Facebook Marketing for Restaurants...
10 Questions to ask Yourself when Optimizing your Facebook Business Profile

​Some products or services are more difficult to sell because they are more complex or require several qualification steps or they are just simply hard to sell…but everybody loves and eats food! No matter where your restaurant is located, people are always hungry and by being active on social media, you have the edge on being discovered by a new customer locally and keep your existing customers interested enough to come back.
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Facebook Marketing and Advertising when done right can have a huge impact in your restaurant business in terms of brand awareness, sales and trust building with your customer.
Whether your restaurant is based in Washington DC or New York City, optimizing your Facebook page and utilizing every resource and feature Facebook has to offer, can have a huge impact in your business and overall marketing ROI.

Why Bother with Social Media?

​If as a business owner, you are still on the fence about being active on social media and advertising on Facebook, now is definitely the time to catch up and if you don’t your competitors will.
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Human beings are creatures of habit and we are usually resistant to change and new things because our primal default is stability and safety. We like things we already know and understand because the “new” seems challenging and requires energy, not only to understand it but also learn it and adapt to it.
Social media is here to stay and if you are not leveraging these tools to build a loyal fan base and drive in more revenue for your restaurant you are definitely missing out on probably the biggest opportunity of the last decade.

With over 2.3 billion Facebook users ( source: business insider) and a world where everyone is on their phones all day long for almost everything we do, having a strong presence on Social Media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter etc. is essential if you want to be relevant in today’s society and get people’s attention.

Facebook is one of the biggest & most matured social media platforms. Having a solid strategy and understanding what it takes to be successful on Facebook is essential for any type of business.

And if you are asking yourself… ”Does Facebook work for my industry?” the answer is YES! Some platforms have a more specific demographic (ex: Pinterest has more females on it, Snapchat has a younger demo) but Facebook being one of the oldest platforms has a one of the largest number of users with a very wide demographic range.
So whether you are a restaurant owner looking to bring in more foot traffic or a real estate agent looking to get leads for your listings, social media marketing is for you!

​Here are 10 questions to ask yourself when optimizing your Facebook Business Profile for your restaurant:
1) Are you using your Cover Photo Properly?
Your Cover Photo can be used to feature your signature dish, showcase your spaces, promote a special promotion or share your value proposition as a restaurant. Make sure your cover photo on Facebook best represents your business in a professional manner that reflects the quality of your food and the atmosphere of your restaurant. If you are featuring your signature dish make sure it looks juicy, delicious and appetizing. Hiring a professional photographer to take a few shots of your dishes and your restaurant is a must for every restaurant that is serious about their marketing. Use your Facebook Cover Photo space wisely, think of it as your online flyer for your restaurant business.
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You can get even more creative by using Facebook’s newest features which allow you to upload a short video between 20 and 90 seconds or create a slideshow with several images featuring a mix of food, spaces and promotions or anything else you can come up with.

​Mobile view: Make sure you optimize your Facebook Cover of your restaurant for mobile view. More than 56% of all Facebook users only login and use it from a mobile device. Over 75% of FB users check it daily on a mobile device. Make sure that words are not cut off and the overall look on a mobile device looks good.
If your Facebook cover doesn’t show up correctly on a mobile device, you risk leaving a bad first impression which can ultimately make users bounce off your page faster and it just seems unprofessional. 
2) Is my logo clear, bright and recognizable on both mobile and desktop view?
​Make sure that you have your actual logo as a profile images on your Facebook  Business Page and that your profile photo is clear and readable on both desktop and mobile view. When the text shows up so small, we recommend choosing a different icon or different version of your logo to stand out on mobile devices, where over 75% of your audience will be seeing your posts. For example the logo below is not that easy to read or recognize!
3) Are your Facebook Posts engaging enough?

The content you post on your restaurant Facebook Page can impact how many people you reach, the amount of engagement (likes, comments, shares, followers etc.) your page will receive and also the traffic on your website or any other desired action you want people to take.
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The most common perception of how social media should be used for a restaurant or any business, is that it is a distribution channel for promotions and to showcase your products or services. This should definitely be part of your overall online marketing strategy as a restaurant on Facebook, but there is a better way that will actually engage your audience and bring you better results in your Facebook marketing efforts.

The best way to think about social media is that is it a channel of communication to have meaningful interactions and build trust with your customers. If your customers trust you and you have a great product they will come back, recommend you, engage with you and do your marketing for you in the long run.The level of trust you cultivate with your customers is affected by many different variables like customer service, consistency etc. but one way you can build trust on social media is through value- based content. Now what is value – based content?

In a nutshell, value – based content is, content that provides some type of value to your end user / target audience. Think of your content as a way to Educate, Entertain, Inspire or Solve a Problem for your audience. If your content achieves one or more of these you have much higher chances of growing your Facebook page and building that necessary trust with your audience, required to sustain long term success.

Just like in real life, if you approach a total stranger and ask them to buy your product without first getting to know them, ask relevant questions and engage with them in a meaningful way, they are much less likely to trust you which automatically reduces the chances of you selling them anything. Trust is the foundation of any sale!

In the same way your Facebook posts are a way to communicate with your audience, so think of your content as a way to add value into the conversation instead of just asking people to do business with you on every post. A general rule of thumb is that at least 80% of your posts should be value based and 20% of your posts can be promotional.

People are on social media to be entertained, inspired and socialize they are not actively looking to buy. They might follow their favorite brands to get updates on their products or services but the number one intent of being on social media is to socialize and good content! Ask engaging questions and build a trust with customers through unique content that provides value first. With the right strategy and content that stands out from competitors you can convert a follower into a long term customer.

Here are a few content ideas to include in your Facebook Marketing for your restaurant:
  • Fun Facts about your  food / type of cuisine / restaurant
  • Find Viral Videos & Content that relate to your audience and share them to your Facebook Page - here are some sources to find viral content Alltop.com, Facebook or Twitter Search, Buzzsumo.com
  • History behind the dishes
  • Food Recipes
  • Video series from the chef teaching cooking techniques
  • Health Benefits of ingredients or dishes on your menu
  • Quotes about Food, Type of Cuisine etc.
  • Showcase the story of your restaurant
  • Add videos (Food Prep, Business Story, Intro Video etc.)
  • Ask questions/ fill in the blank  & create polls
  • Post your best Customer Reviews from Yelp, Facebook etc.
  • Wine & Beer pairings with different dishes
  • Beautiful scenery from the county or region ( ex: for Greek restaurant showcase  the beauty of Greece)
  • Employee Appreciation - Take a photo/video of your staff working or with your menu items. It could be a chef, a waitress or a bartender pouring drinks
  • Ask your bartender to do short videos of how to prepare cocktails at home
  • Post local community events or happenings

​P.S: You might think that posting food or cocktail recipes will discourage customers coming in your restaurant but that is far from the truth. The reality is that if they want to find any type of recipe all the information is available on Google. The point here is to keep them interested in your business.
4) Is your Branding consistent?
With millions of restaurants trying to make a name for themselves, having a strong brand has become crucial for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
There are a number of components in creating a unique brand identity that is memorable and makes you stand out.  At the most basic level, having a consistent color pallet, fonts and overall feel on your Facebook page can help your restaurant stand out and be unique. For restaurants keeping it casual makes more sense than having a formal type of communication.
Consider having a branded look using specific colors, fonts, images, videos and overall style of your content. A great Free tool to help you create branded social media posts is canva.com!  Consider the paid option on canva for only $12.95 per month, it is much worth the price.
5) Are you using the Facebook Tabs to their full potential?
​Let's say you've already created a fantastic Facebook cover photo, you're posting engaging social media content on the regular, and your Facebook Page is totally optimized for the Timeline design. Something that can take your restaurant Facebook Page to the next level is custom Facebook Tabs.
Tabs exist under your Facebook cover photo and can be edited by clicking on the 'More' drop-down arrow .They're kind of like the website navigation for your Facebook Page, allowing visitors to browse all that your page has to offer. Check out a screenshot of our Facebook Page below where the tabs are highlighted.
Tabs give you a way to showcase custom content alongside the default tabs (e.g. "About" and "Photos" etc.).
Custom tabs are valuable to your social media marketing strategy because they let you create a much richer user experience on Facebook and control the content your visitors and followers see when they come to your page.

Here are 5 custom Facebook tab ideas to include on your restaurant Facebook page:

  • Add a “Menu” tab showcasing your menu
  • Add a “Yelp” tab linked to your Yelp page
  • Add a “Reviews” tab
  • Add a “Newsletter” tab
  • Add a “Locations” tab
6) Are you posting videos on Facebook?
Videos receive 135% more organic reach on average than a photo and more engagement. Video is a primary focus for Facebook & Instagram right now, which means their algorithm places more emphasis on video in the News Feed. If you deliver your message via video, it will reach more people.

​Add professional looking & engaging videos that reflect the quality of the food, service & atmosphere of each location to:

  • build trust with your audience,
  • keep existing customers engaged and interested
  • help new customers get a feel of the overall experience

​View Question #3 above for Facebook Video ideas!
7) Are you using Facebook live?
​Go “LIVE” with Facebook Live. You can go live and showcase your daily special, drink specials or at the beginning of an event to encourage people to come out to see you. People will get notified - live stream notifications are currently being sent out to ALL fans of a page, regardless as to when they last interacted with it. Plus, Facebook will prioritize live feeds over saved videos in its ranking algorithm. Facebook has also reported that live videos get 10 times more comments than regular videos. So, you can generate greater excitement for your restaurant and get more feedback.  
8) Are you advertising on Facebook & Instagram?
​Leverage the advertising power and reach of Facebook & Instagram, to get NEW customers and increase the frequency of your existing customers. There  is no better return on your advertising dollars. Begin with geo-targeted ads. Facebook ads let you do all kinds of very specific, niche targeting. For restaurants specifically this is ideal. You can target your ads to be seen only by people in your particular geographic location, from within 1-mile to 10-mile radius for example. You can also target your ads to be seen by those with specific likes, and by those who like certain pages and thousands of other interest categories. Don’t just boost posts – make sure to use Facebook’s ad manager to manage your ads, and we recommend advanced targeting campaigns so you don’t waste your advertising dollars.
Why Facebook Advertising?
Facebook advertising allows businesses to promote custom ads or content, targeting a specific audience, with costs varying based on the reach and engagement the ad receives. Facebook ads can appear in your target audience's News Feed, on the right column of Facebook, and on partner websites. You can target people with:
 
1) specific demographics such as age, gender, language
2) specific geographic areas such as zip codes and a radius – even a 1 mile radius around the business, 
3) specific job titles such as business executives, lawyers, doctors, investors etc.
4) specific companies such as employees / employers of local banks, law firms, finance companies, IT firms etc.
5) specific interests including Greek cuisine, Mediterranean food, Pizza lovers, Asian Cuisine, Italian cuisine, Sushi, Pasta, Healthy food, Organic food, Vegans, Fine dinning, Fast Food, Food & wine, Beer lovers and the list goes on...
  • You can also get creative by targeting people who have a birthday coming up in the next 7 - 30 days or an upcoming anniversary. Done correctly, Facebook and Instagram advertising will increase your sales and give you an outstanding ROI.
What is Facebook & Instagram Advertising?
Any post on our Facebook or Instagram Newsfeed that says “Sponsored” is an Advertisement. ​​
​​This means that a company or organization has strategically targeted you specifically based on:

  • what pages you have liked on Facebook & Instagram
  • the personal info you give Facebook (Age, Relationship Status, Gender, Location, Language etc.) 
  • the type of content you engage with on social media and other websites on the Internet.
9) Are you using the Facebook Pixel?
​Add the Facebook Pixel on your website ASAP! The Facebook pixel is a piece code that you place on your website, which allows you to collect data and build lists of all the people who visited or engaged with your website.

This is extremely powerful because after you hit a solid number of people who visited your website (coming from social media), you can advertise to them your menu or a special promotion on Facebook & Instagram and because these people have already shown some interest in your restaurant they are 10 times more likely to actually take your desired action and convert into a customer or come back.

This allows you to improve your Facebook ad conversion rate and get better ROI. To simplify it, if you ever clicked on an advertisement, social media post, or visited a website and after a few hours or minutes, you saw an advertisement by the same company, you were pixeled. Even if you’re not using Facebook ads yet, you should install the Facebook pixel now. It will start collecting data right away so that you don’t have to start from scratch when you’re ready to create your first Facebook ad.

Use Pixel Helper Chrome Extension to check if your Facebook Pixel is active and working! 
10) Are you using fun giveaways or contests on your Facebook Page?
​These social promotions add excitement, and a great reason to get your customers coming back to both your Facebook Page, and your restaurant. The possible result? Below is an example from Parallel Wine & Whiskey bar that collected over 1,200 emails and reached nearly 50,000 people, all for a small dollar amount spent on Facebook advertising, the correct way.

​Additional Facebook Marketing for Restaurants resources:

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