How to launch a restaurant on social media
Everything you need to know about how to launch your hospitality venue with a social media marketing campaign!
So, you’ve launched a new restaurant or bought an existing restaurant, CONGRATULATIONS!!
In this blog we’ll be discussing social media marketing launch best practices:
- Tips on how to create the most effective social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram
- Pre-launch and launch strategies social media strategies. Identifying your key target audience and how best to target them to get conversions.
- Messaging, how to tell your story and write pre-launch and launch social media posts to build hype and get people in the door
- Bringing your venue to life on social media with professional photography and stand out graphic design.
Before we start let’s digest a one simple thing about social media marketing (because let’s face it, that’s why you’re here!)
There is NO better way to geographically target a group of people which is why it’s so useful for location-based businesses like pubs, clubs, restaurants and venues to leverage this powerful tool as part of your overall marketing program.
Section A: Prelaunch Strategy
Target Audiences
Identify who your main target customers will be. This can be done by understanding your location and doing your research! The people online will likely be visitors to your venue so it’s crucial to understand them, their habits, age and incomes which will help you with fine tuning your overall marketing strategy.
It is also paramount you identify the location you’re targeting these audiences. We suggest appealing to the locals within a close radius around your venue which will differ depending on where you are located.
Style Guide
A style guide is essential to keeping your brand identity consistent and easily recognised in all forms of communications. It also acts as a key document that helps content creators communicate a consistent message to your audience. It is also paramount from a business perspective as it helps support marketing initiatives by ensuring all messaging is relevant and related to the overall brand’s objectives.
Since the style guide defines the guidelines for maintaining the brand’s identity it’s important to invest in this step to ensure you get it right the first time.
Our graphic designer Anna has a broad range of experience in branding and execution check her out here.
To give you a quick low down a style guide includes elements like:
- Logo
- Typography
- Web styles
- Primary and secondary branding colours
- Examples of social media templates leveraging the above
Foundation Set-Up
In this prelaunch phase it’s important to have all your fundamental elements complete. This includes setting up your Facebook pixel and placing it on the back end of your website. Essentially, the pixel code helps us to track and engage conversions from the Facebook ads that will be created. This pixel also allows you to build targeted audience groups who will engage with your website overtime (allowing you to build targeted ads to this specific audience group). The best part about Facebook pixels is that it helps to make sure all the ads created are being seen by the right people.
Social Media Profiles
If you’re starting social media pages from scratch, make sure you have the fundamental information filled out such as:
- Trading hours
- Contact information
- Even add a ‘Button’ (which is helpful particularly when processing online bookings)
- Keep your bios short and sweet (mentioning the restaurant / bar’s point of difference: what makes your venue special and different from all the rest?)
- Set your profile picture to be an image that is easily recognised by your ideal target audience such as a good quality version of the company logo
Other ways you can make your social media profiles customer friendly are:
- Uploading the latest menu
Creating an auto chat bot via Facebook messenger that will be able to answer simple customer requests such as (opening hours, online bookings, trading hours or menu items instantly!)
Facebook Advertising Strategy
Within Facebook Ads Manager you will have the ability to develop custom audiences ie: your ideal customers within the location of your restaurant.
Facebook ads help you to gain new customers as well as re-market to existing people who have already engaged with your page. It has become one of the cheapest forms of advertising (if done correctly!) plus it’s fast, drives immediate results and it’s a great way to get conversions.
You can even personalise every ad for every customer ie: through a Facebook pixel which can be easily uploaded on the back-end of your website. This will help you re-market to customers who have visited the ‘menu’ or ‘functions’ tab with new dishes or special function discounts. It also helps you to showcase the most relevant information to your customers who will most likely take action.
Pre-launch Posts
Once the above is done, you need to build your followers and establish an online presence. Thankfully building a following is not overly difficult with simple tactics such as:
- Following locals in your area that are likely to dine at your venue and local food bloggers
- Don’t be afraid to talk about the restaurant and its point of difference whilst showcasing some teaser dishes, drinks and even some ‘meet the team’ posts to build excitement around the opening
- If these customers like what they see, they will help spread the message via tagging friends and igniting online conversations – #winning!
- Never underestimate the power of a professional photoshoot. As you can imagine, customers eat with their eyes so capturing beautifully presented food that looks just as good as it tastes is key. One of the greatest things about a photoshoot is that you can use the photos for multiple purposes such as:
#1. Content to add to your website
#2. Branding collateral
#3. Store them in a folder for access at any time for future
- Having eye catching graphics and overall branding concepts can also help tell your story and attract the right customers to engage and visit your new restaurant. Take the time to really think about the design concept, the most successful branding concepts are ones that aligns with the personality of your new restaurant and with your audience. Hire our graphics guru Anna.
Section B: Launch Strategy
The launch component is all about communicating to your audience that your restaurant is now open for biz! The main objective during launch phase is to showcase your offerings as much as possible reinforcing the restaurant is new and just open.
Launch Posts
- It’s important to constantly talk about the restaurant particularly it being ‘now open’ or ‘now launched’ in all your posts during the launch phase. Whilst you may feel as the restaurant owner or marketer that you’re repeating yourself, not all posts will be seen by your ideal target market every time.
- Share professional photos or exciting video content of the opening night or launch party.
- Keep the interactive posts going around food and beverages – showcasing the unique offering
- Host a launch event party: This is best done shortly after the restaurant has opened (once all the teething pains are ironed out and you’ve developed a local customer network). Create a Facebook event and invite all the locals and their friends to attend. It’s a great way to showcase your offering and get to know the people who will be regularly dining with you.
TIP: Does your restaurant work with local businesses in your area? What better way to showcase your support for other Aussie companies than talking about it on social media?
Facebook Advertising Strategy
Reach, engagement and traffic ad objectives are really effective during this phase, particularly as you start to showcase your new and exciting restaurant.Reach ads – maximise the number of people who see your ads and how often they see them. Use this ad objective to build brand awareness and show your ads to as many people in your audience segment as possible.
Engagement ads are designed to get more people to see and engagement with your Facebook post or page.
Traffic ads are designed to drive people to your website or app. With these ads you can send people to a destination on the website which therefore increases your website conversion rate.