How Today’s Diners Are Building Their Reputations on Social Media

Written by Justine Nightingale
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 08:00am CDT

With more than half of people today saying social media can influence their restaurant choice, it’s never been more important to build a presence on social media.

Social media has changed the fabric of society, and it greatly influences people all over the country. In fact, Neuro Science News found that when people post images of fatty foods, their follower engagement greatly increases.

Because of this, you can see how important social media is for gaining brand awareness and building a positive reputation.

So, let’s talk about how today’s diners are building their reputations on social media and how your restaurant can do it, too.

Today’s Diners Encourage Reviews

One way restaurants can work on their reputations is by asking customers for reviews. 

You want to encourage all of your customers to leave you a review, whether it’s positive or not. While bad reviews aren’t something you like, everyone gets them. What’s more, you can definitely turn that negative review into an opportunity. 

If you want to grow and build your reputation, you want genuine feedback, both positive and negative. A few negative reviews mixed in isn’t an entirely bad thing. 

When receiving reviews on social media, the most important thing you can do is respond to the review. Thank the people who leave positive reviews, reiterate a bit of what they said, and thank them profusely. 

For the negative reviews, use this as an opportunity to show the reviewer and all the people reading the review that you are empathetic and proactive. Take this chance to understand what the negative reviewer is saying and take positive action on it. 

Remember that reviews impact whether or not someone will actually frequent your diner and eat with you. Reviews make a difference when it comes to purchasing decisions. 

So, ultimately, the most important things you can do are these:

• Ask for reviews.
• Respond to every single review appropriately and with empathy.

Nearly 95% of people check out a diner’s reviews before ever walking in the door, so we can’t emphasize reviews enough to help build your reputation on social media.

Today’s Diners Encourage Loyalty

The best restaurants are using social media to build loyalty as well as reputations and expose themselves to more people. 

There are several ways you can do this on social media. 

The first way is by offering coupons and specials right on your social media platforms. For example, you might offer all your Instagram followers a free appetizer if they share a photo of them dining in your restaurant. 

The goal is to build loyalty through special deals. 

Another way you can build your reputation is by hosting contests. For example, you could host a giveaway for a meal for two in exchange for people’s email addresses. (tweet this)

This is a win for you because you build your email list for ongoing marketing. It’s a win for current and potential customers because they can win a free meal. 

Third, you can offer a loyalty program for your customers. This is a great way to build brand awareness and stand out from your competitors. 

Advertise your loyalty program and encourage your social media users to join. Then, start rewarding them for their loyalty every time they dine with you.

Customer loyalty is vital to the success of your restaurant, and social media is the perfect spot to encourage it. 

Today’s Diners Build a Community 

Another interesting way diners are creating strong reputations on social media is that they encourage their customers to “check in” to their restaurants. 

When they do this, their friends on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can see where they’re eating. If they share photos, you even have free food pics out in the digital arena. 

By encouraging people to check in to your social media platforms, you have the opportunity to be noticed by a wide community of people who might be convinced to eat at your restaurant. (tweet this)

Plus, the more check-ins your diner gets, the more your diner will show up because you’ve made the social media platform’s algorithms happy!

By asking for check-ins, you’re also drawing people into your community. You’re asking them to join forces with you and share your restaurant with others. 

Now, once you’ve got this working, you want to fine-tune and focus on your social media content. Nurture your community by providing them with the content they want to see.

Finally, encourage your customers to follow you on the social media platforms you use. Then, ask them to tag your diner in all their posts and stories. This helps build a strong community in your area, and you’ll soon find your repeat business is booming.

Final Thoughts on Building Reputations

Now that you’ve got some of our favorite social media marketing tips, you’re ready to put them into action.

Social media provides your diner with increased visibility. Choose your platforms wisely, and don’t stretch yourself too thin. Pick one to three platforms to really build your reputation. 

Post consistently and share content that engages. If you aren’t getting shares, likes, and comments, it may be time to share different things. 

Be sure to comment each time someone comments on one of your posts. Likewise, when someone tags your diner, comment as well. 

Always monitor and respond to your reviews to really hone in on your reputation management skills.

With these tools, you’re well on the way to building your reputation on social media and using social media to create fans for your restaurant. You’ll find that with more fans and followers, you will increase your revenue and your bottom line as more people learn about your diner, see photos of your food online, and read your social media reviews.

At Restaurant Engine, we can create a restaurant website for you that complements your social media platforms. Your website is a pivotal piece of your success, and all your marketing leads to and from your website. You can count on us to create a website that also showcases your social media platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! 

Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website? 

Get your free website consultation today!  

Images: dole777 and Jakob Owens on Unsplash