Getting A Return With Social Media

Seth Salzman President Sinclair Consulting Atlanta, GA Author's Website

If you’re like me and many other operators, you’ve tried hundreds of different ways to promote your business over the years.  We’ve all tried everything from TV (really expensive), radio (anyone still listening to that?), newspapers, direct mail, coupons, groupons and  daily deals.  It’s mind numbing to think about all the options out there.

Now, you’re being told that you have to get on social media.  “If you’re not on Facebook and Twitter, you’re not going to make it”!

So, you freak out, go home and tell your wife or husband or a friend that you’ve got to get on social media, asap!  There’s only one problem, you’ve got no idea what you’re doing, how to do it and when the heck do you have time to set these things up and even worse manage them on a daily basis.  Oh yeah, what does it even mean to manage them?

Well, there’s no right or wrong answer regarding social media today.  The rules that were right a year ago are wrong today and that is going to keep changing as this thing grows, since social media is a constantly evolving thing and it will continue to change. 

That sounds pretty scary, doesn’t it?  Yes and no.   It’s scary if you worry too much about it, but here are a few simple rules to follow that should be able to keep you up to speed for a least the foreseeable future.

1.     Create a Facebook page. Make sure to do it under a business not personal identity.  

2.    Create a Twitter profile

3.     Don’t treat these efforts as traditional, one-way advertising!

There you go; three steps/rules to live by. What, you’re still confused?  OK, here’s what I mean by #3.  Social media is about connecting with your customers.  If you start to communicate through social media and basically just log in each morning and shoot out some standard message about how great your food is and what the soup of the day is, people will stop following you.  You need to engage your customers and share information with them that they will find exciting and/or interesting.   Ultimately, this comes back to a simple branding approach, what are you about?  If you are a fun, sports bar/restaurant, then talk about sports.  Ask questions and allow your customers to share their opinions.  Try some amusing trivia that is pertinent to you, your concept and your customers, and give out some prizes to the first three people to provide the right answer.

Remember what has made you successful -- building relationships with your customers inside your four walls. The goal with social media is now just to extend that digitally and have some fun with it!