New restaurants pop up left and right but sometimes it can be difficult to create buzz. You could have an enticing menu, educated staff, and a unique selling point, but it can be challenging to be successful when no one knows you exist. When it comes to creating buzz, the goal is to be the talk of the town. New and successful restaurants are keyed into three things: who they are, who their audience is, and what they offer. Here are some tips on how to top restaurants create buzz:
In the age of social media, the effort of creating buzz starts long before the doors of a restaurant opens. The key is timing; start your social media feeds early. Let your customers join you in the process of opening your business. Show them sneak peeks, tease them with menu items, and pique their interest. Creating suspense will create a sense of excitement but it'll also create expectations! The trick of social media is keeping up with new trends yet not over saturating a user’s feed. You want to remain relevant, without becoming an annoyance.
Take the time to carve out a social media strategy, or invest in a professional to help develop your brand. It’s important to treat social media as a prime marketing medium; it's a major part in guest interaction, and you can easily host giveaways and contests.
Use more than one platform, and be engaging! Your account should be interactive, and encourage conversation. Ask followers what they’re most excited about, what they want to see, and establish a digital presence.
Social media could also be a platform to highlight your staff! Let your followers meet who will be serving them, and establish a relationship before your doors open. It'll be a fun initiative for employee engagement, and personalize your brand.
It's essential to stay on brand. Any content that you deliver should have the same voice. Reiterate your restaurant’s values through your social media channels to contribute to your restaurant’s overall experience. Make sure that whoever is taking care of your social media understands your values as a business, to ensure that everything is consistent.
Everything you share and publish is essentially a process of creating a story. It should be continuous, consistent, and thoughtful. Tailor your content to your ideal client, but keep it vague enough for others to chime in the conversation and be interested too!
There is a huge trend of highly influential social media influencers and food bloggers. Strategically follow and research local bloggers and social media influencers and invite them to a media tasting to take advantage of their social media following! Canadian influencers like Feed My Phone have over 40 thousand Instagram followers, that include local and international users. It’s your opportunity to tap into the new form of word of mouth marketing.
Make sure your dishes are up to your standards, encourage photography, and let them know you would like to be featured on their sites! Not only will photos of your dishes be great, but you’ll have an opportunity to reach thousands of their local followers.
Once you've created enough buzz, make sure that your restaurant is able to keep up with the demand! Hiring good employees is key to the success of your business. Learn how to hire the best with our helpful guide below.
“In the labor numbers, we were reporting about a $300 to $400 difference than what we were getting through Push!”
-Tara Hardie, ZZA Hospitality Group, 16 locations
