"Battle for the Plate – 29 Social Media Ways Restaurants Can Compete for Customers Online" show restaurant owners the best ways to use social media to entice new and returning customers with ongoing engagement. This is a complete approach to the HOW, WHEN, and WHAT to post on social media to keep your restaurant on top of the competition.

1. Battle for the Plate – 29 Social Media Ways Restaurants Can Compete for
Customers Online
Good News - Restaurants are probably experience the largest industry growth in the
past 10 years. Due to a strong upswing in the economy, going out to eat and
hanging out with others is back to being a national pastime.
More Good News – With the boom in foot traffic to restaurants, the 82% of people
who currently carry a smart phone are potential brand ambassadors for the places
they visit.
Bad News – Unfortunately, for restaurants, the good news tends to end when the
customer walks in the door. Instead of courting a decision making customer seeking
a new place to spend time (and money) or reaching out with good content to entice
new customers through the customers already sitting in their business, most
restaurants let customers walk out the door with a full stomach without thinking
about the next visit.
Of course, the growing trend is to offer surveys that require customers to return to
claim a freebie, but this does little to invite new customers to come to the restaurant
or battle against the competition for the right to place a plate in front of the
customer.
You have come to the right place, if you want to:
 Drive location based traffic to restaurants and eateries.

2.  Enhance exposure and brand awareness of the location / business.
 Create a buzz around the business that draws people into engagement.
Social media content will change according the age group of the restaurant, type of
restaurant, type of food served, and location. What does not change is the Growth
Strategy because the biggest part of a social media strategy is execution of engaging
content.
Social Media Avenues – These are your top social media channels to maintain and
optimize for a successful campaign.

3.  Facebook: Still the leading social media in the USA, Facebook allows fans
to engage on a high level with businesses.
 Twitter: 140 characters is enough space to share an idea, but don’t
forget the image, hashtags, tags, and links.
 Pinterest: Generally, the highest conversion for women of a middle to
upper income bracket. The average time spent on Pinterest is 42
minutes.
 Instagram: If a picture says a thousand words – Instagram pictures with
hashtags and a call to action mean traffic to the door.
 Location Based Marketing (LBM): LBM usually means Yelp and
FourSqaure with some Facebook check-ins and TripAdvisor for tourists.
These should be full profiles with all of the treatments of a FB profile.
Many people make the mistake of not claiming an existing profile. Make
sure everything the LBM profile represents exactly what you want a
customer to see. These searches come up higher because they attached
to geo-location.
 Google Plus (G+): Google+ is the Facebook version for Google. Adding
G+ for local businesses gives you instant access to the Google search
engine and rankings.

4.  YouTube: As the number two search engine in the world right now,
YouTube is an excellent way to virally distribute your message to the
audience you want to reach in a manner they want to receive the
information.
 Engagement Marketing: This type of marketing includes QR codes, text
to join or get a deal, reviews, and check-in services. These allow people
to do the promotional for the restaurant and get something in return.
 LinkedIn: If the restaurant is seeking to build a business following, LI
groups and company pages give you instant access to a lunch-time or
happy hour crowd.
 PR: Press pieces submitted to media promote better exposure avenues.
 Organic SEO: Needs instant submission and manual listing of XML /
pages in Google / Yahoo.
 Newsletter: Weekly email blast or monthly newsletter lets you keep
yourself in the eye of your user. Specials, deals, and events are all
promotable directly to their inbox.
 Blogging: A fresh supply of content, several times a week, which is
properly optimized and listed in blog directories, will increase traffic to
the website. Blog marketing and link exchanges between blogs,
societies, and associations particular to the niche of writers will boost
traffic. Plus, it gives the reader comfort to be able to interact with a
voice.
 Advertising: A Facebook ad can be very cheap and extremely targeted.
The ad should lead back to a Facebook page that is complete and robust.
Checklist: 29 Ways to Battle for the Plate - Growth Strategy

5.  Facebook (FB) – 3 to 5 times per week.
 Twitter (TW) – linked to FB. Posts as often.
 Pinterest (PIN) - 3 to 5 times per week.
 Instagram (IG) - 3 to 5 times per week.
 G+ - linked to FB. Posts as often.
 YouTube (YT) – 1x per week
 Newsletter (N) - weekly
 Engagement (E) – ongoing.
 LBM (Yelp, Foursquare) (LBM) – Once per week.
 Across Social Channels (ALL)
1. All channels are branded with logos, great cover photos, information using
keywords and location, maps, and good images. ALL
2. Facebook tabs are used to connect newsletters, multiple locations, menu
choices, Food or drink specials, events, happy hours, reservations, and
videos. FB
3. Food photos (people expect to see food at restaurants) with full descriptions
using keywords. The picture will say a ton, but search engines cannot read
pictures. Use your keywords (such as location) with hashtags (#) and tags
(@). ALL

6. 4. Profile a customer / employee of the week. Take pictures inside of the
restaurant and of people have a good time. It humanizes the experience and
makes others want to participate. ALL
5. Create albums of “the average night” at the restaurant. Increases
engagement and makes the people in the pictures want to share! Make sure
your albums have a pictures, description with #, and invitations to share.
FB, IG, TW, G+, PIN, YT (can make into video)
6. Make everyday an event. For events, invite people to come to a special
tasting of a new dish at the bar. Means they will probably stay for dinner.
Make sure your events have a profile picture, description with #, and
invitations to share. FB, TW, PIN
7. Good experiences = good reviews. Ask for reviews and tell people to please
share their pictures through check-ins, reviews, and tagging. ALL
8. Social media exclusive only deals used to promote check-in and shares will
ramp up involvement. FB, LBM, G+, PIN
9. Contest for free lunch or appetizers or beverage used to promote check-in
and shares keeps people involved AND brings them to claim the giveaway.
ALL
10.Niche the market. Use deals or promotions for a table of three or more
people, kids eat at a discount when parents dine, girls nights out, or couples
only nights gives you the opportunity to niche out a frequency group. Find a
night to own – like Tuesdays at Tina’s offers free tapas per table for ladies
nights. Or, create a menu just for business people that are quick, easy, and
inexpensive to take a business client. ALL
11.Ask people to share their videos, testimonials, and pictures by tagging the
page (you can always remove if it is not good). ALL

7. 12.Include videos (because they play automatically) in your page. When they hit
others feeds, the fun time is automatically in process. FB, PIN
13.Name a drink or name a plate each month. This gives people the opportunity
to participate by naming something in the restaurant. Ask an opinion and
they will come. ALL
14.Survey – ask people their opinion of a specialty and share the good results on
social media. ALL
15.Share a recipes or cooking tips for something small – like a favorite drink or
sauce that goes on a dish – and ask people what they like best with that
recipe. ALL
16.As either/or input. Would you rather white napkins or red napkins? What is
your favorite game – football or basketball (specific to the area)? FB, IG, G+
17.Event trendsetters – post all of your events on social media and ASK people
to LIKE/SHARE. If Valentine’s Day is coming up, offer a free bottle of wine or
dessert with a seating for two. Maybe every lady gets a rose. Find ways to
be different and make the experience special for diners. ALL
18.Tent cards on tables with QR codes for special offers, asking for check-ins,
join email lists, and text to join programs (use Constant Contact – so easy!).
OFFLINE
19.Posters around the restaurant and IN THE BATHROOM with QR codes for
special offers, asking for check-ins, join email lists, and text to join programs
(use Constant Contact – so easy!). OFFLINE
20.Include a link to a menu, testimonial, instructional video, or any other rich
media you want people to look at….even if it places to go in your area. Do
not ignore the tourist traffic. ALL

8. 21.Timing is everything. Find out when most of your customers (look in the
insights or google analytics – install them if not installed!!) are looking at your
page. Find the right time/date and schedule release of materials ahead of
time. FB – but everything else follows.
22.Sharing breaking news, sponsorship, community involvement, and human
stories with your customers. ALL
23.Ask customers to share their favorite drink or dish and tell you why it is your
favorite. ALL
24.Have a word of the day that a customer can say to a server to get a free treat
like an insider’s exclusive. NOTE: The server should prompt diners and if
they don’t know the world of the day – score! The serve can share it with the
secretly, give them the treat, and tell them join your social now to stay in-
the-know. ALL
25.Put a QR code or check-in reminder on a napkin. People sit and look at
napkins at the table or bar. Wasted space – use a call to action. FB, LBM,
G+, Engagement
26.Celebrate unique things …like national chocolate day…with pictures of your
great chocolate mousse….or gluten free day with a recipe. Get out of the
box. ALL
27.Be prepared to respond to negative issues. Restaurants are the most likely to
be attacked because of food, service, wait time, or servers. Know how you
will respond – apologize and make it right! Goes a long way toward making
your customer want to come back. ALL
28.Partner with another business to do promotions on their social media space.
For example, if you are having a girls night, find a local spa that will give a
gift card for a manicure. ALL

9. 29.Advertise on Facebook or Yelp – offers and deals – that are targeted to your
area. This allows you to attract those who are looking for that restaurant as
well as those who know about it – while saving money. FB. YP
What makes a great post?
1. Pictures and Images – Be expressive with your images. There are hundreds
of posts everyday competing for the attention of your customer. Be
impressive!
2. Description with keywords (think outside of the box) - A set of keyword are
many times too limited. Keywords should include location; any recognized
events that match your demographic, and information of value. If the
customer enjoys golf and there is a Masters coming to the area – use all of

10. those keywords in the post. Think outside of the food industry for keywords –
look for habitual behaviors to draw traffic like golf or boating.
3. Hashtag keywords (#) – This makes your posts searchable in social media
and search engines.
4. Tag (@) anyone / place you can (you can tag cities!) – These tags help
people find you through other businesses and places.
5. CTA (call to action) – Tell people to LIKE/SHARE or take some type of action.
If you do not ask, then they will not do!
6. Be consistent. Find what works – do it again. While there are basic
guidelines for WHEN to post, your Insights will help you pinpoint the best
times. Start off by trying several different times and gauge response.
Now that you know HOW to post, WHEN to post, and WHAT to post, there are a few
final words about the downside of social media marketing.
 If you are not consistent, then you will drop out of search engines and your
customers – when they find you – might think you have gone out of business.
Be committed to making strong posts everyday…after all, your customer is
waiting for you.

11.  Brand and reputation management are a vital part of your social media
efforts. If someone says something negative about their experience (and
they WILL – it is coming!), then respond quickly and offer to make it right.
No excuses – no reasons…just make it right.
Now…you have everything you need to promote your restaurant through social
media…get going!
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ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA SECOND
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Social Media Second, a division of Magic Marketing USA, has successfully launched
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