New tools and new rules: restaurants and social networks
Tours TravelIf you think that social networking sites like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or Yelp are not important to you as a restaurant operator, I hope I can convince you that you are dead wrong.
Last week, Nielson Online, the company that tracks online activity, reported that time spent on social networking sites increased 83 percent in the United States compared to just a year ago. This means that more of your current and potential customers are spending an increasing amount of time online.
A logical conclusion to be drawn from this trend is that restaurateurs need to understand the new tools and rules of online social media, if they want to engage and influence their growing tech-savvy audiences. Equally important is the need to understand social media as a means of defending yourself against its dark side. This will require you to pay attention to what is being said about you and your brand; and that, you get directly involved in the conversations.
The dark side of social networks
If you’re like most restaurants, I’m sure you have a great website complete with smiling service staff, sparkling clean cooks, and great food photos. Now, what difference will all this make, if a YouTube search for your company name turns up a home video of a rodent-infested kitchen posted by a disgruntled ex-employee? It doesn’t matter if the images are fake, five years old, or from a restaurant with a similar name. Your reputation is the one at risk.
This may sound unbelievable, but major brands like Taco Bell and Burger King have recently faced some very embarrassing problems. In February 2007, Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell and KFC, made national headlines when someone posted a video of rats running around one of its New York locations. In August 2008, Burger King drew similar attention when one of its employees was videotaped taking a bath in the restaurant’s kitchen sink at the end of his shift.
Although these two big fast food operators have survived their brushes with social media, the scares are a permanent part of Internet memory. One way to ensure that you are in a position to protect your reputation and brand is to engage with your customers before anything bad happens. It’s much easier to be heard and believed when you’ve already established a relationship with your audience online. This is a compelling reason to embrace sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
The Illustrated Opportunity of Social Media
Social networking sites have also proven to be a very effective way to generate, excite and connect with a loyal following of customers and fans of your business. This enlightened side of social media is probably the biggest reason any restaurant operator would devote valuable resources to the subject. I believe that restaurants have barely scratched the surface of ways to promote and grow their businesses online and through social media.
Take the story of Kogi’s taco truck as an example. Los Angeles-based mobile Korean taco truck owners recently began using Twitter to engage and communicate with customers. In a matter of months, the business has garnered national media attention and more than 30,000 Twitter followers. There have been reports of long lines of customers waiting, when Tweets (Twitter Posts) are sent out announcing their pending arrival. Kogi’s has definitely found a creative way to put social media to positive use.
Similarly, Panera Bread has incorporated one of the common uses of social networking, “MeetUps” into its own online site. MeetAtPanera.com allows consumers to schedule lunches or meetings at local venues by sending electronic invitations directly from the site. This certainly reinforces Panera’s image as a welcoming place for groups to gather. This counts as another smart use of the new social media tools.
Given all of the above, I am not suggesting that the fundamentals of restaurant marketing have changed. The goals of generating guest traffic and customer loyalty are the same. The need to focus on branding, advertising and promoting your products and services hasn’t changed either. Dramatic change is happening with the “Tools” available to restaurant operators and the “Rules” of the game. Ignoring these changes would be like a Buggy Whip Makers ignoring the invention of the automobile. A better approach is to take advantage of the opportunities offered by social networks and creatively shape them in an illustrative way. . (See also the recent article on restaurants and institutions for more tips.)