How to Best Leverage Social Media in the Foodservice Industry

Over the last decade, social media has become ingrained in our daily lives, dramatically changing the way we find and share information. Globally, as of January 2016, there were 2.307 billion social media users total – 1.968 billion who are mobile users, according to Smart Insights. Wow! The potential for foodservice operators to reach consumers increases with each post, tweet, and review that gets shared so if you’ve been putting your social media strategy on the back burner, it’s time to take it off. In today’s digital age, maintaining an online presence is no longer just an option – it’s mandatory. And if you aren’t searchable online, you’re losing key business to competitors who are.

To set yourself up for success, first make sure you have a website that details your hours of operation, location, contact info, and menu – at the bare minimum. Now, as you build and maintain your social media presence you can link back to your website, driving traffic to your business and dollars into your operation. Whether you’re a noncommercial foodservice operator at a large university, or a small-volume catering manager, the same tactics and ideas can be used when implementing your social media strategy.

How to Best Utilize Different Social Media Platforms

A variety of platforms exist, so how do you determine which outlet for social media in the foodservice industry is most important for your business? Truth is, they’re all important, and for different reasons. Foodservice operators should understand how to best utilize each platform and realize the different strategies and goals associated with them.

Facebook: Coming in with a whopping 1.71 billion users, Facebook continues to be the most popular social media platform, proving its overwhelming importance to businesses.

• Post on your page regularly
• Engage with customers and always respond when they engage with you
• Share pictures and videos of best sellers, limited-time-only dishes, and employee favorites
• Use Facebook Live to create videos that boost engagement – keep it fun!
• Post promotions, coupons, specials, and upcoming events
• Announce any exciting news surrounding your business
• Keep address, hours of operation, and contact information up to date in the “About” section
• Link to your current website, menus, and/or ordering platform

Accounts to follow for inspiration: Food52, Good Food Events and Catering, Sticky Lips Pit BBQ

Instagram: Instagram is all about the imagery and visual stimulation, so strive to make their stomachs rumble!

• Post drool-worthy photos of your offerings on a regular basis
• Share videos for increased engagement. For example, record your chef preparing food or putting the finishing touches on dishes for a big event
• Post experimental dishes and have viewers vote on which they’d like to see added to your menu
• Hashtag, hashtag, hashtag! This increases the chances of reaching more users outside of your follower-base. Some popular tags? #food, #foodie, #foodlover

Accounts to follow for inspiration: @food52, @eater, @restaurantfiorella

Twitter: The little blue bird likes to keep it short and sweet, giving posts a 280-character limit. But, it’s amazing how much information can be shared in such a short space!

• Keep posts fun and intriguing and don’t be afraid to add humor and GIFs!
• Hashtag, hashtag, hashtag! This increases the chances of reaching more users outside of your follower-base.
• Tweet about current specials, promotions, coupons, and upcoming events
• Create Twitter-only promotions – for example, “Receive 15% off your next order with code ‘Twitter15’ at checkout”
• Follow current customers and those who follow you and engage with them – comment on, retweet, and like what they post

Accounts to follow for inspiration: @opentableboise, @CaliTacosTG, @BrioIceCream

Pinterest: Also known as “the world’s catalog of ideas”, Pinterest is a hotspot for new recipes and the go-to place for finding creative ways to feed people.

• Pin pictures of your offerings and link to your website
• Share recipes, past and current, and link to your current menu
• Don’t just create boards and pin items similar to what your business offers, expand your reach with a more versatile pinning strategy
• Follow current customers and those who follow you to better understand what types of food they’re interested in

Accounts to follow for inspiration: Hannibals Catering, Six Sisters’ Stuff, California Pizza Kitchen

Even Your Best Selling Dish Won’t Please Everyone

Expanding your foodservice operations’ digital footprint means that users will see what you’re posting as well as what others are posting about you. 5-star reviews and positive comments have a big impact on potential customers. But what if an unsatisfied customer leaves a less-than-stellar review on your Facebook page?

Don’t freak out! And don’t delete the negative post. That implies that you did something wrong, and you don’t care enough about your customers to rectify it. Rather, address the unhappy customer to understand why they’re unsatisfied, and then decide the best solution. For example, if you receive a negative review after catering an event where the main course was served 20 minutes late because you were short-staffed, first apologize. Then compensate them by taking 10% off their invoice, or if they’re a repeat customer, offer to add an appetizer to their next event at no cost to them. The way you handle negative feedback is very telling of the way you treat customers, your culture, and the level of hospitality you provide, so embrace the negative comments just as much as the positive ones to gain respect among current and future customers.

Promote Your Social Media Accounts

Reducing the number of clicks it takes to find information is important to today’s fast-paced customer who expects to find everything they need quickly and easily. So, the easier your social media pages are to find, the more likely you are to experience higher customer engagement. The TRAX Platform allows social media buttons to be prominently displayed on the homepage of your CaterTrax solution, right where your customers will be ordering from.

If you need assistance setting this up, please contact our Support Team at: 1-800-975-TRAX (8729)

What tactics have you utilized that worked regarding social media in the foodservice industry? What hasn’t work? Do you find certain types of posts to be more engaging than others? What are your favorite accounts to follow for inspiration? Let us know in the comment section below, and if you found this information useful to your foodservice operation, share this article via the social buttons below.