According to “6 Facebook Metrics Marketers Should Be Measuring” on The Social Media Examiner website, there are six main Facebook metrics you should pay attention to when analyzing the statistics of your Facebook page:

1. Fan Reach is the number of fans of your page that have directly viewed any given post. It is important because it helps you measure the appeal of your content to your audience.
2. Organic Reach corresponds to the number of people, both fans and non-fans, who have seen any given posts not as a result of a friend of a fan’s action. Organic reach helps you identify ways to improve your content’s organic visibility by measuring the difference between your fan and organic reach.
3. Engagement is the number of people who have interacted with your post, including through liking, commenting, and sharing. When tracking engagement, you should focus on the number of engaged people and number of people reached for the post in question. In order to make sure your post is viewed by a lot of people, you need to make sure the content you offer triggers some kind of interest in your audience.
4. People Talking About This is a type of data is part of engagement; the number of “people talking about” a post include the number of people who engaged with that post. These statistics help you measure how many people are willing to spread the word about your page to their friends.
5. Click-Through Rate tells you the number of people who have clicked on a link in your content, watched your video, or viewed a larger version of your photo. This lets you know how many people were interested enough in your content to pay special attention to it.
6. Negative Feedback counts the number of users who did not like your contact through unliking your page, hiding a specific post, hiding future posts from your page, or reporting it as spam. To best analyze your negative feedback, it is best to create a percentage score with the number of people who gave negative feedback and the number reached for a particular post. If the percentage is high, you can try changing up your strategies to reduce negative feedback.

Facebook’s “Insights” is a great tool to use to track how people interact with and feel about your page. The results you receive from the statistics can help you see what aspects of your page you should keep and what to change in order to keep negative feedback down and the fan count and engagement up.

Ashley Davis
MenuDrive
www.menudrive.com

1.     Consumers of pizza restaurants, followed by sandwich places, Mexican restaurants, and Asian restaurants, most frequently use online ordering systems. Restaurants that have a specific type of food on their menu most frequently implement online ordering systems. Their menus are more defined, not overwhelming customers when they go to order online.

 2.     The usage of online ordering by consumers was most prevalent in fast-casual restaurants, followed by casual restaurants and quick-service restaurants. Restaurants that are known for their quick service as opposed to a leisurely sit down meal tend to use online ordering systems more. The fast service and ease of online ordering matches the service a customer would receive at a more casual restaurant.

3.     The most common reasons customers use online ordering systems are for convenience, speed, order accuracy, ease of use, and credit card acceptance. Having a quick and easy way for customers to place orders drives them to order more from you, especially when they can do it from the comfort of their home!

Online ordering generates incremental revenue by increasing order frequency for takeout, delivery, and catering and increasing order volume and service. Restaurants using online ordering systems reported receiving more frequent orders and increases in group and catering orders due to the ease and convenience of placing an order online.

5.     Online promotions associated with online ordering work better than regular promotions. Online ordering can provide restaurant operations with key customer information that can be used to develop targeted customer promotion strategies. Catering to your costumers makes their experience more personal and keeps them coming back to your restaurant!

Online ordering systems are useful for both restaurants and consumers. They increase the amount of orders and revenue for restaurant while simultaneously making it quick, easy, and convenient for your customers to order food from your establishment. With online ordering, everybody benefits!

Ashley Davis
MenuDrive
www.menudrive.com

Let’s start from square one. Social Media Consultant Jeff Bullas states that you first need to ‘define and understand the target market.’ You should ask yourself questions like, ‘who is my target market, and what are they interested in?’ Next, you need to build your following on each of your sites. Invite customers through email, host a contest, use promotion features, and post links to your social media sites on your website. These are all ways great ways to expand your audience. Then, you can set the tone. Social media has broken down the barrier between businesses and their customers. The goal when communicating on social media is to be perceived as part of the market. Social media allows companies to humanize themselves by responding in the same tone as their market. Now, it’s time to start posting content. You should begin by making a content schedule. There are four types of content: conversation, pictures, links, and products. It’s hard to guess exactly what will resonate with your followers. So don’t guess; try a two week trial of content. If one content really gets a lot of feedback, continue posting it. If it doesn’t, stop. Be careful to not spam; use your content schedule to coordinate a posting frequency. Again, this is a trial and error situation. Also, mix in company updates with all your other content. Lastly, know how well your sites are doing by monitoring your pages and measuring feedback. Facebook insights are a great way to do so.

In a webinar hosted by Wildfire by Google, Jeremiah Owyang discusses a general content strategy. He says to use clever, simple, and direct postings. Be sure to use relevant content; ask your customers what they want to see when they log in. Multimedia has been found to resonate well with the general public, so use it! Post pictures and videos. Jaime Oikle from runningrestaurants.com recommends organizing a photo contest. You should post videos that are intriguing and influential. Posting content for entertainment is also a good idea, as long as it is suitable. Guide your audience with specific instructions or calls to action, such as “‘like’ if you agree!” Real time engagement resonates with the public, just don’t be distasteful. You should never make jokes about serious, potentially dangerous situations. Every social media site is a little different from the rest. For example, Twitter and Facebook have different users and different means of communicating. Twitter moves a lot faster than Facebook, so it’s very important to be active, and be timely in your responses.

Overall, Social Media is a great tool for businesses. By breaking down the barrier between business and consumer, communication lines are opened to better serve your customers and build your business. To do so you must understand who it is that you’re talking to, what they want to see, and respond in kind. A lot of content posting is trial and error, so learn from mistakes. Remember that variety is the spice of life. Post different types of content, and don’t be afraid to post calls to action. Track how you’re doing. It’s a great feeling to watch your following grow!

Alyssa Rhoades
MenuDrive

http://www.menudrive.com

Our Town, a program developed by Michael Plummer is a prime example of finding a target niche to start with: newcomers. Try this twist on a traditional, ‘welcome to the community’ gesture: send them a promotion through the mail, they’ll appreciate that you took the time to seek them out, and that is a great foundation for a relationship.

A simple way to create repeat customers is to make it convenient for them. Granbury Restaurant Services suggests expanding your service types by adding carry-out, curbside, or delivery. Add channels for customers to order by creating an online store. Food Service Warehouse also advises offering bouncebacks to get first time customers to come back.  These can be used in various forms: BOGO (Buy One Get One), product specific discounts, or ‘free with a purchase’ coupons. This encourages customers to come back in a timely manner.

Once you’ve gotten a customer to come back a second or third time, then you can offer a loyalty program. Loyalty programs can be as simple or as complicated as you want. A great simple ‘loyalty program’ is simply remembering their name and what they usually order to drink. Show that you remember them, and make them feel special. You could also offer punch cards that can be redeemed after coming so many times, or purchasing so much. Loyalty cards that could be swiped can also be used for customers to build points to redeem. This rewards your customers for coming back, time and time again.

Lastly, guests generally judge a restaurant by more than just the food they ate. Often, bad service can make a delicious meal intolerable. On the other hand, people are often drawn back to a restaurant because of a great service staff. Deanna Irvin says that a great thing to remember as a manager or owner is that an employee is an investment. These investments take a lot of time and money to train, and can be an endless pool of knowledge about the inner workings of your restaurant. This knowledge comes with experience. Keep in mind that losing any staff member is a loss to your business in more ways than one. Build a great sales staff by valuing each of your employees, talk to them individually if there is a problem, maintain a hands-on approach to training, and remember that there is never an end to training.

By applying all of these approaches, you should be able to increase not only your customer base as a whole, but bring in repeat customers. What you’ve got to offer along with the service you provide can go a long with if you manage it right.

Alyssa Rhoades
MenuDrive

http://www.menudrive.com

According to a comScore study, the average internet user watches around 186 online videos a month ranging from news clips to entertainment.  Videos bring together audio and video to engage consumers in a way that text and photos cannot.  Video advertising has the ability to put a face, voice, name, and personality to your restaurant, making it more relatable to diners.

Making videos to advertise your restaurant is not as intimidating as it sounds. Affordable cameras and easy-to-use video editing software allows videos to be used by restaurants of all sizes.

There are several ideas or aspects of your restaurant that you can include in your videos:

1. Make a Demonstration: videos are great because they let you to make demonstrations for your customers. If you own a Pizzeria, for example, you could make a video showing how your pizzas are made—something you cannot do with just text.
2. Customer Testimonials: You could ask your loyal customers to be in a customer testimonial video. Customer testimonials create a relatable, at-home feel for viewers by using real people and real experiences.
3. Introduce Your Employees: If you own a small restaurant, you can use a video to introduce your employees. They could say who they are, what their job is at the restaurant, and what they like most about working there. This will form a connection between your restaurant and your diners by showing them the faces and personalities of your employees.
4. Give a Tour: Film a video tour of your restaurant. Provide shots of the seating area, but also of the back where diners do not get to see. This will give you customers a better feel for where their food comes from.

Be sure to keep things simple and just stick to one topic or idea per video. Make sure you or whoever is in your video is relaxed and comfortable behind the camera. Your video should be informal and casual—notes are okay to reference, but do not read off them for the duration of the video.  Take the time to practice what will be said so it will flow naturally.  Anything longer than four or five minutes will most likely lose the audience’s attention, so keep your video brief and to the point.

Allow people to comment on your video so you can get feedback from your customers. Don’t forget to include a call-to-action at the end. For instance: “For more information, visit our website at [insert your website].”  Always remember to issue new videos regularly—every 3-6 months—with new information.

Sadie Tyrpin
MenuDrive
www.menudrive.com

The fundamental content of your email will be similar to previous emails you have sent, but it will be geared towards telling a story and celebrating the particular time of year; in this case, we will be using Christmas, arguably the biggest holiday of the year, as our example.

First you want to think of a theme or story line that will be the basis for your restaurant’s Christmas season. This theme can be different or similar to the everyday message you portray—if you have one. For instance, your restaurant could choose to enforce family values for its theme. You could have some of your employees share their favorite Christmas memory or tradition. If you’re looking for a different strategy, you could choose giving back to the community as your main idea. You could say “for every email that is share we will donate $1 to [your favorite charity].”  Once you choose your story line, you want to make sure you stick with it throughout your holiday email campaign.

Don’t forget that people are always busy during the Christmas season! Odds are, your email is being read on a smart phone; keep image sizes small, the amount of links to a minimum, and your message short, sweet, and to the point. If your email contains discounts or coupons, consider letting your customers use them directly from their mobile device.

Be sure to do your research! According to Experian, statistics show that email volume increase 15-20 percent during the holidays, and volume is at its highest from August – December. What’s more, response behavior trends offer interesting information.  The total number of clicks for Christmas emails peak the week after Christmas. This is most likely due to interest in post-Christmas deals; subsequently, transactions peak in the three weeks following Christmas.  Keep these facts in mind and use them when planning your holiday email campaign—and maybe do a little research of your own.

Always remember that the holidays are the best time to show your diners you appreciate their business and loyalty. Along with promoting your restaurant, make it a point to reward your subscribers with a special deal, coupon, or discount. Showing your appreciation to your diners reminds them why they go to your restaurant. Holidays only come once a year; embrace the season by taking the time to reach out to your diners with a special holiday emails.

Sadie Tyrpin

MenuDrive

www.menudrive.com

Because a large percentage of Americans cannot afford to waste time on a sit-down meal, restaurant owners decided to offer carry-out and delivery. They then took it one step more with online ordering. Now diners can simply go online, order what they want to eat, and pick or up or have it delivered straight to them. To do this, a restaurant must set-up a type of ordering system. There are two forms of online ordering a restaurant can choose from: portal/directory sites and direct sites.

Portal websites, such as GrubHub and Eat24, are like directories. Customers can go to them to search for a restaurant and then place an order. Customers who want to be more specific can search for a type of cuisine or menu item and order their food based on the results the portal gives them. After an order is placed, the portal re-directs the order to the restaurant, and then sends a confirmation email to the customer.

Direct websites, such as MenuDrive, allow restaurants to build and launch their own online ordering websites and then be in control. Restaurant owners are provided with a step-by-step menu builder that will guide them throughout the setup process. You can customize your menu with pictures and make it unique to stand-out. MenuDrive also has a coupon builder, so you can offer your customers special deals and promotions.

Portal websites are effective marketing tools for sharing restaurants with the local community because they work like similar telephone books; therefore, you do not need to do much advertising for your portal. Portals are a good way to attract new customers to your restaurant. Unfortunately, this aspect also creates competition amongst the listed restaurants. Furthermore, portals charge high transaction fees like 10-15 percent for each order.

Direct ordering websites, on the other hand, have a more affordable cost. MenuDrive charges a fixed rate depending on the plan you choose (basic or drive). In addition, because it will be the restaurant’s own system, they will be able to capture their customer’s data like email addresses and demographics. After creating an online menu, restaurants are responsible for marketing it. They can advertise for their menu on their official website, social networking sites, and in their restaurant.

Some restaurants like to use both portals and direct websites since they each offer different benefits. Both types are capable of the same goal: convenient food service.

Sadie Tyrpin

MenuDrive

www.menudrive.com

Apps and mobile websites are the best way to create awareness for your restaurant and reach out to your diners. When done correctly, they can create a connection between customers and your restaurant.  Making the decision to mobilize you restaurant will create an instant connection between you and your customers, because your information will be readily available for them within seconds.  Applications strengthen customer interaction outside the restaurant by placing updates directly in their hands. Diners will be able to put your restaurant directly in their pocket, keeping them informed wherever they go.

With the help of geolocation technology, customers can search for your restaurant’s location and are provided with exact coordinates along with GPS directions to help get there. This allows consumers to search for restaurants that are a little further than their local boundaries, and will provide restaurants will new diners.

Do not forget one of the most important aspects of going mobile: coupons and discounts. Discounts help to fill tables. Draw in new diners by offering a discount for first-time customers, or keep your regular guests coming back by giving a discount for frequent visits. Coupons and discounts will help your mobile presence to thrive.

Mobile search will help new and existing diners find your restaurant. According to several ComScore search studies, when people discover a restaurant is not mobile-friendly, at least 40 percent of them will subsequently choose the competitor’s mobile service.

There are several pieces of information most restaurant owners do not think to include on their mobile apps or websites. You can offer recipes, allergen information, and nutritional value of dishes on your app or mobile website for the health-conscious diners. You can also include information about how certain dishes are prepared and where your ingredients come from. Providing your patrons with fun facts like these will show them that you are ready to offer them more than they are expecting, and this will take your restaurant to a higher level.

According to growing technology trends, mobile phones are projected to become the primary means of accessing the internet around the world by the year 2020. Restaurant who have yet to take the plunge into the mobile world are two steps behind in the growth of the restaurant. No matter how large or small your restaurant may be, creating a mobile app will give you a leading position in the future.

Sadie Tyrpin

MenuDrive

www.menudrive.com

From games and puzzles to simplified versions of websites, millions of apps have surfaced in the palms of consumers within the past half decade. Why not take the next step and create a mobile application for your restaurant?

One of the very first decisions you will need to make is how you will organize and build your app. There are two major directions you can go: native app or mobile website (also known as HTML5). These terms may sound confusing, but they are really quite simple.

A native application is one created for a particular mobile device.  They are directly installed into the smart phone, tablet, etc.  Native apps are typically purchased through an online store or marketplace like Android Apps on Google Play or The App Store. They are then downloaded straight onto the device and require storage memory. A couple examples of native apps are KeePassDroid for Android devices and Camera+ for IOS devices. This type of app requires users to install updates whenever the app is modified. Updates are something that many people do not keep up with; as a result, many people are using old, outdated versions of applications. Your app is not required to be solely for one company, on the contrary, you can create your app for Android, Iphone, Windows Phone, Blackberry, or any other smart device; However, creating these different versions is expensive and time consuming.

Mobile websites, on the other hand, are just websites that have been modified and given specific functionality for mobile devices to become internet-enabled apps. They can be universally accessed on any mobile device, regardless of its brand. It is a website that has been scaled down for smaller screens. Because the app uses the web browser, it is more cost efficient to create. This kind of app is accessed directly through a device’s web browser and does not need to be purchased or downloaded by users; therefore, they do not require the use of storage. Furthermore, users do not need to worry about installing updates on mobile websites, and it is impossible to use an outdated version of a mobile website.

Mobile websites are a better option for restaurants. Their web-based properties allow them to deliver information to a larger audience. They are more cost efficient, making them perfect for smaller restaurants, and they are based off the original website, making them easier to build.

Sadie Tyrpin

MenuDrive

www.menudrive.com

A quick response code is a square, two-dimensional version of a barcode that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters.  They consist of a box of black and white squares that can be designed and personalized to suit your restaurant. QR codes provide curious consumers with pictures, videos, text, URLS, or even entire ebooks straight to their smart phone by using the camera.

These little codes have recently begun to appear in more and more public places for restaurants to advertise. A current ComScore study reveals that 14 million American mobile users scanned a QR code in June of 2011.

Restaurants can put quick response codes on virtually anything.  They can be placed inside restaurants on posters, banners, napkins, and menus; they can also be advertised locally on flyers, billboards, and bus shelters. QR codes can be used to provide pictures or videos of meals not included in menus, information of up-coming specials and events, or exclusive coupons.

QR codes can easily be generated with the help of free websites like Kaywa and Kerem Erkem.  These sites are user friendly and provide customization options for creating your QR code.  However, In order to have access to the content provided by the code, consumers are required to download QR code reader apps like i-nigma, Barcode Scanner, or Red Laser.

When making a quick response code, restaurant owners must first decided how they want to advertise their content. Videos and snapshots are great ways to show customers how their food is made and what it looks like. Diners are more likely to order a dish based on a visual representation rather than a textual description.  If videos and photographs are too time consuming for a busy restaurant, they can simply advertise a quick response code on business cards or bills so customers can easily add the phone number to their contact list. QR codes that include coupons are a great way to entice customers into returning another time.

The restaurant industry is one of the sectors that can benefit the most from the use of quick response barcodes. Any restaurant, no matter how large or small, can use QR codes.  A recent study found that 78 percent of 3-person tables had at the least one smart phone present.  Restaurants must embrace quick response codes and other forms of mobile advertising in order to thrive in today’s fast-paced electronic society.

Sadie Tyrpin

MenuDrive

www.menudrive.com