Page 16 - OhioRA 2012SpringFlipBook

14 www.ohiorestaurant.org Spring 2012 Issue

Word of mouth, whether through online channels or traditional methods, is the most effective way to spread the message of a restaurant’s popularity, according to the latest poll from the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

“Word of mouth is consumers’ top source for making a restaurant choice,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the NRA’s Research & Knowledge Group. “Word of mouth has also moved online now that Facebook and Twitter have supplanted a large amount of face-to-face and telephone conversations.”

Ninety-three percent of all adults questioned for the industry’s recent forecast said they likely would choose a restaurant to dine in based on recommendations from family or friends. While popular online sites may infuence some, 66% said they visited a restaurant based on reviews in newspapers or magazines while 65% indicated that they were infuenced by home-delivered advertisements.

Riehle was quick to note that the value of online conversation cannot be overlooked by savvy restaurant operators. In fact, he said that because of the power of online media, today’s restaurateurs must not only consider traditional reviews in newspapers and magazines, but they also must know how their restaurants are being talked about online.

“There are more than 1 million restaurants located across the country so current and future customers can vote quickly with their feet whether there’s positive or negative word of mouth,” Riehle added.

The popularity of social media is not just confned to Facebook and Twitter. Two other sites that consumers are investing a lot of time and research in are Groupon and LivingSocial, two social media programs.

It is also valuable to note that 41% of those surveyed indicated that they made their choices as a result of e-mailed advertisements or promotions. Furthermore, of those engaging in social media, 40% said they made their restaurant choices because of special offers on Groupon or LivingSocial.

Guests’ Remarks about Your Restaurant Remain the Most Effective Method for Driving Traffc

Recommendations are delivered two ways: word of mouth and through online platforms

From chef to manager, bookkeeper to plumber, restaurateurs wear many hats in their business. As the roles continue to expand within the restaurant, the operator’s most valuable commodity is time, an increasingly shrinking commodity at that. Now in the ever-changing landscape, restaurateurs have to add another title to their resume – Online Marketer. The explosion of social media and online solutions provide a fantastic opportunity for restaurants to engage guests and grow loyalty and sales. The challenge lies in the questions of “What should I be doing?”, “How should I be doing it?”, and “Who should be doing it?”. The answer is as simple as putting together a recipe book with fve easy steps to take to successfully manage your online presence.

Ingredient 1: Claim Your Online Presence

It is easy to get lost in the confusing online marketing landscape. The key is to keep it simple. Focus on two main areas – Presence and Engagement. There is a lot of information on the web regarding your business, whether you have placed it there or not. Make sure that you take ownership of your online presence by developing or claiming your own page on sites

such as Google, Bing, Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Trip Advisor. Each site has very easy-to-follow instructions to claim your business and ensure that all of your restaurant’s information is accurate. Claiming your presence on these sites will make your business easier to fnd in the search engines and will help potential guests fnd you.

Ingredient 2: Manage Your Online Presence

Now that you have claimed your presence online, it is vital to make sure you allocate resources to continue to monitor or manage your online pages. Your online reputation is the frst thing that potential new customers view to help them in the decision-making process on whether or not to frequent your restaurant. The frst thing you can do to streamline your online presence is to open an account with an application such as HootSuite. These applications will allow you to stream all of your social media sites into one easy-to-view page, so you can monitor and respond to guest comments on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. from one central platform.

Managing Your Online and Social Media Presence

Five easy steps to take to successfully manage your online presence