In the not-too-distant past, if you wanted to advertise your restaurant, you might put up a sign, run a commercial on local TV, send a flier in the mail, or perhaps take out an ad in the local paper. The landscape has changed significantly. While you may still use these tried-and-true methods, they may not be as effective – or cost-efficient – as using the power of social media.
Whether you love it or hate it, sites like Facebook are here to stay. 69% of Americans use Facebook, with 2.91 billion monthly active users worldwide. Setting up a Facebook page for your restaurant is a free, relatively easy way to market your business. It is also practically a necessity at this point, given the nearly 50% of people who check a restaurant’s social media before deciding where to eat.
At Budget Branders, we know that “social media manager” is probably not a role you expected to take on when you opened your restaurant. While we can’t help you run your Facebook page, we can give you advice on how to get it started. We can also offer you a full range of premium disposable products, each of which can be custom-printed with your name, logo, slogan, and more.
Why Do I Need a Facebook Page for My Restaurant?
When it comes to running a restaurant, the last thing that you may want to do is start and run social media accounts. For better or for worse, social media is important to running a successful business. While there are downsides to Facebook and other platforms, there are also a lot of benefits.
First, Facebook is the third most visited social media site, behind Instagram (which is owned by the same parent company, Meta) and YouTube. When people do visit Facebook, they tend to spend an hour or more a day on the site. This gives you a huge opportunity to get your business in front of potential customers.
Second, Facebook is an incredibly easy way for your patrons to do your marketing for you. Customers can “check in” at your restaurant, like your page, comment on your posts, and/or tag you in a post. When they do so, they are increasing your reach, or the number of people who see your page. It’s a form of free marketing!
Third, Facebook offers an easy way to market yourself, which can help you keep your restaurant full during slow times. You can do this in a few ways, such as offering specials (half-price apps!) for times that you usually don’t have a lot of business. You can also run targeted ads based on your budget and desired audience.
Fourth, you can use ads to get more business overall. To make life easier, you can schedule ads in advance so that you can get it all done at once for a period of time. Facebook also offers metrics that allows you to see how effective your ads are when it comes to generating business.
Fifth, Facebook is an easy way to keep all of your information in one place. It may not replace your website (and shouldn’t!), but it is much simpler to post pics of your specials (for example) on Facebook than it is to update your website. A Facebook page can have your operating hours, phone number, website, photos, videos, and more – all in one place.
Of course there are downsides to having a Facebook page, such as managing negative comments and reviews. Overall, there are a lot more potential benefits than there are drawbacks. More importantly, customers expect you to have a Facebook page at this point – which means that you might miss out on business if you don’t set one up for your restaurant.
How to Set Up a Facebook Page for Your Restaurant
Setting up a Facebook page is really simple. To get started, you will need the following information:
- Business name and description
- Basic information, such as phone number, hours of operation, and website link
- A profile photo (typically your logo) and cover photo
- What you want potential customers to do for your call-to-action button at the top of the page.
The first thing that you will need for a Facebook business page is your own account. Unlike other sites (like Twitter), you cannot have a commercial account without a personal account.
If you don’t already have your own Facebook account, you’ll want to set up a personal Facebook account to use to manage your business. You don’t actually have to use the account for yourself, but you will need it to access your page. The steps to set up a personal Facebook account are as follows:
- Visit facebook.com/reg
- Enter your name
- Enter your email or phone number
- Select your gender and date of birth
- Choose a password.
- Tap sign up
- You’ll then need to confirm your email or mobile phone number to finish signing up
Once you have an account, you can create a Facebook business page.
- Go to Facebook, and click “Create Page”
- Choose “local business or place”
- Select a category, and then add your contact information
- Next, you can add more details about your business, such as your profile picture, cover photo, and a website link
At this point, you will be prompted to choose your page name. This will create the link to your restaurant – such as www.facebook.com/BillsBBQ. You should choose a page name that reflects your business to make it easy for customers to find. If your name is already taken, then you may need to add some other info, like a location (BillsBBQGrandRapids), to make it unique.
Now that your page is set up, you can start to post content. Downloading the Business Suite app can make page management easier. You can also post photos, videos, and other content directly from the Facebook website.
Tips for Managing Your Restaurant Facebook Page
Once you have your Facebook page set up, the next step is to actually run it. An empty Facebook page with few posts isn’t appealing, and probably won’t generate much in the way of business.
One of the first things that you should probably do is to add your menu to your page. It is an easy way for customers to check out what you have to offer, and can be easily updated as your menu changes.
There are lots of different types of posts that you can make to generate user interest, such as regular photos of special dishes and drinks, behind-the-scenes food prep, or posts about special events like live music. You can also run promotions and offer coupons through your Facebook page.
One of the most important things to do is to post consistently. You can use Facebook’s scheduling tools (Business Suite) to plan out a social media calendar for weeks or even months. Ideally, you will post on the days and times that your followers are most likely to be online – which you can see through Business Suite.
Finally, you should monitor comments and reviews closely. Try to respond to comments and reviews to create engagement, but remember to take a moment before doing so – particularly if the comment or review is negative. The way that you respond to this type of content can hurt or help your business, so staying calm and replying in a respectful manner is crucial.
How Budget Branders Can Help You Achieve Your Goals
Any restaurant marketing plan needs to be multifaceted – which means using social media. A Facebook page is a great way to engage with customers, create interest and draw in new business. Adding in other forms of marketing – like custom-printed disposables – can help further your efforts. Your logo could end up in social media posts from guests with your custom-printed cups and bags.
Budget Branders knows that running a business can be challenging. We make it easy to design and order custom cups, bowls, bags, and other disposable products. All of our products are high quality, and are sold at prices and in quantities that work for independently-owned and operated restaurants.
To learn more, submit a contact form or a quote request for one or more of our products. Our branding experts are always available to answer questions. Simply press the live chat button to get started.
