Are you an ostrich or a giraffe?
Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz… I could go on. Social media forums have seen an explosion of users over the past five years. We’re talking hundreds of millions of people, chatting in public, worldwide. Customers, potential customers or just those wanting to share an opinion are talking about your restaurant, whether you like it or not.
But are you listening?
Tracking all that is said about your restaurant online is an arduous task, so unless you have a big budget and lots of time on your hands, you may be better off focussing your efforts where most people tend to hang out – Twitter, Facebook and the biggest online restaurant review sites.
That said, listening and responding should become a regular part of your daily routine, regardless of how much time you spend on it.
Top tips:
- Set up your free tracking tools
Tweetdeck or HootSuite.com for Twitter and Google Alerts are useful for monitoring mentions of your restaurant’s name. - Don’t be afraid of what people are saying
Every comment, be it good, bad or indifferent, is an opportunity to engage with your customers. - See a complaint as an opportunity to wow your customers with excellent customer service.
- Respond proactively to conversation about your restaurant – they have bothered to tell the world what they think of you, so you should take time to acknowledge that.
Bury your head in the sand and ignore your reviewers at your peril. However, hold your head high, engage with them and respond proactively and you’ll have loyal fans, followers and customers for life.
