Simple steps for a successful social strategy
What should you post? How do you do it time efficiently? These easily actionable ideas & tools will provide structure to your social media strategy including tips on remaining visible through Covid-19.
Social visibility through Covid
People's morale is low, they're looking for new hobbies, they're looking for social interaction. You can provide that. In a fun, caring manner that provides the opportunity to connect with you and your brand on a human level - something that isn't always easy to achieve when activity is in full swing.
Delivering:
Let people know they can get their hands on your tasty food!
Personalisation and love. Everything that people appreciate! An original idea from Big Mamma to announce their delivery service.
Introduce your team:
Focus on one person at a time, and follow a template to make it easier, quicker and consistent!
As an example, here is the template we used on our Brigader Facebook group!
[BONUS] Have you ever met Vincent? He’s part of Brigad’s team and attracts more and more top talents to join the Talent community!
😂 The "Friday funny": A funny story about something which has happened in your business posted at the same time every week.
⚡️ "How to" videos: You're in an inspirational industry filled with skills that people want to learn. Take advantage of that by showing your team skill set! (And by wearing a mask - don't forget to follow safety rules) Do you know how to make a Marmalade Collins? No? Have a look at this video to discover a cocktail recipe and get inspiration for your social networks!
[🔥 Bonus] for increased engagement: Create & promote a live event with a 30 minute “How to” session. Get inspired by these great tips!
➡️ Social strategy for the future Continue the above, and:
🍱 Inspire: Beautiful photos & videos! Food, drink, decor, the team. We all love to see this, share it with us!
🗣 Inform: Share your weekly menu or daily special. Inform your customers - and - make them drool! They'll be sure to come by.
Once you know the daily special from your favourite restaurant, you don’t want to cook at home anymore, right? Gourmet Hog launched Thursday Pizza to attract their customers!
Remember - you engaging with people will lead to more customers. For example, your reopening & any future events you do will have higher success due to your audience size.
Some inspirational Insta & Facebook accounts posting on a regular basis always with beautiful photos:
📸 Award-winning Roast post beautiful photos of their food and establishment. They use topical events to draw people in (check out their Mother's day and St Patrick's Day posts)
📸 Vegetarian & vegan, Farmacy post recipes, use consistent colours and promote their takeaway & delivery
📸 The Gourmet Hog has great ongoing communications about their 'Thursday Pizza night'
📸 Pierre Gagnaire's, Sketch have a different approach… They display the brand and less of the product. Artistic, extraordinary, vivid photos that attract interest & engage people.
Tools
- Need to add a logo to your photos? Get the correct sizing? Add a colour filter? Use Canva - a free-to-use tool, with templates for each social platform. A very user-friendly tool, it helps you to get beautiful and professional posts. Canva is the secret to any marketing & communication professional's success 😉
- Your time is precious. Schedule posts in advance! The holy grail - Hootsuite No more squeezing in 20 mins here and there leading to frustration and ultimately not posting. Up to 30 posts with the free version - that's 1-2 months' worth of content that can be scheduled in one go!
Best practice - copy the habits of social media masters
- High-quality photos are important! At least 2mb in size.
- Standardised sizing for each platform: the Canva tool above does this for you
- Hashtags: This is how people who aren't already familiar with your brand can come across it. Use about 6-10 a post and mix them up. Some ideas: #foodie #winelover #cocktails #nom #happyhour #sundayfunday #bottomlessbrunch #foodography #manchesternightlife #londonshopping #friends #nightlife #[your brand] #[your slogan]
- Post 2x3 a week on your social channels at 'peak' times
- Tag influencers (people with a large following) & customers loyal to your brand. You will reach much more potential customers!
- Re-share photos you're tagged in: not only is this ready-made content, but it also nurtures a stronger bond between you and the client by showing you appreciate their post!
- Ask questions: Open the door for your audience to engage with you and don’t be afraid if there are not tons of comments at the beginning. People need to get used to interacting with you.
- Stick to the same colours: This will work wonders for your branding and for the eyes of the beholder when looking at your Insta profile. For more on colours, here's a comprehensive guide.
A lot to take in but an extremely important subject considering 75% of consumers have purchased something because they saw it on social media. If you want to know more, you can have a look at the Sprout Social index to better understand how people interact on social media and what their expectations are.
In any case, remember that the results of your efforts on Social Media won’t be immediate, but they will be worth it!
Happy posting!
#hospitalityunited
