Marketing your Toledo Restaurant on Facebook

Attention all restaurant owners in Toledo, Ohio. Are you craving to improve the overall customer experience and improve your sales? Have you considered using Facebook as a marketing tool to help grow your restaurant business? If not, have no fear because the power of social media is still new to many people. While there are nearly one million registered users on Facebook, many restaurant owners do not know or understand the benefits of using Facebook to market their restaurant online. 

The benefits of using social media platforms such as Facebook to market your restaurant online are improved customer satisfaction, improved customer service, improved customer relationships and the ability to use traditional forms of advertising to create awareness of special discounts or rebates.  

Example of the Benefit of Facebook Marketing for Restaurants

Many years ago, it would take time to research the exact cause of the decline in customers. It could be poor customer service, bad location and of course; bad food. 

Starting a few years ago, technology and human nature has been combined to create a monster. To be more specific, it is our human instinct to be social. With the invention of Facebook, it has made it even easier to be social with friends, family and other businesses, or in this case; restaurants. 

For example, let’s say Bob just opened up a new Italian restaurant in Toledo, Ohio. Bob is an experienced business man and has some great recipes to share with everyone in the Toledo area. Bob had some respectable results in his first week of operation. However, after three months he notices a drop in customers. 

Bob then decides that his next marketing strategy will be to find out what his customers actually think about his restaurant. He hired an professional Facebook marketing company and began to see some gradual increase in sales. 

Customers were able to check into their Facebook page use their mobile phone and comment on their experience. No matter if the restaurant reviews were negative or positive, the comments on Bob’s restaurant Facebook page were extremely useful. In addition, customers shared their experience with their other friends on Facebook. Considering, most Facebook users have at least fifty friends, the amount of exposure of Bob’s restaurant tripled. If Bob did not implement some type of Facebook marketing strategy for his Toledo based restaurant, it would have failed. Why did his Facebook Marketing strategy work so well for his restaurant? The direct answer is customer engagement. 

Tips to Market your Restaurant on Facebook

1. Respond to comments or questions on your business Facebook page. Never let a comment on your page go unnoticed. It will not solve anything by ignoring negative comments. Always try to resolve the customers problem.
2. Honesty is a virtue. Treat people online the same way as if you just shook their hand. Never try to hide negative reviews or lie about your restaurant. Most customers understand that people make mistakes and they just want someone to listen to them. If proactive action is taken to resolve the problem, that customer will visit your restaurant again. 
3. Avoid overly promotional messages on Facebook. While it is acceptable to post promotional messages on your Facebook page once a week, marketing on Facebook is not the place to constantly overwhelm your followers with advertisements. Facebook business pages should only be used to educate and engage the public! Remember, all someone has to do to stop following your restaurant news feed is click on "Unfriend". 
4. Images sometimes speak louder than words. The general public loves images. In today’s busy lifestyle, many Facebook followers would rather look at pictures of some of your restaurants appetizers or meals. Make sure the images you post on your Facebook page are professional looking as it will represent your business. If you think your steak is truly mouth watering, prove it on Facebook. 
5. Share other news too. Even if it slightly unrelated. Don’t be afraid to post local events and news. Facebook can be a great networking tool too. Therefore, it is important to remember to follow a "give and take" philosophy. 
6. Be the life of the party. Don’t just add generic content to your Restaurant Facebook page. Allow your restaurant to shine by showcasing your personality and overall culture of your restaurant. Add creative and insightful content that encourages your customers to join the conversation. 

In conclusion, Facebook can be used to market any restaurant in Toledo, Ohio if the correct steps are taken. The entire staff at Hi Octane Solutions hopes you found these quick list of tips for Facebook marketing for restaurants helpful. Managing a Facebook marketing campaign for restaurants can be time consuming, so make sure you find the best Facebook Marketing Company for the job. We would love to hear from our readers. Feel free to comment below! 

Posted by: Brennan Deitsch