Media-savvy restaurants are making two smart choices: they’re active on social media, and they’re creating personalized apps for their businesses.

Especially if you’re a small restaurant, you might think, are these tools necessary? 

The answer is yes.

Here’s something to think about: diners want to engage with you. According to a recent survey, 65% of diners would download a restaurant’s app if it gave them access to special deals and offers.

Equally persuasive are some stats about restaurants and social media: 18-to-35 year-olds spend five days every year scrolling Instagram for food photos. What’s more, 30% of this demographic would not eat at a restaurant if it didn’t have a compelling Instagram presence.

These statistics demonstrate the importance of using social media and creating an app for your restaurant. But what makes you stand out even more is having an interesting and fresh messaging to keep your restaurant top of mind.

In other words, the most impactful marketing campaign has a robust social media presence and a mobile app that delivers interesting and valuable messaging to your customers.

But of course, doing both things on top of everything else your restaurant requires can seem daunting. We’re here to tell you that you can handle your restaurant social media with two rules in mind: unify and simplify. Read on and we’ll tell you more.

Social media: What diners want

Your primary goal in social media is demonstrating how you’re unique in the restaurant scene in your city and giving diners a compelling reason to visit your restaurant. Here are some of the best ways to make yourself stand out:

• Share user-generated content. New diners are more likely to check out your restaurant if you share photos or reviews from diners who have already enjoyed your offerings.
• Focus on what you do best. Use Social media to entice potential customers, put a compelling reason to visit your restaurant in your app and post about it on social media. If you have the best tacos in town, put your money where your mouth is and offer a FREE taco for First Time Guests. Then let the app work its magic to bring them back for more tasty tacos again and again.
• Demonstrate your community commitment. While it’s great to share write-ups about your business to your followers, also show that you’re a part of your community by hosting and sharing community events that are relevant to you and your brand.

Apps: What consumers are looking for

Your diners want ways to continue connecting with you through your app. Here are ways to make your app useful, while also demonstrating your thanks for your customers’ loyalty:

• Have customers choose their own adventure. Make your app fun, and let your customers choose what they want to hear about, what they want to be upgraded on and how they want to be loyal.
• Post menus and specials. Your diners want to know what’s cooking at your restaurant before they choose you for dinner. Keep your app updated with the most up-to-date version of your menu and use phot push messages to put
• Use short term deals to drive business. Keep customers interested with seasonal loyalty programs, birthday gifts, flash deals and insider app only promotions. People want to feel excited and like they are getting special treatment, make sure you’re delivering.
• Create a digital first-time guest program. Once you entice a customer to come in and try your tacos, use automation and messaging to thank that customer for coming and remind them to come back with a series of upgrades and experiences just for them.

Unifying your social media and restaurant app

Make sure that all your social media channels and your app convey the same message – and image – of your business. Here’s how to do it:

• Use the same tone across platforms. If you’re easygoing and fun on one platform and serious and knowledgeable on another, your customers will be confused about the kind of place you really are.
• Share similar photos. Again, if you share goofy, fun photos of your staff on one platform and elegant food photos on another, your followers will wonder what your restaurant is about.
• Post links to your other channels. Let your followers know exactly where you can be found across platforms. Include all your social media channels on your app. This way, diners can find you everywhere you’re at online.

Simplifying your social media marketing

Luckily, you don’t have to handle this alone. Boelter Blue can simplify the process for you. Here are some of the ways we can help:

• Join the community. Lean on our knowledge and the knowledge of your peers.Boelter Blue Community provides a knowledge base and a place to ask questions and get real help.
• Automating engagement with your customers. Boelter Blue can build a mobile app for your restaurant with automation and push messaging to simplify your communications and deliver a consistent message that drives customers in the front door.
• Guiding social media followers to download your app. If you have followers on social media, the next step is guiding them toward downloading your app. Boelter Blue will help make the connection between the two.

If you want more tips for marketing your restaurant in the digital age, download our eBook “Let's Simplify Foodservice: Restaurant Marketing Edition.”