop your next great social media marketing strategy!
Why Incorporate Bar and Restaurant Social Media Marketing Into your Marketing Plan?
Practical steps aside, why is it necessary for modern bars and restaurants to incorporate social media sites into their marketing?
Increase Brand Reach and Brand Loyalty
Social media accounts have almost unlimited reach potential. Posting on socials will tap into local clientele, who’ll visit your restaurant more frequently. But it’ll also tap into other social media users and increase your brand reach and engagement.
People who see your brand name on visits to your area will recognize it, mention it to their friends and family, and spread your bar or restaurant’s name further than most traditional marketing methods would.
Affordable Marketing Solution
Joining a social media platform is free. Most come with basic analytics, which you can upgrade with business accounts. Posting and growing an audience is also free. If you do decide to spend money, you can use it on social media ads, which are famously affordable and targeted.
When compared to the cost of physical marketing or traditional digital marketing, a social media strategy is much more affordable – especially when considering the ROI of social media marketing.
Target Modern Audiences
Millennials are in their forties and the oldest Gen Zers are 26 years old. Both these groups have spending power and marketing that targets them should be a priority for your business.
Social media sites let you target these modern audiences. Both millennials and Gen Z are overwhelmingly on the internet, and find many of their favorite brands through social media content and advertising.
Top Bar and Restaurant Social Media Marketing Strategies
Use these top bar and restaurant social media marketing strategies to boost your brand reach, bring in more customers, and increase profits!
Focus Your Efforts on a Few Social Media Platforms
First, focus your efforts on a select few social media sites. If you create social media accounts on all social media platforms, you’ll spread yourself too thin and produce lower-quality content.
Instead, find 2 or 3 platforms with your target demographic and focus your efforts on these first. As you grow your audience, move to more platforms. Some dedicated followers will move with you, giving you a necessary startup boost that will help your new social media account grow.
The only time we’d suggest targeting all social media platforms is if you have social media management who can dedicate their time to the social accounts.
Determine Your Target Audience
Part of any good bar and restaurant social media marketing strategy is knowing your target audience. Utilize social media analytics, website analytics, and restaurant CRM software to learn about your customers and audience.
Use this data to create customer profiles and to pinpoint which demographics have an interest in your brand. Let this data guide your social media marketing and craft a social media presence that resonates with your target audience.
Maximise Posting Schedule
Social media platforms require constant attention. So, create a social media marketing strategy that satisfies the content craving.
Businesses should post 2 to 3 times a week. Any more followers might feel like they’re being spammed. However, you can keep audiences engaged and your social media presence fresh with short-term content like Instagram stories, Facebook stories, etc.
Work With Food Influencers
A social media post, especially one that comes from someone with an engaged audience, can garner a lot of attention. It's the reason social media influencers are such a popular social media marketing tool for big brands.
You can tap into influencer power too. Work with a local food or beverage social media influencer. They don’t need to be big, with millions of followers – micro-influencers are affordable and have higher engagement rates.
Humanize Your Brand
Posting only promotional content like posters or flyers gets boring very quickly. People also struggle to empathize or feel loyal to a social media account that just shares adverts.
Instead, humanize your brand. Share your brand story, and share behind-the-scenes footage of yourself, the bar or restaurant, and operations and employees (with their consent, of course).
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Many small brands capitalize on content that showcases what goes into making the product or service their customers enjoy, and you should too.
Create a Recognizable Brand Voice and Visual
If you’ve spent any time on the internet, you've heard the word ‘aesthetic’. It’s a newer buzzword, but it refers to the practice of creating a voice and visual that showcases your brand.
Big brands have been doing this for years. Think of brands like Apple, Coca-Cola, and McDonalds. They all have colors, themes, and brand voices that are distinctly theirs.
Craft a unique brand voice and visual for your social media accounts. Make sure it matches your bar or restaurant and is unique from other businesses in your area.
Host Social Media Contests
Hosting social media contests is an effective way to increase engagement, followers, and brand reach in small bursts.
First, provide a prize, like a discount or a free meal or drink at your establishment. Then post on your social media platform about the contest rules. Common rules include following the account, sharing the content with a few friends, and commenting under a post you hope sees more traction.
Post User-Generated Content
Followers and customers often create amazing content, from vlog-style videos to beautiful photography – content you can repurpose.
Check the content you’re tagged in, location tags, and hashtags for good photos or videos. If you find some you like, message the account and ask them if you can repost the content to your account.
If they say yes, post the content on your social media channels. Remember to credit the original creator.
Engage With Audiences
To create a great social media presence, you need to engage with audiences. Like comments and reply to the ones you find funny or entertaining.
Social media reviews are also important, even the bad ones. Say thank you to positive reviews and address the issues brought up in negative ones. Make sure the customers’ issues are resolved and other commenters can see you’re handling the issue instead of ignoring it.
Utilize Paid Social Ads
Social media platforms offer businesses paid social ads. These ads let you create an ad from your social media account and choose your target audience. The best part? They’re quite affordable! So, utilize paid social ads for important content like events, contests, etc.
Optimize With Geotagging
Geotagging is a social media feature that lets you add your location to your social media content. Users browsing through the local geotag can then see your content and business.
You can also geotag the business itself, so people will see the customers who recently visited your restaurant and the content they posted about it.
It’s a great way to grab tourists and out-of-towners' attention and build an online presence beyond your followers.
Conclusion
Get started on your social media marketing journey with these amazing social media marketing tips.
Social media hosts more than half the world's population and offers almost unlimited reach potential. It’s an essential marketing tactic for any bar or restaurant that hopes to grow its brand. Incorporate these social media marketing tactics into your marketing plan to see more brand engagement and higher revenue.
Speaking of higher revenue: partner with Perfect Venue to manage your bar and restaurant events. Events are essential for marketing, but keeping track of your event’s calendar can be overwhelming.
Fortunately, Perfect Venue event management software will keep your event calendar organized, improve your productivity, and increase sales. Get started with a 14-day free trial today!
