Last year, restaurant brands were finding new ways to stand out in the crowded marketplace by trolling one another on social media. But, this year, COVID-19 disrupted everything, and restaurants were forced to adapt, causing a shift in tone across the board.
With this change came a new question: how should brands approach social and digital in the COVID-19 era?
Tillster CMO Hope Neiman shared a few ideas with Hospitality Technology in a recent article. Her key advice is to rethink your presence, and how you position your brand, define what makes you essential to your customers and evaluate how you can best elevate those attributes in the marketplace.
Here are a few ways to adapt your social and digital presence with the current new normal in mind:
1. Adopt a more local social presence: Consumers are looking for brands that add value – to self and community, especially as they lean more into local during the pandemic. That doesn’t mean no chain brands. For example, all franchise operators are important members of their community.
Consumers just aren’t as willing to travel, meaning they are showing support for those local restaurants that care about community. With this in mind, brands and franchises should ensure they’re communicating localness by following local hashtags and utilizing location-targeted messages.
2. Leverage local heroes and communicate local giving: Restaurants should involve themselves in good local works, like showing support for the healthcare community, to receive positive news coverage. Consumers want to support community-entrenched restaurants, and corporate good works are the key to visibility, especially in today’s climate, inspiring guests to talk about you and support you in turn.
3. Understand and utilize changing location capabilities: With geodata, brands can wow guests more than ever, but they also must contend with new restrictions placed on location-based services. Brands should use location services wisely to deliver better service to engaged customers.
4. Get today’s unwritten push notification rules right: Today’s consumer wants value, corporate works and real news from the local community. Brands should use push notifications to share good news, and valuable offers that should truly matter to your customers, supporting guests strapped for time and cash and making their lives easier.
5. Use online ordering as your sales funnel of choice: With online ordering, brands can personalize offers for customers frequently engaged with the brand, ensuring they’re receiving something special that others won’t necessarily get. Reward the customers who are listening and showcase your understanding their needs as consumers.
For those brands looking to know more about shifting digital strategies during the current pandemic, read Neiman’s full article at Hospitality Technology, and for more information about Tillster’s solutions, contact our team.
