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 3 Simple Ideas for Restaurants Using Facebook 3 Tips for Small Restaurants Using Facebook I had a great response on my article 6 Tips for Busy Small Businesses Using Facebook and wanted to follow up with some suggestions to my fans, friends, followers, and connections for small restaurants. Out of the 300+ business pages I "LIKE" on Facebook a number of them are restaurants or coffee shops. I looked at most of their pages recently and realized the majority are using their pages as just another advertising platform instead of really engaging their fans in a way that actually puts those Fans at their tables. A number of restaurants posted their "Lunch Special" and may even be getting some fans to push the "Like" button. BUT pushing the button Does not put them at the cash register. In fact I went through and "LIKED" 5 restaurants posts about their lunch specials while sitting in a conference in Jacksonville yesterday. I may have "liked" your post but you didn't get my money.
So here are a few ideas for small eateries or coffee shops to incorporate into their Facebook posts that may get their cash registers ringing. First, remember why fans said they "Liked" a business page (see chart above from ExactTarget report), 40% pushed your like button to get discounts & promotions while 25% said they wanted access to exclusive content. THEY expect some special "LOVE" from you. So give it to them. Make your posts exclusive to your fans. Here are 3 easy ideas you can incorporate into your posts that will motivate fans to come to your cash register: Before you post your daily blue plate special menu say: "Mom's Country Kitchen Fans Only -15% Discount on all lunch specials this week! Just tell your waitress you are a Facebook Fan!"... Then post your menu special. Or "Facebook Friday at Mom's Country Kitchen....for my fans only....FREE desert of your choice during lunch on Friday... Just tell your waitress you are a fan and have a slice of our award winning apple pie just for being a fan" . OR... Give away a free meal for 2 for fans only.... "Each Thursday Mom will draw a name at random among our Facebook Fans and post it to our Wall. Every week 1 lucky fan and a friend get lunch on Mom! Be sure to come by Mom's Facebook page before 10 am Friday to see if you won and claim your lunch" You get the idea...your post didn't just list your same old boring lunch menu, it gave your fans a REASON to get out from behind their computer, come to Mom's Country Kitchen and put cash in your register! Be sure to take pictures of fans who come in to take advantage of the discount or free piece of pie OR get that free lunch for 2 and post those on your wall! Why publicize the winners? I get something special for being a fan that non-fans don't receive, I tell my friends what I won and they are likely to come fan your page as well, I like to be recognized so seeing my photo makes me feel special which makes me "like" you even more!'l Oh and don't forget to brief your waitstaff, hostess and cashiers! You may want to instruct your waitstaff to put initials FB on the ticket so you can go back at the end of the week to see how effective your FAN campaign was. Like these ideas? Share some unique ideas you have to turn Likers into customers. I would love to hear from you and share them with my readers! After all the reason we started the Facebook page in the first place was to entice people to come to our restaurant or coffee shop, so give them what they want AND they will come! Make your Facebook Page work smarter not harder.
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