Social Media Marketing For Restaurants 2022 - Trending Tips & Tricks

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several restaurateurs had to painfully realize the importance of having an online marketing strategy in place. Thus, if you own a restaurant or cafe, you need to advertise your business online effectively. When it comes to establishing a strong online presence, social media marketing for restaurants plays a crucial role. It is simple to use, doesn’t cost a lot, and can help you reach out to a greater range of audiences. However, to make the best use of your social channels, being aware of the key trends is vital.

Let’s have a look at top trends and ideas pertaining to social media marketing for restaurants in 2022:

1. Experiment with Facebook lookalike audiences

According to a report published by Toast, nearly 33 percent of restaurants are still not investing in social media ads. This fact is quite surprising considering that the popularity of newspapers, cable TVs, and radio has nearly died down. However, it’s high time for restaurant owners to start giving a thought to Facebook ads. These promotional tools are currently very effective for advertising physical locations. In fact, one of the most reliable means for reaching out to the target audience is via Facebook Lookalike Audiences.

How does it work?

• The first step involves creating a Facebook Ads audience by uploading your email marketing lists

• Once you have done that, Facebook will scan those emails to find active Facebook users connected to them

• After that, Facebook will find another lookalike audience with online activities, likes, and demographics similar to the users within the audience created by you

Lookalike Audiences is an extremely powerful marketing tool that you can use for attracting more footfalls and buyers to your restaurant.

2. Partner with influencers

These days, lots of popular cafe and restaurant chains are partnering with influencers on social media to ramp up their outreach and sales. If you are planning to do the same for your eatery, just make sure to keep these points in mind:

• The influencer you choose must have a high number of followers on various social media platforms

• They should also have a solid engagement rate according to their follower counts

• Understand whether or not the follower base of your chosen influencer matches the target market of your restaurant

Read our extensive guide on how to leverage influencer outreach ideally for your business.

3. Optimize your social media presence

Just like update the details of your restaurant on your Google My Business profile regularly, you must do the same with your social media pages. Make sure that the ones you have depict these things clearly:

• Opening hours

• Address

• Menus

• Contact information

• Ordering links

• Reservation links

Find more insights about social media optimization here. 

4. Manage your reputation on social media

As of now, roughly 3 out of 4 individuals check images and comments on Facebook to choose any restaurant or retail location. Similarly, Millenials and Gen Z are 99 percent likely to select a restaurant according to online and social media reviews, compared to Baby Boomers and Gen X. Apart from that, people feel more inclined to rate a restaurant on Facebook rather than any other social networking platform. Also, nearly 71 percent of buyers tend to recommend those restaurants that respond quickly inquiries on social media. Last but not the least, restaurant chains that engage with their customers on social channels witness around a 40 percent boost in client spendings.

Therefore, 2022 is the year for eateries and food joints to start taking social media reputation management seriously. Because more and more people are getting habituated to interacting with their favourite brands on social media. Here are some quick tips that you can follow:

• Filter and respond to negative reviews after going through them constructively

• Provide solutions rather than excuses

• Accept and quickly act to rectify any mistake from your end

Still feeling a little unsure your social media marketing activities? Let Parkyd Digital figure out the right strategies to implement for solidifying your restaurant’s social presence.

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