SMM-promotion for a successful start on the example of the restaurant business

The Board of Directors has already lasted three hours. All this time, one and the same thought revolved in my head: “How annoying is this damn column.” You know, such a big, oval thing, upholstered in some kind of woven thread. Of these still make baskets and go for mushrooms. What a stupid thing.

– Content marketing is a colossal, painstaking work. We cannot start activity on social networks on the opening day. That’s bullshit. There will be no effect. We need to work in this direction now. People will subscribe to the page of our establishment. Gradually. From day to day. It works just like that – Pasha had been in the restaurant business for about 15 years. He knew a lot about him, if not all. Usually they did not argue with him. A two-meter, 100-kilogram short-cut 40-year-old man somehow knew how to inspire confidence in himself and his ideas. Do you think the whole thing is in appearance? I think so too.

The restaurant was planned to open in early May. It will be a rather large two-story establishment with a view of the embankment. I’m even afraid to imagine how much the shareholders paid to the designer. I saw him once. He was frankly drunk at 10 in the morning and talked loudly about a combination of English and Japanese elements in the interior. I didn’t listen further. Fusion, so fusion.

“We will not spend that kind of money on this nonsense,” the workers hushed the husky voice of Valentine. The new company, as always inappropriately, moved to a neighboring office and tried to make some incredible repairs there. I saw several boxes with pink wallpaper and a Vesna tape recorder. Why do they need a tape recorder?

Valentine was the second shareholder of the Company. He led a hipster lifestyle, loved bright shorts, T-shirts, butterflies, rode a bike, visited only fashionable establishments and tried his best not to be young, but youth.

– This is not nonsense. This is something without which people will not go to us. We will ruin everything ourselves, understand? – Pasha broke into a cry.

– Our client does not surf the Internet. He doesn’t leaf through the ribbon on Facebook. He works – Valentine continued in a mentor tone.

“Yes, yes,” Lehi’s sleepy voice was heard from the corner of the hall. The third shareholder, as always, slept through half of the meeting. He sincerely tried to delve into everything that was happening, but in the air there were too many clever words about obscure things. Lech is not so used. He, like many, earned his first million in the 90s and remained there. He knows where to buy cheaper, sell more expensive and is sure that in which case you can “solve everything”. All these nonsense is alien to him: strategic development,Geek Web Solution  SMM Service, content plan … Just words. Lehi had one interesting feature. If he didn’t understand something, he started what is called “to shove with a drill”. The first rule of Lehi: “No one should guess that Lech does not understand something. Lech is a kid. ” Just due to strict observance of the first rule, Lech often fell into comic situations.

– And who is our client? – asked Pasha, lighting a third cigarette in the last 20 minutes.

– This is a fashionable modern person over 25 years old who is actively interested in new products in various fields of his activity – Valentin quoted the restaurant’s marketing strategy.

– Yes you are right. These people are not on the Internet. You won’t even lure them there for money – it suddenly turned out that I said it out loud

Valentine looked at me with an annihilating look. Pasha – with hope. Lech again did not understand what had happened.

– Right. Let Mila say it. It was not in vain that I called her – Pasha really hoped that together we would be able to convince the two shareholders.

“Who’s that?” – Lech looked at me with an incomprehensible look, but said the phrase with the importance of the English lord at the reception.

Pasha tried to say something, but I interrupted him.

– I – this is the same nonsense that Valentine does not want to spend money on. See what’s the matter. No one will tell you exactly what is good and what is bad, what is needed and what is not.

– And what? – Lech apparently still did not understand who I am.

– Yes, in principle, nothing. I mean that Pasha is now waiting for me with some beautiful words about the importance of SMM in the restaurant business, about how this will affect sales growth, raise the average bill, and attract guests who are already loyal to you at the entrance. Yes, a lot of things can be said. Only this is not the main thing. Now everything is simple. If you are not on the Internet, then you are not. I can offer a way to effectively simplify SMM activities for continuous work and address the issue of SMM branding.

“I don’t see the point in this yet.” Moreover, we all understand that we are in a falling market. We’ll open it, see how it goes, and then after a year we’ll talk, ”said Valentin, looking intently at his ivotch.

– In a year it will be more expensive.

“Inflation …” Lech said with understanding.

“Not really,” I sighed. “A simple example.” You open an institution. Wonderful. What is a discovery? This is a great news item. This is an event to which you can invite people. So they learn about the institution, take a selfie on Facebook and Instagram. How to invite them? Do you have a newsletter base? I don’t think so. Then where do we get people from? Or do you really believe that if we turn on loud music and hang balls or some other rubbish, then all will instantly rush to us? Gentlemen, shareholders, this is May. May is May holidays. On holidays, everyone plays music. People should come specifically to our event. What does it mean? They should plan, get together, arrange with friends and come to a restaurant together. To do this, you need to notify these people about the discovery in advance. Which channels are suitable here? Outdoor advertising? Perhaps, but expensive. Radio? It’s hard to get to the target audience. And here we recall such a wonderful tool as social networks, in which there are not only public pages and groups, but also “events” to which our target audience can be invited. And if you tie up a competition from the series “repost events and get an opportunity to win something” for these invitations, it will be very good. The main thing is to add that prizes are awarded only among those present. We look further. People have come. They took selfies with friends, selfies with a bartender, photos of the interior, dishes, cocktails and in general they are just delighted. So what? Where to put them? Need a link to the restaurant page. And if there is no page, then there’s nowhere to make a link. Here are the reviews. in which there are not only public pages and groups, but also “events” to which our target audience can be invited. And if you tie up a competition from the series “repost events and get an opportunity to win something” for these invitations, then it will be very good. The main thing is to add that prizes are awarded only among those present. We look further. People have come. They took selfies with friends, selfies with a bartender, photos of the interior, dishes, cocktails and in general they are just delighted. So what? Where to put them? Need a link to the restaurant page. And if there is no page, then there’s nowhere to make a link. Here are the reviews. in which there are not only public pages and groups, but also “events” to which our target audience can be invited. And if you tie up a competition from the series “repost events and get an opportunity to win something” for these invitations, it will be very good. The main thing is to add that prizes are awarded only among those present. We look further. People have come. They took selfies with friends, selfies with a bartender, photos of the interior, dishes, cocktails and in general they are just delighted. So what? Where to put them? Need a link to the restaurant page. And if there is no page, then there’s nowhere to make a link. Here are the reviews. it will be very good. The main thing is to add that prizes are awarded only among those present. We look further. People have come. They took selfies with friends, selfies with a bartender, photos of the interior, dishes, cocktails and in general they are just delighted. So what? Where to put them? Need a link to the restaurant page. And if there is no page, then there’s nowhere to make a link. Here are the reviews. it will be very good. The main thing is to add that prizes are awarded only among those present. We look further. People have come. They took selfies with friends, selfies with a bartender, photos of the interior, dishes, cocktails and in general they are just delighted. So what? Where to put them? Need a link to the restaurant page. And if there is no page, then there’s nowhere to make a link. Here are the reviews.

“It all sounds good.” But where do you get customers for a completely new institution? – Valentine finally paid attention to me.

– There are many options, in fact. For example, leading groups in the city. Usually these are urban communities with a large audience. They have a fairly high activity and feedback. We need to agree with the administrators of such communities on advertising with information about the new institution and then their audience will come to us. The main thing is to give some additional value to the people who join us in the group (discounts, participation in the promotion or something like that). The second option is opinion leaders. For example, their post about a new institution with information why it is worth visiting it or simply that they will be at the opening. Etc. Naturally, you need to do this all before opening. At least a few months. The more time there is to prepare the content, the better it will be, which means that the more it will hook potential customers.

– So, why is it more expensive in a year? I missed this moment – Lech looked at me intently.

“It will be too late in a year.” By this time, the institution will already have a reputation and that’s it. If it is not quite the same as we plan, it will be extremely difficult to interrupt it. An example from my practice. The institution is 6 years old. All these years, it somehow worked. It is somehow. Stayed around zero. It was a small but stable plus. The audience is employees of neighboring offices. Breakfasts, business lunches, rare events. Nothing unusual in general. And then the owner comes up with the idea to change everything, so much so that at once. The decision is not that spontaneous, but radical – he changes the director. That is, he changes the 45-year-old lady with the experience of a “waiter” into a 30-year-old TOP manager with more than 10 years of experience in senior positions in the restaurant business, including international companies.

– And how did he drag such a manager to himself? These are usually expensive – asked Pasha with interest. Apparently, he was waiting for me to give him the phone number of some recruiting agency, in which TOP volunteers are inexpensively selected.

– So he paid her a lot – I disappointed Pasha – Here. The young lady begins to work. Normally, systemically. Hires a good chef, a new team of waiters, conducts serious trainings on the service. Introduces a new menu. Moves the institution to a different price segment. Invites a specialist to work with social media. And you know what effect?

Lehi’s phone rang.

– Helen, transfer it for tomorrow, otherwise there’s nothing endlessly. Today I will not appear in the office – Leh said loudly to an invisible interlocutor.

– Nothing. Ticket offices have fallen, there are no guests and everything is going in the wrong direction somewhere, I continued. – And the reason is not in the director and not in marketing. The fact is that for 6 years the institution has already formed a certain image and circle of regular customers. These clients are already accustomed to the fact that everything is relatively inexpensive here and so … Average lousy. Resigned that the waiters did not know the menu and confused dishes, and the bartender was preparing disgusting coffee. And here are the changes, and even what. Some of these people could not accept these changes and went to other institutions. It was expected. The only problem is that new people did not come. Guess why? The institution has already formed a reputation of the place “about nothing” and that’s it. Rebranding is a thin and very unpredictable thing. So it’s better to immediately start shaping the image before the image has shaped you.

“I don’t agree,” Valentine answered, looking at Pasha. “If there is a normal kitchen, interior and public, then new people will come by themselves.” Here a man walks along the promenade, sees our beautiful sign. I went in. I drank coffee. Liked. Word of mouth is the most effective tool.

“Roller,” Pasha addressed the second shareholder, “the case will end with us being simply made on the Internet.” And that’s all. When choosing an institution, people, first of all, go to the Internet and watch reviews on social networks. If we are not there, then no one will come to us. I am not going to cover losses due to the fact that one of us here is saving too much on what is not needed.

This conversation smoothly turned into a plane of conflict of logic and greed.

– Let’s do it – I began – I can offer an option with a minimum budget – one and then save on the payroll – two.

What is it like? – at the word “save” Lech even somehow stretched out.

– We will prescribe everything. First, let’s define the purpose of our SMM branding. Then talk about the target audience. We divide it into groups, write out the values ​​for each group, the benefits that our restaurant can provide, then we highlight the interests of both general and each of the groups, determining the social networks with which we will work. Then we look at what our audience is interested in in these networks, what it lives on, the pages of what institutions it interests and what happens on these pages.

– Why such difficulties? Here you like to complicate everything – Lech fiddled with a silver pen with the inscription: “To my beloved chef from the sales department.”

“We need to clearly understand who we work with and what needs to be done to attract exactly the people we want to see in our restaurant,” I continued. “Based on this information, we will draw up a detailed content plan, taking into account the promotion of all events, highlight the typology posts. Consider the key features of each type and see how we can apply them in the restaurant. We will register 10 patterns for each type. Then we will work with the photographer and video operator. We will make photo and video content that matches our content strategy. We will add photo and video content to our templates.

– There must be some kind of interactive or whatever it’s called … A place for improvisation or something – Pasha tried to find the right word.

– Just for this we will write down answers to customer reviews about the institution. Next, we work with promotion tools for each type of post. On the basis of all this information, even a not very experienced marketer, who can not pay a high salary, can do content. Only here it is important to choose a person who in spirit corresponds to the restaurant. Otherwise, you may encounter the fact that this person will respond to guest reviews not in accordance with the established image of the institution. This must not be allowed.

– So I did not understand what in fact? – My monologue seemed to Leh endless.

“And when we do all this,” I concluded, “we will have before us such a weighty document called“ SMM-branding. ” And you know what that means? That we have definitely done a substantial layer of work in the “marketing” block. And competently and systemically. We still have time, so we can form the SMM-brand of the restaurant before it opens. Thus, guests will come with a ready-made vision of the institution. Now the main thing is to live up to their expectations, but that’s another story.