For the most part the restaurant industry today is still trying to get a good grasp on how to use social media. Most are more reactive than proactive, meaning they are doing something for the sake of doing it, not having a clear goal or measure of results. Many are confusing measurable results with number of Facebook 'likes' or Twitter followers. They are missing the ultimate goals which are customer loyalty, engagement and making customers so happy that they let their social networks know about it.
Restaurants are creating offers, contests and promotions to drive up their number of Facebook 'likes' but then what do they do with them? Check out this example from Buca di Beppo. A 'like' is meaningless if you don't give your audience a reason to stick around and tell others about you. As a marketer I wouldn't feel it was right to take your money for increasing your 'likes'. I want to increase the number of audience members that click on your links, respond to your posts, share with friends and eat at your restaurant. (Read more on this in this great blog post by my friend Chuck Hemann.)
Restaurants are using coupon programs like Groupon and Living Social which can be written off as a marketing expense because they won't see a profit from them. These platforms will drive new business but do you want the business of the 'couponers' that are going to go where there's a better deal next week? By participating in this they are driving down their value without any increase in loyalty or engagement.
With yet another platform Google+ emerging, restaurants that are still trying to get a handle on social media can feel overwhelmed. I recently had a friend in the industry say to me over lunch, its too early for me to throw out my Beta for VHS. My reply was, jumping on the next new thing isn't what is important, it's knowing where your audience is.
I recently saw a QR code on the pizza box from a smaller local chain and was so excited that they were trying something out of the box (no pun intended). I scanned it and was brought to their homepage. I was disappointed. I'm already a customer. It would be just as easy for me to type their name in Google as it would for me to open the app, scan, and wait to be directed to their homepage which wasn't even optimized for a mobile device. It would have been a whole different experience if they took me to a page that acknowledged that I had already bought a pizza. They could've offered me a free soda with my next purchase or thanked me for being a customer, offered a loyalty program. Instead I wished I could have the few minutes of my life back.
It seems like there isn't a brand these days that can run a commercial or print or digital ad without telling you to follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook, etc. The bottom line is, if your doing something just because someone in your marketing department said you should, without a goal, measurements and synergy with your business, you're wasting your time and disappointing those that are social media savvy.
There are lots examples out there of restaurants who are heading in the right direction. Here are some examples:
How Domino's Used Social Media and a New Pizza Recipe to Completely Reinvent Itself
Social Media ROI from Tattoos and Tags
Going Beyond the Foursquare Check-in with Tasti D-Lite
Behind the Social Media Curtain at Taco Cabana
Applebee's Using Social Media to Bring Back "Girl's Night Out"
RosalindM.
