How to get your restaurant known on Facebook
This year, the restaurant industry is going digital. QR codes, online ordering and social media.
One of the first steps to boost visibility for a wider audience is to get your restaurant known on Facebook.
In this article, we'll break down six tips for getting the most out of the world's leading social network, used by 48.5 million people in the UK in 2021.
Why use Facebook to get your restaurant known?
Use any means necessary to give your restaurant a boost.
Once you have created your business account on Instagram, focus on Facebook!
Why create a Facebook page for your restaurant?
To get your restaurant known on Facebook, start by creating a page.
Here's what your presence on Facebook can bring your restaurant:
Positive reviews – Consumers are more likely to leave positive comments on Facebook than on any other platform.
Customers – 72% of customers use Facebook to choose their next restaurant (via links or photos shared by their friends)
Virtual word of mouth (works just as well as it does in real life) – 79% of Facebook users post photos of their meal before eating. With these photos, they can encourage their friends (who will automatically see the post on their Facebook feed) to give your restaurant a try.
How to create your restaurant's Facebook page
Before getting started, it is important that you know the difference between two Facebook components: the 'Page' and the 'Account'.
The Facebook account: it lets you log in and manage your personal profile. It is from this profile that you administer the 'Page' dedicated to your restaurant. This means you need to create your own profile before you create your business 'Page'.
The Facebook page: created to promote a company or product, or create a community based on a specific subject—this is your restaurant's shopfront. It is this page that your existing and future customers will follow to stay up-to-date. It has many useful functions for your business such as a card indicating your address, call-to-action buttons, and information on opening times, prices and more.
Create your professional Facebook page in 8 steps:
Log in to Facebook (or create an account if you don't already have one)
Click the '+' on the top right
Click 'Page'
Enter the restaurant's name
Add your category (Restaurant, Chinese Restaurant, Italian Restaurant etc.)
Add a description of your business
Add a profile photo (your logo for example) and a cover photo
Click 'Create a page' and you're done!
6 tips for getting your restaurant known on Facebook
1. Optimise your Facebook page as soon as you've created it
Once you have added the restaurant name, a banner and a good photo, fill out the rest of the page so that visitors can find everything they're looking for.
Go to the 'About' section to enter key information about your restaurant:
Address
Contact info
Opening times
Menu
Price range
Link to the website
The more complete and transparent the information, the more confident consumers will be to try your restaurant!
While we're on the subject of optimisation, you should know that a restaurant's Facebook page is often well placed on Google, even if you don't carry out any particular actions.
Your page, therefore, needs to be well maintained so that people who enter your name in a search bar find up-to-date, quality information.
2. Create a style guide or visual identity
This is a reference document that lists the elements that make up the visual identity of your restaurant:
Colour code
Logo
Font
Icons
Following a unique style and pattern will make your posts easy to identify among the hundreds of other restaurants competing for a customer's attention.
3. Post content regularly
Concentrate on making sure your photos are good quality, and that your content is professional and in line with your style guide.
Take advantage of the various formats proposed by Facebook. On this platform, videos generate more engagement than other formats. Remember to include them on your page.
Ideas for posts:
Eye-catching photos that showcase your dishes and concept,
Photos of your team preparing food, the restaurant setup,
Recipe tutorials related to your cooking,
News about the restaurant (switching to the summer menu, change of opening times, reopening announcement etc.
Shared articles on the latest in the restaurant industry,
Reviews from satisfied customers (or members of the team if you use your Facebook page to let people know you're hiring)
The restaurant page also allows you to create events.
4. Develop a community to get your restaurant known on Facebook
When you create your page, you can invite friends to follow it. Then it's up to you to find innovative ways to encourage your customers to follow it (leaflets in a delivery bag, for example). The first 'likes' will make your page easier to find for other users and will give your posts more visibility.
Regularity
Like with most social networks, publishing content often and at a specific time will help you develop a loyal community who look forward to your next post.
Ranking
When arranging your posts on users' walls, Facebook looks at three things:
The people with whom the user usually interacts
The post's media type (video, link, photo etc.)
The post's popularity (number of likes, comments, shares)
To take action based on these criteria, you can advertise or find cost-free ways of creating engagement within your community.
Advertising
When you click the 'Promote my page' button, Facebook directs you to its sponsoring center. To grow your community, you can dedicate €1-€200 per day to advertising for the period of your choice.
Competitions
Organising a competition is an easy and relatively quick way of getting new followers (future customers) for your page.
For example, ask your followers to tag two friends under one of your posts, and like and follow your page to win a meal at your restaurant.
After a week, draw the winner. Apart from the meal, it costs nothing and brings new customers to your page.
5. Use Calls to Action
One of the first things you find on the Facebook page of a restaurant is a call-to-action button. You can use the button labels you think fit your business best:
Order now (redirects to your website or a delivery platform)
Book now (useful for booking a table when the restaurant reopens)
Contact us (send to your website)
Or Call now, Send an email, Learn more etc.
It's one of the ways in which Facebook helps you increase your order volume.
Calls to action are also an essential shortcut for converting followers into customers.
Seeing photos of your dishes will make them want to place an order. But no one likes having to click too many times to find what they're looking for. If an 'Order' button is available to the customer, you increase your chances of them ordering and reduce the likelihood that they will switch to another establishment when they visit Deliveroo or Uber Eats.
6. Monitor and reply to reviews/questions
Elodie Letemplier, Marketing Consultant for chefs, says you should "Reply, whatever the review." Facebook has a Reviews section, so it's advice that should be applied if you're looking to have a rating between 4 and 5/5.
Thanking a customer for a positive review is easy, but responding to a negative review can be tricky. We've written an article to help you with a reply template.
