Digital Identity

Building Your Restaurant’s

Facebook Tips

Facebook is a social networking website thatallows users to join networks organized bycity, workplace, school and region. People andbusinesses can also add friends, send them messages and update their personal profiles tonotify friends about themselves.

Chances are, your customers are on Facebook.You need to be, too. It’s free, and updatingyour status with daily deals, bar specials orchef’s nighly creation takes just a few minutes.

First, create a personal Facebook page. Thenyou’ll be able to establish a Facebook page foryour business. People can “LIKE” your restau-rant by clicking the LIKE button. This appearson their profile page as a status update whichcan be viewed by their entire network offriends (depending on their privacy settings.)

Your status updates will be simultaneouslyposted to everyone who LIKES your business.You can also purchase small ads on Facebook,very specifically targeting your customers byage, sex, or geography.

• More than 750 Million registered users, more than one in every 13 people on earth

• More than 300 million users log onto Facebook any given day

• More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college

• 71.2% of the U.S. web audience is on Facebook.

• The fastest growing demographic is users 35 and older, who represent more than 30% of the entire user base

• 57% of users are Female, 43% are male

• The average user has 130 friends on the site

• Over 50 billion photos have been uploaded

• People spend 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook

• More than 250 million active users accessFacebook through their mobile devices

• People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users

• The average user creates 90 pieces of content per month

• Most popular social networking site inthe world

• Adults 35 and up arefastest growing userdemographic

• Engaging, dynamic format keeps people coming back for newgames, features, and user-created content

• Share photos, news,videos, recipes, links and more!

http://www.facebook.com/help

Facebook - The King of Social Networking

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Driving restaurant sales through online ordering and socialmedia can yield positive results, but experts caution that it takescommitment to the task and a sharp focus on marketing theservice for the investment to pay off.

Executives participating in the webinar titled, “The New SocialOrder(ing): Monetizing Social Media Investments Driving Customer Loyalty,” acknowledged that some successful operatorsare indeed reaping benefits in the form of increased sales andhigher check averages.

However, Geoff Alexander, vice president and managing partnerof Wow Bao, a division of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises inChicago, advised that it takes time and planning to make theservice work.

“Online ordering is a business, and you have to commit to itevery day to grow that business,” Alexander told the webinar’smore than 500 participants. “You have to push it and market it.”

“You have to get it out in front of people’s faces,” he continued,adding it is imperative for a restaurant’s online ordering programto be promoted on multiple platforms — from menus and websites to signs and even bag stuffers on trays.

The webinar was sponsored by Exit41, an Andover, Mass.-basedfood-ordering social media provider, and presented by Nation’sRestaurant News.

Joining Alexander on the webinar panel were:

• Chet Barnard, chief executive of Exit41• Jim Anderson, chief operating officer of Atlanta-based Vitrue,

a social-marketing software firm based in Atlanta• Wendy McReynolds, director of marketing for Bravo/Brio

Restaurant Group, a 48-unit company based in Columbus, Ohio• Matt Schultz, marketing and social media coordinator for

Bravo/Brio.

The experts concurred that online ordering through social media — whether it is Facebook or an iPhone app — potentiallyis a money-maker for restaurants. At Bravo/Brio, for example, 8 percent to 10 percent of sales are generated by online orderingand the goal is to boost that number to 15 percent to 20 percent,McReynolds said.

Wow Bao’s Alexander also noted that the average check for an online order is three to four times higher than a check in therestaurant. “It’s people buying for the office or multiple orderscoming in,” he said.

Barnard told webinar participants that online ordering is growingbecause it allows customers “the ease of doing business … It’sabout convenience. It’s about speed.”

Facebook, with its 500 million members, is a popular online tool,but Alexander pointed out that “technology is constantly evolving.”

Anderson agreed with Alexander regarding the importance ofcommitting the time and manpower to the online ordering serviceif the service is provided. He said it’s vital to “pay attention to fanpages and listen to commentary and use the feedback. The rawmaterials are out there to get meaningful feedback.”

Alexander said Facebook is “my billboard” and Twitter feeds comenonstop to gauge customer feedback.

The one hurdle that McReynolds cited is that customers must beeducated about how to order, especially the older demographic.“We’re educating guests on the conveniences,” she said. “It’s one ofthe trickier aspects we have seen.”

Alexander said the top questions an operator should ask beforediving into online social media ordering is:

• Can it be run as a business, with focus and commitment? • Does it fit the restaurant’s concept? • Do the restaurant’s customers use computers and apps? • Does an operation’s food travel well?

And while technology clearly is changing rapidly, Alexander advised restaurants to not worry about the next phase in its development. “Instead of looking 10 yards down the field [consider] how you’re using what you have now,” he said.

http://www.nrn.com May 5, 2011Article by Alan Snel

Online Ordering & Social Media: Success Takes Focus, Commitment

It’s vital to pay attention to fan pages, listen to commentary and use the feedback.

Once your brand is on Facebook, the question becomes how you engage thosefans and sustain a meaningful online dialogue with your customers. Facebookfans will only want to engage with us if we serve up relevant content and trulyparticipate. We also forget about EdgeRank — Facebook’s News Feed algorithmthat helps display “relevant” stories. The News Feed only displays a small subsetof stories generated by the friends and brands users engage with the most. Themore popular your story, the more likely it is to show up in people’s News Feed.News Feed optimization becomes as important as your content strategy.

for posting on your pagewww.mashable.com March 22, 2011 Article by Ekaterina Walter

10 TIPSLet’s explore ways we can create updates that are optimized for the News Feed and engagement. Beloware some do’s and don’ts to remember each time you tackle that all-important question, “What should wepost to our Facebook Page today?”

1.Don’t automatically feed your blog posts or your Twitter updates intoyour Page. Often, automated content doesn’t make it into users’ NewsFeeds. Your fans can also distinguish between “auto” posts and customized ones. For a lot of brand pages, auto posts do not engender engagement.

Don’t share the exact same content across all networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) in exactly the same format. We all understand the value of saving time, but respect your customers enough to manually post customized copy. You will get far better engagement and show your fans you care.

Some folks who use Facebook don’t really like Twitter and get irritated when they see hashtags or other Twitter-specificcontent in their Facebook stream.

DON’T Automate Your Status Updates

2. DON’T Be AfraidTo Show You’re Human

Thank your fans for their replies and for sharing their opinions with you. From time to time, talk about thingsother than your products. Wish them happy holidays. Ask them fun questions or to share their personal stories.

If you make a mistake — admit it. Everyone knows you are human, and no one expects you to be perfect. You will actually score points for admitting that instead of trying to hide it.

Don’t be afraid of negative comments or people posting on sensitive topics. You’ll find that most of the timeyour fans will jump in and defend you or address these comments for you. And that carries much more weightthan you trying to chime in. And at the end of the day, this is your opportunity to turn haters into loyalists byproviding timely responses and great customer service.

3.DO Post More Photos & VideosMedia like videos and photos always perform well on Facebook. Not only do they seem tobe a favorite of the News Feed algorithm, but they just grab people’s attention in a feed fullof text updates. A lot of web users choose to watch more than they read.

Facebook also offers you a nice little feature that helps bring more fans to your Page. If youpost a video and a non-fan of your Page sees it, a little non-intrusive call to action will popup in the top-left corner that invites them to Like your Page..

4.DO Put Your Fans in Charge Every Now and Then

Not afraid to crowdsource? Your Facebook Page is a perfectplace for it. Not only will your fans feel valued and heard, butsome of their decisions might help your content strategy in the long run. Let’s face it — sometimes we don’t always makechoices that resonate with our customers. My favorite exampleof this was Budweiser letting their fans choose the commercialthat would run during the 2010 Super Bowl.

5. DO Target Your Status Updates

If you are a global brand, make good use of targeting. We sometimes forget that not all of our fans want toknow about campaigns or contests we are running in a specific region or country. Target your updates bycountry or language as necessary. In the U.S. you can even target by state and city.

6. DO Ask Questions& Involve Your Fans

Want your fans to express their views on a topic?Ask them. Want your fans to share their favoritecontent with you? Ask them. Want your fans toshare your content? Ask them. You get the point.

If you want your fans to participate more, just askthem every now and then; you will be surprisedhow many of them respond. Multiple experimentsby other brands and yours truly show that theposts where you include a call to action get betterthan average engagement.

7. DO Watch Your Post Frequency and Timing

Don’t overwhelm your fans with too many posts. I suggest postingonce a day to start with and potentially moving to twice a day,especially if you have great news to share. As far as timing goes,many people catch up on their Facebook activity at the end of theday and during weekends. However, this trend varies, and mightbe different for your target audience. Be patient, watch the response trends on your Page, and identify the frequency and timing that works best for you.

8. DO HaveA Unique Voice

Not afraid to crowdsource? Your Facebook Page is aperfect place for it. Not only will your fans feel valuedand heard, but some of their decisions might help yourcontent strategy in the long run. Let’s face it — some-times we don’t always make choices that resonate with our customers. My favorite example of this wasBudweiser letting their fans choose the commercial that would run during the 2010 Super Bowl.

9. DO DiversifyYour Content

Change up your content every now and then. Often,people are not sure what to post on a regular basis.You could try adding how-tos, trivia about your company, breaking news, polls, fill-in-the-blanks, relevant third-party content, multimedia, or even experts to speak about your field or business.

10.DO Track the Performance of your Posts

Do you know your average number of comments and Likes per post? Watch for trends on your Page and feedback from your consumers on pics/programs/discussions and adjust your content strategy appropriately. Don’t become complacent.

Hopefully these tips will help you gain an edge on EdgeRank, and put your brand on top. Good luck!

Want to learn more about Facebook? Ask your Sysco Sales Person about out other flyers on Building Your Restaurant’s Digital Identity!

At Sysco.com, you can learn all about our companyand products, stay up to date with recent market reports and even find specialty suppliers.

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