Viandd (2017)
In the last decade, Facebook has become a very powerful marketing tool. With 1.37 billion people logging in to Facebook daily, 16 million local businesses sensed the enormous opportunities that this platform offers (Noyes, 2017). Within these 16 million local businesses, there is a particular industry which has more Facebook marketing opportunity than others, this is the food industry! (Loomer, 2011)
This data suggests that if you run a restaurant you must have a Facebook page!
However, in a report conducted by Marketing4Restaurant, only 70% of the restaurants analysed have their own official page. In fact, 12% do not have a Facebook page and 18% have an unofficial page.
This blog is for all of you out there, who run a business and still do not have a Facebook page. Let’s see the risks and benefits of using Facebook as a marketing tool.
Benefits
Wilson (2013)
–Strengthening of consumer-brand relationship: it has been demonstrated that active participation on the Facebook page helps a restaurant to increase brand trust and brand commitment (McCarthy et al., 2010). In fact, frequent participation on Facebook allows members/customers to gain knowledge about the services and the products that the restaurant offers. As a result, it increases the customer’s confidence in the brand, which generates brand trust (Flavian, Guinaliu, 2006).
-Sharing information relating to your restaurant: Facebook is the most powerful platform to share all your restaurant information. In fact, you can share your address with the relative map, your website link, your telephone number, your opening hours and also a description of your business (Hassan, 2014).In addition, thanks to photos, posts and the “Menu Tab” you can provide a 360° description of your dishes!
-Low cost marketing strategy: the billions of accounts active on Facebook are not the only characteristic which attracts businesses to create a Facebook page. In fact, the best feature of Facebook is that is free!
If you are a start-up restaurant owner or a local business owner with a budget too low to have a website, Facebook is a good solution to your problems. As previously said, you can create your restaurant page for free. Furthermore, if you want to increase your popularity and increase the number of your customers, there is the possibility to advertise your restaurant on Facebook. In fact, with a relatively low cost, compared to other marketing strategies, you can get to your target market and get yourself known. (Hassan, 2014)
Risks
Estes (2015)
-Negative reviews: Being a business Facebook page an open page, your restaurant is exposed to receive positive reviews but also negative reviews. Those negative reviews could also come from people who have been paid to do so or from the famous “Trolls” who do it just for fun (Caruso, 2016). As a consequence, these negative reviews are not only seen by your current customers but also by your potential new customers and this can negatively affect your customer acquisition.
-Time consumption: doing marketing on Facebook requires a lot of time investment. In fact, establishing a relationship with your customers can take months. In addition , you need to be active constantly answering messages, posting daily contents and updating your restaurant’s information otherwise you risk to lose followers! (Timilsina, 2017)
Remember, the more you grow, the more time you need to investment!
-The risk of a security breach: it is well known that being online and sharing information and data is not always secure. In the case of Facebook, any page you “Like” or “Share” information from could track your movement online. In the same way, there is the risk that apps you use or websites visited, could obtain personal information about you and your followers. (Lemieux, 2013)
Be careful! Log-out before browsing the web!
Conclusion
Is Facebook a powerful marketing tool for your restaurant?
(Chad, 2013)
If you still have doubts, let’s have a look at what the experts answered to the question “which are the top 3 social media networks for marketing purpose”:
Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank marketing, identifies Facebook as the top social media network for marketing saying:
“Because Facebook has made the art of social content an addiction for the masses. It’s where people are spending their time and as the old saying goes, you have to fish where the fish are” (Domocos et, 2017).
Vladimir Gendelman, Founder and CEO, also identifies Facebook as the top social media network for marketing saying:
“Facebook’s selective targeting feature allows businesses to connect and engage with the audience that will most appreciate their content and resources” (Domocos et, 2017).
Natascha Thomson, CEO of MarketingXLerator, also identifies Facebook as the top social media network for marketing saying:
“While I would not try to sell million dollar software on Facebook, for smaller deal sizes, Facebook advertising has been showing increasingly good results. It’s the place with the largest audience and engagement worldwide. If you are in B2C, it’s a no-brainer ” (Domocos et, 2017).
Bibliography
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Chad (2013) Four suggestions to guarantee Facebook Marketing Success. [online] Strategic Revolution. Available at: http://strategicrevolution.com/four-suggesstions-to-guarantee-facebook-marketing-success [Accessed 4 Jan 2018]
Domocos, A., Chan, R. and Ratiu, M. (2017) 27 Expert Opinions About The Top 3 Social Media Networks in 2017. [online] Hot in Social Media Tips and News for the Social Generation Available at: https://hotinsocialmedia.com/27-expert-opinions-about-the-top-3-social-media-networks-in-2017/ [Accessed 22 Dec. 2017]
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McCarthy, L., Stock, D., Verma, R., 2010. How travellers use online and social media channels to make hotel-choice decisions. Cornell Hospitality Report 10 (18), 1–18.
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