Blogs
Social media is playing an increasingly important role in interacting with your customers. With a seemingly impossible amount of people using social media (a figure that's increasing all the time) it's a great opportunity to reach a huge audience, and more often than not, entirely for free.
But, how effective is this communication? We recently conducted a survey that indicated 80% of diners do not communicate with restaurants online, with this figure increasing further in the Midlands. So, despite the huge numbers of followers listed on hospitality profiles, are efforts of engagement going unnoticed by the public?
42% of those that we surveyed said that although they didn't communicate with restaurants online, they did still keep up-to-date with their activities- suggesting that it was the content that was ineffective rather than the method of communicating it.
All diners that we surveyed said that they would be more likely to communicate with a restaurant if they offered more online deals for their guests, so this is certainly something to consider for content creation. 83% of diners also indicated that it was important for them to feel well informed before they visited a restaurant, so posting of daily menus, pictures or reviews of the restaurant may also be a popular choice. Interestingly, men surveyed were more likely to communicate with restaurants online, but only if the account was a personal profile; for example a chef or owner.
Our director, Steven Pike, commented: "These stats have revealed some startling information that will no doubt aid restaurateurs with their online communications and encourage them to review their approach. Even though the use of social media has surged in the UK hospitality sector, it appears that this only works when using a specific type of post to a specific target market. Restaurants now need to apply their personal approach of engaging with guests to their online communications."
