The cardinal rule of any restaurant social media strategy is to create engagement, the more the better. But, in the midst of all the content creation, publishing and social listening, social media managers may not be responding enough or soon enough to fans and followers. Why do you need a response strategy and what can it do for your social currency and brand reputation? Here’s a look.
Social networks are a customer service channel
Social networks serve as customer service platforms, in particular Facebook, Twitter. You can build close customer relationships and loyal communities on these popular social networks which are now a necessity for virtually every business. Naturally, it’s your responsibility to initiate engagement and encourage two-way conversations around your brand. Open and transparent communications go a long way in convincing customers that you care about their opinions and feedback.
Here are some ways to use social media to improve customer service:
- Update fans and followers with the latest restaurant news, events, milestones and contests.
- If you’ve postponed the opening of a new outlet or you’re facing criticism in the press or on TripAdvisor, Google Plus, Facebook or Yelp etc. for some failure or there are some rumours of a takeover looming around your restaurant chain, discuss them with fans. The idea is to convince them that you’ve taken cognizance of the failure and you’re taking action to rectify it, or assure customers that your business is in good shape by providing some information about your plans in a discretionary manner.
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