Whether it’s to gain more follows or increase customer engagement, businesses are finding ways that social media can contribute to their growth and success. Social media provides cafes, bars, and restaurants with another way of getting their name out there and creating their own brand personality.
Here are 5 reasons why social media is essential for your café:
- Helps customers find you – By using social media you make information about your café or restaurant more accessible for new customers while at the same time making your brand more recognisable with existing customers. For example, a person who regularly uses Instagram could find out about your café for the first time when an image pops up in their feed. The ever-increasing use of social media means that around 75% of people are buying products and visiting venues having seen them on social media channels.
- Social media is targeted, low cost advertising – Unless there is some sort of budget behind your Facebook posts very few of your community get to see them. This means that social boosting is a must for most cafes and restaurant owners. Unlike advertising on radio, in print, and online, your budget doesn’t have to be huge. Boosting your social boosts with, say, just $10 a post will mean that all your customer base will see your content. Your budget lets you target a certain group of people near to your business i.e. those in a certain age bracket who may have an interest in what your café or restaurant is offering.
- Get to know your customers – Your follows are like your very own community. They value two-way interaction and communication. Remember, the more you know about your customers the easier it is for you to please them. Interacting with your customers gives you valuable feedback about their experience at your venue and what, if any, changes they would like to see implemented.
- Helps to build relationships – Posting content that receives a response relating to how good your food or drinks look encourages others to share it on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter networks. Nowadays, engaging with others is more important than how many followers you have. Those shares, likes, and comments shows you that they care and if you take care with your posts, they’ll do a great job of advertising your business for you.
- Grow your contacts – Simply by engaging and following other cafes, restaurants, and suppliers you can expand your personal network and create new business contacts. For instance, if you’re looking for a new supplier of coffee syrups, you can ask for recommendations online. This works both ways, and people may even come to you to be a supplier for their venue.
The hospitality industry relies heavily on recommendations and reviews which means that every customer can take the advice of a well-acclaimed critic before deciding whether to visit your venue. Instagram and other social media sharing platforms
allows everyone to become a ‘foodie’ and this is something that cafes and restaurants need to jump on right away, if they’re not already doing so.
Here at Café Furniture Brisbane we don’t just give good advice we also sell a wide range of café furniture and kitchen equipment. So, why not browse our online store, download our catalogues, or visit our showroom to see what we provide?