Tag Archives: Facebook

6 Ways Restaurants Can Best Use Facebook

Facebook offers EVERY restaurant a great way to stay in touch with their customers and find new ones. The key is in providing timely information and great value.

By offering regular, fun, social information and timely updates via Facebook posts, a page has started well! By then making sure you offer easy access to information, deals, and more RIGHT ON Facebook to would-be customers, restaurants can really benefit. This provides easy, fast, and immediate access and removes barriers of potentially losing fans by transferring them to your website (more on that below).

6 Things Restaurants Should Do on Facebook

1. Post Inspiring Content, Images, and News Regularly

While it could be tempting to offer deals, specials, and more continually, please remember that social media is about building relationships, being social, and offering value. Users are on Facebook to connect and engage with things of interest. Being too salesy all the time will turn fans off. A loyal following and community can only be created if you actively seek out and share valuable content, yours and community related, that inspires, informs, educates and connects.

Post on a regular schedule, such as 2-3 times per day at key times and in a way that invites Likes, Shares, and Comments. Use a mix of post types from status updates to photos of food and short videos of life and times at the restaurant.

NOTE: people are visual and the popularity of Facebook and Pinterest prove that people connect with images. If you want to quickly capture the attention of your fans or followers, add images that are eye-catching and pleasing to the eye. Also, consider using simple tools like Vine and Instagram’s Video tool along with Facebook Video and YouTube as ways to easily create shareable videos that display well on Facebook.

2. Highlight Special Items on the Fan Page Cover Image

Now that Facebook no longer has a text limit of 20% on Cover Images, use the Cover Image regularly as a means of showcasing valuable items like this week’s special, new seasonal offerings, or pictures of the live band, whatever is relevant to your restaurant! This can be changed out weekly or 2x a week. Consider using a Cover Image template to enable you to customize images quickly and be sure to edit the image to include a description and a link when it is posted. Here’s 12 more ideas for creating buzz with your Cover Image.

3. Include a Menu Tab

It’s not rocket science! Let visitors on your Facebook Page know what you got right on Facebook!

Add a tab and add your menu to the tab. Want to save more time? Use the TabSite Website ReSizer and simply add your existing menu from your website to a Facebook tab! Why? It saves time! Update your menu on your website and the tab is updated automatically since it’s the same page, just on Facebook! Website ReSizer allows the powerful advantage of making any website page fit perfectly in a tab.

Then share updates to your menu via a post on Facebook and link to the tab via a Smart URL (mobile friendly) to take visitors direct to the tab!

4. Offer Reservations via a Facebook Tab

Does Friday evening get packed at your hot spot? Do you already offer reservations via your website? Then simply bring it into Facebook for use! Same as the menu tab above, create a tab and use the Website ReSizer app to bring your web reservations page into Facebook for use. Then post about it in the news feed before prime time and get customers used to coming to your page on Facebook to make their reservations! Sweetness!

This adds a great dimension of functionality to your fan page. When people are on Facebook, they want to stay on Facebook, and this allows them to do so by giving them the information and tools right on the Facebook page tab.

5. Use Facebook Check Ins and Check In Deals

Restaurants can have the Check In feature enabled, which is valuable to get extra exposure on Facebook!

Facebook offers quite a variety of page category options. One of the biggest features that any local business should take advantage of is the Check In option.

This will allow users to check into your location, which is helpful for at least two reasons. First, it can raise awareness of your business and location with friends of the user checking in. Second, check ins can be part of Graph Search results, so that if a Facebook user is searching for a restaurant in Chicago that friends have visited, check ins appear in results.

Graph Search result with check-ins of friends listed.

To check or change your Page category, go to the Admin Panel and select Edit Settings. Then go to Basic Information, and find Category at the top of the list.

Check In Deals

A big bonus that Facebook offers is ability for locations with Check In feature to offer a deal for visitors checking in. This is a great way to generate some buzz and get more exposure leading to more customers. (Note: I’ve seen that they are not available in some countries).

What is a Check-in Deal?

A Check-in Deal is a way to offer an incentive to customers to check-in to your business on Facebook with their mobile devices. When they check-in, you can offer any of the following Deals in exchange:

Individual: Offer a discount to an individual for simply checking in.

Loyalty: Offer a discount or freebie for checking in a certain number of times.

Friend: Offer a Deal to groups of friends who check-in together.

Charity: A check-in results in a donation to the specified charity.

Access Deals in your Page Admin area:

Check In Offer Deal Types as Shown in Page Admin

6. Offer a Special Deal for Email Sign-ups via a Facebook Tab

By adding a Email sign-up tab to your Facebook page and making users aware of it periodically through posts and tips, restaurants grow their email list and then reach potential buyers and sellers via this means as well. This is critical! Email continues to be a primary marketing success method. When it gets into the inbox, it gets attention.

Email marketing continues to provide value to those who use it by creating a routine of regular information and education that is in the inbox! With integration’s for tabs from services like MailChimp and Constant Contact among others, having a custom tab for email sign-ups is a snap! More powerful still than a basic sign-up form is to create incentive by offering some of value, a free guide, offer, or resource, that is the motivator that is shared to encourage users to opt-in.

Deal Download Offer Tab options >>

Together these tips implemented and carried out with regular news feed updates on your restaurant fan page can be a valuable method of marketing to grow more customers!

What about your business? Most of these tips can also apply to other industries as well! Do you have other ideas to add to the mix?

Engagement App, Facebook, facebook app, facebook apps, facebook fan page, facebook for restaurants, Facebook Marketing, facebook pages, facebook tabs, Social MediaJuly 16, 2013

How to Use Facebook Hashtags to Increase Facebook Contest Results

Facebook recently announced the incorporation of hashtags into their platform.

What is a hashtag?

Hashtags turn topics and phrases into clickable links. They can be used on your personal timeline, Facebook page, photos on Facebook and the list goes on. Facebook hashtags make it easy for users to easily follow conversations and even find topics or products they are interested in.

Check out this post which provides a good summary of the new Facebook hashtag feature and capabilities, “Hashtags on Facebook Arrive.”

As marketers are starting to dig into the opportunities for using hashtags on Facebook to increase their marketing results one way that must not be overlooked is the ability to use Facebook hashtags for contests and promotions.

How to Use Facebook Hashtags in Contests and Promotions

1. Select a hashtag to represent your contest, promotion and/or brand. Make it simple and easy to remember.

2. Include the hashtag as part of the foundational communication for the contest or promotion. Include it in all communication such as email, tweets, Facebook posts, Facebook images and photos, Pinterest posts, and blog posts when announcing and inviting people to participate in the contest or promotion.

3. Give participants clear instructions on how to use and include hashtags as they participate in the contest and as they share with their friends and colleagues.

4. Monitor the hashtag on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other platforms as appropriate. Watch for conversations to engage, answer questions.

5. Leverage the hashtag in your metrics to measure the overall success of the campaign. Facebook has not launched integrated hashtag measurement features for this yet. Efforts currently will need to be manual and leverage available tools, manual monitoring and tracking of conversations etc.

As with anything you do with social media and Facebook marketing, hashtags should not be used as a stand-alone strategy or tactic. Integrate hashtags into your marketing. Align them with key marketing initiatives, campaigns, and promotions. Take the time needed to learn and understand how they can help you achieve your goals and objectives, not just randomly throw them into your contest.

Check out our recent Facebook webinar for details on how to use hashtags in Facebook Promotions and Contests and much more. “How to Run a Successful Facebook Photo Contest.”

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App, Engagement App, Facebook, facebook app, facebook contest, facebook fan page, facebook for business, facebook hashtag contest, facebook hashtag for promotions and contests, facebook hashtag promotion, facebook hashtag training, Facebook Marketing, facebook webinar, Fan Page, hashtag training, Page, Social Media, social media hashtags on facebook, Tab, TabSite, tabsite facebook hashtag webinarJune 28, 2013

20 Ideas to Rock Your Facebook Business Page With Tabsite Website Resizer

One of the top questions we receive from customers of all kinds is “what do I put on a Facebook tab?”

The answer is easy if you know the right answers to a few of the most important questions to be successful online, offline and in business.

How you use Facebook and what information you put on your tabs for your audience to devour depends on your audience, their needs and your business goals.

What you need to know:

Your audience. Who are they?
Your audience’s needs. What keeps them up at night?
What are your business goals?
What are the goals for your Facebook business page?
How does your audience engage with you? What type of communication do they like? Tone of conversation? Frequent or infrequent? What mediums do they prefer? Video, podcasts, written word?
How much time do you have?
How much time does your audience have?
Do you have access to a designer?
If an agency or consultant, how much time and money does your client have?

All of these questions can impact the answer for “what goes on my Facebook business page? ”

Tabsite just launched the new Facebook Website Resizer engagement application. You can check it out here ->> Tabsite Website Resizer Application Announcement. In summary it enables you to very quickly grab a web page from your existing website and embed it into Facebook in a matter of minutes. Check out this guest blog post and video tutorial from Pam Moore of Marketing Nutz, where she shows you how easily this can be done in 10 minutes!

Below are 20 ideas to rock out your Facebook business page with our new website resizer application.

Welcome page to welcome new visitors to your Facebook page.
Email list opt-in page to grow your email list and generate leads.
Call to action page to download free whitepaper or other information.
Hotel booking page.
Restaurant menu.
eCommerce sales page highlighting your top products or services.
Food truck location page to help customers know where your Food truck is at any given time.
Announce a new product.
An “About You” page highlighting a video of your company or simply plain text describing who you are and what you do.
Customer testimonial page.
Page listing your clients.
Page highlighting top blog posts or articles you have written.
Page summarizing top news and announcements.
Showcase of your work such as graphic design, website development if you are an agency or consultant.
Upcoming events.
Event registration page.
Event calendar page.
Frequently asked questions page.
Contact us page.
Google Maps Page

Your Turn

What ideas do you have? What unique ways are you using Facebook for business?

embed webpage in facebook, Facebook, facebook app, facebook apps, facebook business page marketing, facebook fan page, facebook for business, Facebook Marketing, facebook marketing tips, facebook website resizer, Fan Page, fan page tabs, fan page welcome tab, how to embed webpage on facebook, put your webpage on facebook, Social Media, Tab, TabSite, tabsite resizerJune 15, 2013

Make Waves with Social Media Marketing – Power Tips for Power Marketing

This week is “beach theme” and I share with you five high value posts from across the web that I’ve compiled while riding waves at the beach!

These posts from HubSpot, SocialMouths, Social Media Examiner, and more offer great value and insight for all Social Media marketers and have been hand-picked because of particular value they offer to our community.

Let’s dig in to the Top Recommended Value-Adding Posts:

1. HubSpot Ebook – Ride Epic Waves of Sales

HubSpot offers great content and resources for digital and social media marketers. They recently release a great Ebook written by my friend Andrea Vahl on Facebook Ads.

Using Facebook Ads is an important consideration for any social marketer. Placing ads on Facebook provides one of the most targeted advertising opportunities available today. Facebook knows the demographics and interests of more than 1 billion people who are active online.

Learn how you can boost your Facebook marketing through smart advertising. Access Ebook >

2. How to Ensure Facebook Contests Attract The Right Fish

This is a GREAT resource post on top social media blog Social Media Examiner by my friend Emeric Ernoult about Facebook Contests. Choosing the right type of prize to connect with your ideal target audience is important, As well, using a app that allows you to monitor and validate entrants and users to ensure the fairness of the contest is a must. Emeric dispels the myth that using a Facebook app that requires permissions lessens entries and votes. (Yes, TabSite gives you IP tracking and validates users!)

Read the full post on Social Media Examiner >

3. Facebook Image Optimization, Because Photos Matter!

How will you share with friends and make them envy your beach time without photos? Just like sharing photos of your trip, images matter to Facebook Marketers!

Images spark more engagement (likes, comments, shares) and this adds to the reach of your posts to friends of fans. This infographic from PostRocket and blog post by SocialMouths outlines the 4 different types of images (photo posts, cover photos, profile pictures and link preview images) you should consider optimizing for use on Facebook and provides the exact dimensions in order to get best quality possible.

View the full post and share the infographic >>

4. Tips on Monitoring Your Facebook Page while at the Beach

So you’re at the beach (or out of the office) and you want to keep current on responding to any posts and comments on your Facebook Page. Can you do it on the go? ABSOLUTELY!

With meetings, events, vacations, and other out of office times, these tips can help you stay up-to-date on comments and reply back in a timely fashion. Social Media requires attention and responses as part of a quality experience with your brand. These services provide ways to monitor and respond!

Monitoring your Facebook Page >>

5. #Hashtags turn the Tide on Facebook!

Facebook announced recently that Hashtags are launching. The roll-out has started and users on desktop and notebooks will see hashtags having a link when used in a post.

Hashtags turn topics and phrases into clickable links in posts on your personal timeline or your Page, and help people find posts about topics they’re interested in.

Details on #Hashtags for Facebook >>

Hope these resources help you! Any of them of particular value? Let us know below!

OTHER RESOURCES:

– WebSite ReSizer App for Fan Pages – No more messy iframes of your web page in a Facebook Tab! Make it fit and look great.

– Running a Successful Facebook Photo Contest – Free Webinar June 28 with Mike

– NEW! Ebook on Running a Facebook Sweepstakes

Facebook, friday top 5, social media tipsJune 14, 2013

Quick Guide to the Facebook Post Schedule for Fan Pages

Scheduling Facebook Posts

On each fan page, Facebook offers ability to schedule a time when a post will go live.

This is a valuable tool because you can plan ahead and ensure posts go live at times when your audience (fans) are most likely to be on Facebook.

You can prepare a post and schedule it to appear later by adding a date and time in the future before you post it. You can schedule a post up to 6 months in advance in 10-minute intervals.

From your Page’s sharing tool:

Choose the type of post you want to add to your Page
Click the time icon in the lower-left of the sharing tool
Choose the future year, month, day, hour and minute when you’d like your post to appear
Click Schedule

If you choose a date in the past, the post will appear immediately at the appropriate place on your Page’s timeline. All times correspond to the current time zone you’re in.

Following this procedure gives you the best means of sharing information about your promotion and drawing in fans to participate. As the Facebook study showed, photos and videos get the most engagement. They capture the attention of viewers.

Since most Facebook users spend the most time on Facebook in their news feed, this offers a way to capture their attention and pull them in to the promotion. With photos and videos continually performing better in engagement (Likes, Shares, and Comments) this method is the best current practice for sharing your promotion on Facebook.

Facebook, Facebook Schedule Posts, PostApril 16, 2013