A lot of people may associate Twitter with news content and funny commentary on daily life, but it can be a successful platform for growing and maintaining a restaurant’s connection with its customers. We’ve identified 5 key tips for using Twitter to leverage your restaurant within this digital community.
Food-Related Terms
Searching for food-related hashtags like #lunch, #sandwich or #marylandeats can help you unlock a new area of potential customers. Checking out these hashtags with the location set to your restaurant’s gives you a chance to engage with consumers who are looking for something you can offer them. If you’re a burger place and someone tweets they’re craving a burger for lunch, don’t be shy- reply to them with your menu and a fun message – easy engagement and you’ve potentially just made a new fan!
Search for Yourself
Don’t forget to search your own restaurant name in the Twitter search bar. It’s not uncommon for users to forget to tag a brand in their compliment or complaint when tweeting about a company. In order to maintain a strong connection with your audience and customers, you need to communicate with them. Don’t be afraid to comment on a negative tweet to try and make it right. Just because you’re not tagged in the tweet doesn’t mean you can’t respond!
Stay Current
If the recent Popeyes vs. Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich competition taught us anything, it’s that food gets people talking! When certain food items like this start getting popular, promote your restaurant’s take or chime in on the conversation by sharing your thoughts. Exposure is a great first step in getting your restaurant to the top of consumers’ minds.
Develop a Brand Hashtag
One way to easily monitor the conversation around your brand is by creating a hashtag! Not only does this add more personality to your restaurant, but it gives people a space to share and read reviews, questions and all thoughts related to your restaurant. Branded hashtags are also great if you’re running a contest or campaign! Check out what Chili’s did with their #CreateAPepper hashtag. Tips for maintaining your brand hashtag include mentioning it in your bio, like California Tortilla does, using it in your tweets, encouraging others to use it on their tweets and making it visible inside your restaurant!
Don’t Neglect Photos
Twitter’s main attraction is it’s 240 characters but that doesn’t mean you should skip pictures. Adding pictures of your products or the interior of your restaurant helps potential customers visualize what their experience would be like. This sells your brand alongside the content in your tweets.
As with all things social media marketing remember to be authentic and available to your customers. Share content they want to see and that helps them learn more about your restaurant!
