6 Mistakes Restaurants make on their Social Media

1. Being a one hit wonder.

If you dive into the depths of social media, it doesn’t take too long until you hit the grave-yard of abandoned accounts. It’s a common mistake many restaurants make especially when they first start. You may of heard about it from a friend, on a website, or the news – “social media is the future of marketing” and so you decide to make an account. A day goes by, a week and then you realise, you haven’t posted in months.

In order to receive the benefits of social media, it needs to become part of your weekly routine, just like watering your plants. Consider your audience as sprouting buds, eager to learn more and grow with you – but with statistics showing people only remember 1% of ads in a lifetime, that one post you uploaded 3 months ago might as well have never existed.( -cbs news) First rule to follow -In order to generate revenue, you need to be consistent and active on these platforms.

2. Using f grade photography

Just because you can post content onto social media, doesn’t mean you should. Instagram records show that on average, 95 million photos are posted in a single day. (- 99firms)

You know what doesn’t get people’s attention? Dark, blurry, messy photos of food.

When you post always think about the following points,

· Does this image consistently fit with what the actual dish looks like?

· Is the image brightly lit and are all the elements on the dish clear?

· Would you visit this restaurant based on this ONE photo?

If you think there can be a better photo, then don’t post it. Posting a poor image can create more negative results than generate positive.

3. Bad demeanour, zero eaters.

At times restaurants often forget that social media – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter are PUBLIC platforms. What you post, what you comment and what you respond can be seen by not just those who follow you, but everyone.

There is no place on social media for a restaurant to have bad manners. Always think twice before responding to,

· A negative review

· A complaint in your inbox

· A controversial comment

Your tone, your demeanour, and your attitude all need to be carefully revised – Just remember that controversy travels much further than a positive review.

4. Using the hashtags you like, but not the ones you need.

If you are new to the social media world, hashtags are something you would’ve noticed immediately. Hashtags (#) often found in posts, comments, stories are considered a second language, particularly on Instagram. It’s the way people communicate and find relatable content.

You may think – sounds easy enough, I post a picture of my steak and I use #food and I’m done!

WRONG.

Do you know how many posts in the world use that #? At this moment in time if someone searched up #food, they’d find 365,363,600 posts about food – leaving no room for your content to be seen.

Here are some tips to make sure you’re using your hashtags effectively,

· Be specific to your restaurant location - #perthisok

· Be Specific to your restaurant culture – #perthburgers

· Be Specific to the your audience - #foodieobsessed

5. Are you a broken record?

Contrary to common belief, repetition is not the way to a customer’s stomach. As previously mentioned, social media is filled with new, different, exciting content every second. Posting an image of your mash every week isn’t going to cut it anymore. We’re not saying don’t ever post about them ever again but as a general guideline –

· Make sure you mix your posts around i.e Mains dish today and then a dessert photo the following.

· If there is a certain special or deal you’d like to promote – change the text slightly and use slightly different photos each time.

The worst thing you can do is bore your audience.

6. Only using 1% of the social platform you’re on.

Social media is a bit more complex than what first meets the eye. Your audience aren’t all sitting in one lounge, think of it more as a hotel.

Instagram and Facebook for example – you’ll find people on

· The Facebook and Instagram news feed

· Stories feature

· Facebook Marketplace

· Facebook closed and specific groups.

· Instagram IGTV

There is so much more you can do with your content once you begin to expand and utilise all these features. If you’re just post on your feed, you’re talking to one person in a room of millions.

If you’re thinking, this seems like a bit of work – don’t worry that’s why we’re here to help. At The Privilege group we specialise in helping hospitality businesses maintain an active social media presence.

We’re able to create and curate content so that new people are constantly finding out about your restaurant, online.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help scale your business, click here.