5 Ideas That Get Social Media Followers in The Door

Written by Justine Nightingale
Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at 08:00am CST

Did you know that social media influences more than 50% of diners? With so many people looking for a place to eat, hunting for reviews, and trying to see what others are eating, social media is the perfect place for your restaurant.

Whether you are focusing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or Snap Chat, you should know how to convert social media fans into paying customers. (tweet this)

Getting people from their phones to a table in your restaurant may seem daunting, but we’ve got you covered.

Check out these five ideas that get social media followers in the door.

#1: Send Messages to Your Followers

When you get a new follower on one of your social media platforms, send them a welcome message.

This is your shot at making a really good impression. Once a person decides to follow you, they give you a little piece of their digital life. So, you want to make sure you send them a message.

You can use this welcome email to thank them for following you. In addition, you might consider offering them a welcome coupon to your restaurant. This might be something like a 10% off coupon or a free appetizer. The goal is to give them something that encourages them to order from you.

You could also send a link to your menu and information about your hours in this welcome message.

Please don’t go overboard in the welcome but do show them you personally appreciate that they followed you.

One example of this would be a welcome for new Instagram followers. You can use an app like Gleam to trigger an offer when someone goes from Instagram to your website. The key to this offer is to make sure visitors see it on your website only if they click the link in your Instagram bio.

#2: Offer Special Deals to Your Followers

Just like with the special offer for newcomers to your social media pages, you can also offer specials to your current followers periodically.

For example, you might decide to offer your social media followers a buy one, get one special. To do this, you would make a post on a platform like Facebook that included a link to your website.

Only your social media followers would have access to this link. Once on your website, you ask for their name and email. After they provide this information, you automatically send them the coupon.

Now, not only do your social media followers have a coupon for your restaurant, but you have their email addresses. In addition, you can continue to reach out to them through a drip campaign to remind them to use your coupon.

You can also continue to reach out to them periodically with news of events and other specials.

You’ll find that by offering social media only deals, your followers will feel like they are part of an exclusive group. This in turn creates brand loyalty.

#3: Launch a New Menu Item

Through a mystery campaign, you can promote your menu and encourage people to come into your restaurant.

Your goal here is to let your followers know that you are launching a new dish, and they are the first ones to know about it. Here you are really going for their sense of curiosity.

There’s a little mystery here, too. You might make one post that is a picture of the new item, but it is so grayed out your social media followers really can’t see it. Over the course of a week, you can slowly uncover it so that people can see what it is on the last day.

During this time, you could also send them to your website for a coupon for your new dish. This way not only do they feel like they’re an integral part of the launch, but with the coupon, you are encouraging them to walk through your door to try the new menu item.

This also encourages new followers because the mystery and the follower-only discount entice them.

#4: Highlight Your Menu

The most frustrating thing for social media followers is when they can’t find your menu easily. So, make sure your online menu is easily accessible on your Facebook page.

You want to capture your social media followers when they’re online and hungry. For example, Susan is perusing her Facebook newsfeed, and your latest post shows up there. It highlights one of your most famous dishes, lasagna. Susan is interested, so she clicks on your restaurant to look for your menu.

If your menu isn’t easy to find, Susan is going to look for that lasagna elsewhere. Include a link right to your menu. Make sure your menu is easy to read. Skip the pdf and include a link to your online menu.

You can also include a link to your menu in your Instagram profile.

#5: Make It Easy to Purchase

The other thing that’s vital to getting social media followers in the door is making it easy for them to either order online or book a table.

For example, include a link in your Instagram profile that users click on and go to options for your menu or reservation system. Then, tell your followers they can get to this link in your bio.

On Facebook, you want this in your about section, along with a link to your menu.

Don’t miss this easy step. Your customers will really thank you for it and appreciate how easy you made it for them.

Final Thoughts

Now you know all about converting followers into customers, you’re ready to dive into this creative
social media marketing.

Make sure and always include calls to action in your social media posts, so your followers know what you want them to do. (tweet this)

Stay engaged daily, respond to your followers, and continue to personalize their experiences. Social media is about relationship building. And the better you do it, the more business you’ll get.

At Restaurant Engine, not only do we create great, responsive websites, but you can count on us to create a website that works with your social media accounts, too. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! Ready to take the plunge and create a new website? Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Katka Pavlickova and ABDALLA M on Unsplash