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"I was told to post to Instagram. So I post to Instagram. I am not sure why or how followers from different cities and countries liking my post help me serve more guests and generate more sales, but they say to post, so I post." said the restaurant owner.
If this sounds like your marketing plan, then stop posting. The time and money will be better spent serving the guests inside your restaurant. The content you provide needs to have a purpose. It needs to be tied in with a strategy and a vision.
995 photos are uploaded on Instagram every second.
That's a lot of stuff.
How do you fit in amongst all that stuff?
Are you a stuff creator or an experience provider? Wouldn't it make more sense to give people a sample of your experience instead of just a picture of it?
Everyone is quick to want to add contacts to their email list, some people even buy lists of names to get that number up.
But what's more important? 500 people on your list that are engaged with your messages or 5000 that don't care.
Some people argue that having lots of people on the list and sending them emails is worth it in "hopes" that they might engage. But then they start sending more emails and see the unsubscribe rate climb, so they panic and stop sending emails.
Kinda defeats the purpose of having an email list.
We believe in building a healthy list, like a group of friends. You want people you can count on to get excited about your promotion, new menu, or special event. ANd not only get excited about it and share it but come in and spend money.
Build a list that you can send an email to every five days. That's a truly engaged list. Build that list with a 25% click-through rate, and now you have superfans.
The book is always better than the movie because you use your imagination to create your visuals in your head. You imagine the story, the characters and the scenes.
This is why words are so crucial in your marketing.
Choose words to help a potential guest visualize the experience they will have at your restaurant.
Choose words that will make them crave a feeling when they dine with you.
The words you use allow potential guests to see themselves in your restaurant.
But don't forget, this sets the bar high for the experience, so you need to make the movie live up to the book.
ASK QUESTIONS.
A great server will find out information about the guest and use that information to customize the experience.
Let's compare it to wine service.
Some restaurants have 100's of bottles on their list.
When the staff help the guest make a selection, they will usually start with a simple question like red or white?
Then it can get more specific.
Would you like something lighter and delicate, or perhaps something more full-bodied?
Would you like something local or perhaps somewhere more exotic?
What wines have you tried in the past that you've enjoyed?
To make an excellent recommendation, the server needs to find out more information.
This is the great thing about building a guest database; you can ask questions and find out more information about the guests on your list. Use this information to send out targeted communications that the guest is interested in, and adjust your offerings to satisfy more of the guest's desires.
But don't just take our word for it; read the book.
Ask by Ryan Levesque
