Social Media Strategies for Restaurant Owners

Recently a reader shared a blog post with me he had written about social media for restaurant owners. In the blog, the author points out the need for restaurant owners to think outside of the traditional advertising box. More and more people turn first to the Internet when looking for a place to eat out. If you hope to draw in new customers, particularly tourists during busy seasons, then social media is a must.

If you don’t already have a website, you should seriously think about investing in one. However, if you don’t have a few thousand dollars to spare at the moment (and who does?) there are plenty of free and inexpensive resources that restaurant owners can use to their advantage. A few include:

• Online Maps- Make sure your restaurant is listed with sites such as MapQuest and Google Maps Local Business Center.
• Google Alerts – You can get a Google alert anytime your restaurant’s name is posted online. These alerts come in handy when people post reviews (both good and bad) about your restaurant on one the hundreds of restaurant review sites out there.
• Facebook – Facebook is a free way to let customers know what is going on at your restaurant and advertise upcoming restaurant promotions.
• Constant Contact- This is not a free service, but it is only a few hundred dollars for a year. You can produce your own electronic newsletters and other social media that can be emailed to customers. I’ve used this program in the past and it is very easy to navigate and put together a professional looking newsletter in just a few minutes.

Want to know more about social media strategies? Read the whole article at Social Media Defined. Then share your thoughts at the Restauranting Forum.