Step by Step Guide to Facebook Marketing for Restaurants

I want to share with you several effective workable strategies on Facebook Marketing for Restaurants. Learn step by step Facebook Marketing from beginner to advanced level.

The restaurant business is a profitable and all-time popular business all over the world. According to the National Statistics, $899 billion: Restaurant industry's projected sales in 2020. And 63% of consumers would rather spend on an experience than purchase an item. Looking at these statistics, we understand that the restaurant business is more profitable, more popular, and much more competitive. Anyone can start a restaurant business with small capital. If you have the right restaurant business plan and proper marketing guidelines for the restaurant business, you can be a successful restaurant businessman. Otherwise, you will not be able to survive with your competitor in this competitive restaurant business for long.

Does your competitor's Restaurant get more customers than you?

"Are you thinking about starting the restaurant business but worried about how to get customers? Are you opening a new restaurant but don't getting customers for your Restaurant? Is your regular customer decreasing day by day?

If so, Facebook Marketing for Restaurants is for you because Facebook is the most popular social media platform worldwide. During 2020 Facebook reports that they have 1.82 billion daily active users, and Monthly, 2.5 billion people are connected  with Facebook. And on average, every user spends almost an hour on Facebook. There are 70 million businesses already listed and making huge profits consistently. My question is, why you will not join Facebook where your competitor restaurant makes profits every day. And also, Facebook has given extra facilities for the restaurant business. The Facebook slogan is

Make your restaurant stand out where people are discovering the foods and brands that they love.

Now I think you are a little bit confused about the Facebook marketing strategy for restaurants. There are two types of Facebook Marketing including

1. Paid Facebook Marketing 
2. Free Facebook Marketing. 

Don't worry, here you will get A to Z profitable guidelines about using Facebook for restaurant marketing and make your restaurant business more popular and profitable.

Steps of Facebook Page Optimization

Create A Facebook Business Page for Restaurant

Facebook Page and Profile Looking Similar, but a Facebook page can be a "Business or Brand" and "Community or Public Figure" page. Both are a digital presence on Facebook and specially created for Businesses, Organizations, Charities, Public figures, Causes, etc. A page is a set of a few special tools for business growth, connect with target customers, and measure how people are engaging with it. According to Facebook policy, a page can gain unlimited fans by "Likes." On the other hand, a Facebook profile can gain a maximum of 5000 friends. It is an individual personal profile or account on Facebook and can share personal interests with friends and family.

Now we are going to start to create a brand-new Facebook restaurant business page for Facebook marketing.

In 2020 Facebook core updates change the user interface. These updates cause some considerable change like merging "Business or Brand" and "Community or Public Figure" on one page. Don't worry, I will explain everything to you step by step on a new Facebook interface. 

First, you have to go to this link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/creation/ or you can click on your Facebook profile right side (+) icon and then click "Page." There you will get "Page Information" like as in the below image

Facebook Page Name

Here you can add basic information about your business like Business name, categories, and other information. This page contains very essential information so you have to be more careful while filling in the information box. Besides giving the name of your restaurant is a very crucial step so choose it carefully. I will recommend that you should give a beautiful and easy pronounced name for your restaurant. An easy and attractive name helps you in developing your brand awareness. Moreover, You should add a Keyword with your prepared restaurant name for better visibility on search engines and customers.

You can read our guideline article on how to Choose the Right Restaurant Name.

Category

It’s the category options for your business, so choose the right category for your restaurant that describes your business type. Here I added multiple categories for the restaurant business to better describe, so if you want, you can add multiple categories or a single category.

Description

Here you can add a description of your restaurant business. I will recommend writing a short and meaningful description within 255 characters of your restaurant. For example, “Bhojon is a leading Restaurant in Bangladesh. We provide all kinds of delicious food all over Bangladesh”. After completing Page Name, Category, and Description,  click on “Create Page” now you are done.

Disclaimer: “If you make a personal account or profile for your business instead of a Facebook page, your profile will be Blocked from Facebook shortly.”

Customize Page For Professional Look

A professional look not only attracts your visitor but also explores what your business offers for the customer. Facebook marketing for restaurants means reaching a large number of potential customers by adopting different sustainable strategies to promote your restaurant business. In this case, you must be professional in marketing. Besides proper knowledge of Facebook marketing helps you to sustain in the long run. While customizing your page you must focus on your page designing in a professional way.

“Good design is good business.” 

- Thomas Watson Jr

Profile Photo and Cover Photo

After Pressing on “Create Page,” You will unlock the next step, Profile Photo or Logo and Cover Photo options. Here you can add your restaurant page Logo & Cover Photo. Remember that when a customer will come to visit your page, he/she first looks at your Profile Photo and Cover Photo. So I will recommend your restaurant business logo & cover photo should be professional. I used the logo size (500×500) and the cover photo size (2050×780). And then Click on the “Save” option.

About or Edit Page Info

After pressing the "Save" button, the home page of your restaurant company page will be redirected. On the left side, you will get the Page "About or Edit Page Info". Here, you can set such as:

1. Website
2. Phone number
3. Send Message
4. Email
5. Business hours

These setting options play a significant role in restaurant marketing on Facebook to get more audience. When you complete these settings for your page, visitors will get information about your restaurant, and you will gain trust from people. Customers will place food orders without confusion about the restaurant—so setting these options one by one carefully with the original information. If you want, you can change these options later also.

Add Call-To-Action Button

It’s an essential part of your restaurant business page. Tells the visitor clearly what you want to do to them. Facebook gives different types of options for using the call-to-action button to get more customers. Go to your home page. You will get it under the cover photo.

Setting & General Setting

This setting you will get on your business page left side under the Edit Page info. Here you will get many options to set your business more professionally for your customer as you want.

Attract by a Greeting

It is a cool feature; when a visitor comes on your page, it will automatically show a greeting for your visitor. There is a default message already setting; if you want, you can customize it as well. If you ask me about Facebook marketing tips for restaurants, I will recommend you “On” this feature with custom text. It is an engaging feature for the Facebook business Page. 

Just go to the left side “Setting Option” When you click on “Setting” it automatically unlocks all other settings. There you will get the “Messaging” option under the “General” one. Click on “Messaging” and scroll down; you will see “Show a greeting” under the “Starting a Messenger Conversation”. It is "Off" by default. Just turn “On” click on “Off” When it turns “On” you will get a default text with personalization. If you want to customize, just click on the left side “Change” button to customize as you want. 

Add Messenger to Your Website

This is another cool free feature for a business page from Facebook. It is a Facebook Messenger feature and you can integrate it with your website. For letting people start a conversation on your website and continue it in Messenger with the Chatbot Plugin. It's easy to set up, and Facebook gives you the code to add to your website. Save it in your website tag; that's it. People love chatting with Facebook Messenger, so If you add Facebook Messenger to your website; Your customer will grow a lot. Remember, you don't have to pay on a monthly or yearly basis for this Facebook Messenger's chatbot feature because It's free for every user for a lifetime. If you want custom and advanced features, you can use Chatbot for the website as well.

Set Up Automated Responses

Automated Response is an advanced feature for the Facebook business page. Because when you are busy, this feature will work on behalf of you. It's one kind of live customer support manager for your restaurant page. These automated responses will be your best marketing for restaurants on Facebook when you're online or offline. This feature gives you the best opportunity to automate your customer manager workflow.

1. Go to the left side, "Setting" options. 
2. Click on "Messaging" under the "General" little bit scroll down, and you will see "Set Up Automated Responses" under the "During a Messenger Conversation." 
3. Just click on the left side "Set" button. Then you will redirect the automation page and all the settings. Such as:

• Greet People
• Share and Get Information

Greet People

In this category, you can automate when customers send a message on your page such as:

Instant Reply

Here you can set your greetings for your restaurant customers. When customers send a message; this “Instant Reply” feature performs automatically by reply with your custom greeting message instantly. The default setting is “Off” you just turn “On” and set your message that’s it.

Away Message

Here you can customize your message to let people know how long you'll be away and when you'll respond. Also, here you can automate time schedule as well. It is the default setting is “Off” also, when you turn On it will perform automatically.

Share and Get Information

In this category, you can automate your restaurant FAQs related to everything. Such as:

Frequently Asked Questions-FAQ

Here you can set your restaurant-related suggested questions that people can ask frequently. You can select multiple items with answers one by one. Just turn “On” and set your prepared questions and answers. It will perform automatically when the customers ask about these types of problems. The FAQ is an excellent feature on Facebook for restaurant marketing.

Claim Custom/Brand Username URL

After saving the logo and cover photo, you will redirect your page’s home. Under your page logo, you will get your page custom username setting. When you click on this (Username) location, you will get a popup option to write your username. After choosing the username, you will get a Welcome popup message like “You’re all set!” and show you your restaurant’s custom URL. This custom URL helps your customer find out your restaurant on Facebook easily, and it’s also search engine friendly as well.

Create Brand Awareness

Brand Awareness is a significant term of marketing where your desired customers will find out you by your restaurant name. Creating your brand awareness is a must as without branding your entire marketing will be failed. In this regard, a perfect and unique name assists you inevitably to enhance your brand value. Different activities can be adopted to increase your brand awareness like the digital campaign, cold calling, direct mailing, and many others. However, when you will be able to finally create brand value the customers can easily find out your services or products. Developing a successful brand awareness directly helps you to increase your restaurant business reputation and popularity.

Focus On Your Content

We know that Content is king for digital marketing. What is Content? Content is that you share on your website or Facebook business page. It can be your articles, images, videos, etc. So Content will be the primary weapon on the Facebook marketing strategies for restaurants. I will suggest that when you write Content, always focus on the buyer journey like awareness, consideration, and decision.

Unique Content

When you share any content on your Facebook restaurant business page, remember it will be 100% unique and authentic. Also, try to share SEO friendly content because when you share SEO friendly content on a Facebook page, it will rank on search engines, and you will get organic customers from your content. So share SEO friendly unique content on your page and get more customers.

Disclaimer: If you share any copyrighted content on your page, it will be harmful to your business, and Facebook can delete your page forever.

Use #Hashtags

When you run a restaurant business, your business is new on Facebook, and now it is not easy to reach in front of more audiences, so use #hashtags when you post because hashtags are the best way; to reach broad audiences. I recommend you use relevant current events, popular and #hashtags to increase more visibility of your post and page.

Share Post With Eye-Catchy Image

People are always attracted to the eye-catchy image. Try to share posts with eye-catchy photos on Facebook and follow this on any social media for restaurant marketing. Remember, when you maintain professionalism, uniqueness, SEO friendly, and eye-catchy image to post on your restaurant page, you will get more reach and engagement from Facebook. Those reaches and engagements will be your potential customer in the future.

Post videos

Video marketing is trending marketing and more popular than other marketing strategies for restaurants. Nowadays, people like watching videos without reading the article. Post short, relevant, informative, entertaining, and trending videos to get more engagement. It can be your restaurant's uncommon delicious foods, dishes, or recipes.

Post Attractive GIFs

Using GIF marketing on Facebook for restaurants will help your restaurant business more professionally than your competitor. You can understand your customer's more complex things through GIFs marketing better the words. Make randomly eye-catchy and attractive GIFs and share with your fans.

Create Poll

Suppose you want something new, post for your restaurant on your Facebook page. I will suggest sometimes create a Facebook Poll post, and you will get more actionable data. It is the most powerful tool for restaurant marketing on Facebook. Also, this Poll will be your A/B testing marketing formula. For A/B testing, I recommend you create a poll of your two delicious foods with questions like "Which Food loves you more?" and use the eye-catchy, attractive animated image for this Poll for better results. Create a Poll is the best way to interact better with your fans and learn what they think about your products and services. Now it's the best time to create a Poll for your Facebook restaurant business page.

 How to Create Facebook Poll?

1. Go to your Facebook business page
2. Click on the Post window 
3. Then click on the right side, three-dot buttons to expand
4. Select Poll and then Create

Share posts from your Fans

Share your loyal fans' photos on your page and tag them too. They will be happy, and your Restaurant Business Page will be up to date simultaneously. It's more effective to spread your page with their mutual friends on Facebook. It is also the best way to reward your loyal fans by sharing their pics when they take photos of visiting your restaurant.

Creative Facebook Post for Restaurants

Creative posts are more engaging than other posts, so when you create a post, you must keep in mind how to create a creative post for your restaurant business page. In the Google SERP, you will get many ideas about a creative Facebook post for Restaurants like Post Fill in the Blank, Quotes, Giveaway, etc. But here, I will give you some personal tips when you create a post for your restaurant that helps you to create a more successful creative Facebook post as well.

• Search on Facebook with the "Restaurant" keyword and then click on left side posts, analyze which types of restaurant relevant post are greeting engages, and then create a post same as more engaging post and use #hashtags. You can use other social media to get creative post ideas as well.
• Follow on upcoming events and search which event is related to the restaurant, then create a post on that event and use the event #hashtag.
• Use Google keyword planner and search with "Restaurant" Keyword and then pick up those keywords related to your restaurant business and then create a post and use the keyword as a # hashtag.
• Use Google Trends to create powerful trending creative post. Go to Google Trends and search on your topic; you will get your topic trending. Also, you will get your topic relevant, suggested trending topic keywords as well. I will recommend you, when search creative post idea uses Google trends here you will get trending creative post within a short time.
• You can use the BuzzSumo social media tool and search with your keyword. You will get all the social media high engaging post list. Also, here you can get a viral social media to post ideas as well.

Schedule Daily & Weekend Posts

Social media marketing for restaurants is time-consuming, and you can call it a full-time job. On the other hand, you have to be active in your restaurant's management at the time. If you are busy with management or other works and want to keep offline, don't worry. Facebook gives you a great feature to schedule your post. You can schedule everyday posts, and also, if you want, you can schedule the whole weekend post as well.

1. Just go to Facebook creator from your page top menu or publishing Tool
2. Click within post something
3. Write your creative post
4. Then click on below "share arrow" select your time

Recycle successful old Post

Analyze your old content and list those posts that are reached and engage more from other posts. After finding out the best performing old content, then recycle those successful old content again. It helps you to create a new piece of content because consistently creative new posting is tough.

Tag Relevant Bigger Facebook's other Pages

When you start your business on Facebook, It's hard to reach in front of a broad audience. If you tag your business-relevant big Facebook pages, it is easy to reach a broad audience, so tag your relevant, more significant Facebook pages.

Like, Comments, Share, Behalf of Your Page

In the beginning time, you have to do hard work for your business on Facebook. When you are online, try to do like, comments, and share on behalf of your restaurant business page. If you do these, your page will be more visible to the audience as well.

Tag and share Post with Your Friends

You can tag and share posts with your existing friends and family. When you do this, all known friends will be your first customer. It will inspire you and enhance your enthusiasm. Your friends' mutual friends can be your customer by following these processes.

Like As Your Page

It's more powerful to get your business relevant to new followers and organic likes from Facebook. 

1. Just go to your relevant page, then click on the "right side three dots button." 
2. And select "Like As Your Page." 
3. Then choose your restaurant business page 
4. And then click on "submit" that's it. 

Remember it, do it naturally, don't spam, so at first, read Facebook guidelines and policy for doing things like your page. When you do It, Facebook helps your business page, as suggested with other relevant popular restaurant pages, to get visitors organically.

Use Like & Share-Button to Other Platforms

If you have a website/blog for your restaurant business, you can use your Facebook business page like and share button. It is one kind of the best way to redirect customers to your business page. I will recommend using an attractive offer like the “Buy 1, Get 1” call-to-action button to encourage customers to visit your Facebook restaurant business page.

Send Emails

Collect your local email addresses and send emails daily basis with an attractive eye-catchy email template. Use your page or website link in the email call-to-action button. From email marketing, you will get a lot of potential customers as well.

Use Facebook Custom Tabs

Facebook allows a business page to use custom Tabs for business growth. In the business page default setting, you will get a few default Tabs. Other tabs are kept hidden and deactivated if you want; you can use those Tabs like groups, live, shop, services, etc. If you want, you can use; these custom Tabs for the restaurant business page for better visibility. Also, If you want, you can add an email subscriber opt-in Sign-up form as your custom Tap to collect customer leads. Building an email list is one of the best ways to market directly to customers.

1. Go to your Facebook Page top menu
2. Click on “More”
3. And then click Edit Tabs

Promote your Restaurant page by Influencers

Hire social media influencers who are already popular in your local area. Contact He/She and discuss promoting your restaurant business page. A social media influencer has millions, millions of followers, or subscribers. If a social media influencer promotes your Page or post, you will instantly get many potential customers quickly & in the quickest way.

Connect Facebook page with Instagram

Connect your Facebook business page to your Instagram account and when you post your Facebook page, select Instagram to share the same post at a time. It is a more engaging system of Facebook. Last core update Facebook announced that Instagram & Facebook Messenger merged so you can manage your Page in one place.

Pin a Post Top of Page

Now Facebook allows a business page to pin a post on the top feed. When visitors come to visit your Page; their first look will fall on your pin post. So make a post with an eye-catching, attractive image with the article and pin it on top of your Page’s home feed. 

1. Just make post
2. Click on post right side three dots
3. And select Pin to Top of Page

Show your Food Menus

Show your restaurant environment & how many Food Menus you have provided for your customer. Show such as; when a new customer will visit your Page; he can easily understand at first look that your Restaurant is neat and clean and you have been providing the best quality foods. Also, show them you're serving food very Carefully.

Use Facebook Live for Restaurant

Facebook added a Live option recently that allows users to live directly to their Facebook profile or Page. Facebook Live is a smart marketing tool for small business owners. When you go on Facebook live, show your Restaurant; especially delicious food, restaurant environment include how you're cooking, etc. When you are on Facebook live, try to answer visitor questions and talk to them live.

Share your Reviews

Share your customer's reviews about your Restaurant on your Page. A good restaurant review increases customers' trust in your restaurant business, and on the other-hand bad reviews will be harmful to your business. Through reviews, customers express their opinions, such as appreciation and criticism of your restaurants' foods and services. Remember, your restaurant business is online-based, so be careful about your restaurant customers. If you give good foods and good services, you will get good reviews; otherwise, you will get bad reviews.

Learn: 10 Actionable Steps of How to Respond to Negative Restaurant Reviews

Consistently Update Your Page Story

Facebook Story working is one kind of Facebook, another effective news feed. But it is a visual way to share feelings rather than share written content. It's a temporary news feed; you can add any story for 24 hours. If you want, you can use multiple stories as well. Nowadays, it is more popular among Facebook users, so Facebook marketing for restaurants; will be the best way to show off your recipes photo rather than a written article.

Maintain Community

Maintaining community means active on Restaurant related Facebook groups. If you are looking for Facebook marketing ideas, I will recommend you maintain a related Facebook community. People are maintaining Facebook communities for getting every day to update information. You should maintain your restaurant business-related community and help people by commenting, post informative content, sometimes promote your Restaurant as well, but you should keep in mind the Facebook spam policy.

Create Facebook Groups

A Facebook group allows supporting customers on behalf of your Page. Here you can know your customers' satisfaction level reports. When customers are happy with your services/products, they will join their other friends in your groups or community. Customers share their experience with your Restaurant so you can be aware of improving your services/products. Also, you can promote here your services/products as well. It's easy to create:

1. Go to your Facebook profile
2. Click on Facebook right side (+) icon
3. Select Groups
4. Then customize your group like a Business Page.
5. Link with your business page

Responsive Support

Customer support maintains another vital role for any restaurant business. When you start a business; there you will get many queries about your business, products/services. You should be responsive to your customer support. Otherwise, you will get bad reviews from your customer, and you will not get your restaurant's return customers. You should give proper before and after customer support to get return customers for your restaurant.

Give Free or Discount Offer

People like free offers or discounts very much, so try sometimes to give these types of offers. Also, you can arrange coupon codes or lottery systems for customers. If you give such a tempting offer, people will be very crowded, and your restaurant customers will also increase. Remember, people want to eat everything when they get free, so be careful—just joking!

Boost Your Delicious Food

Nowadays, all the social networks are going to paid reach like Facebook. A few days ago, I saw that my post got a thousand of reach within the first day but now 70 % decrease if I post on my business page. So try to boost with your Delicious foods on Facebook to get potential customers quickly.

Facebook Paid Advertising

Facebook Page Promotion

For getting quick customers, you can promote your page with Facebook Ads. It will increase your reach & engagement easily within a very short time but you have to pay. Facebook has a user-friendly and highly effective Ad manager to help you reach your business interest people. Don’t need to spend a big-budget amount to get success. You can also achieve success with a low budget to reach the local customers as well.

Facebook Post Boosting

Facebook post boosting is an effective social media marketing. Facebook posts are boosted for sales conversion and branding. 

Ad Objectives

There are some popular ad objectives that are mostly used for business.

• Reach 
• Post Engagement 
• Message Conversion
• Lead Generation 
• Website Traffic Generation
• App Installation

Audience Selection

Audience selection is a vital process. You need to do a lot of research to find your target users. Here are 3 popular ways you can select your audience 

• Location - You need to select the location you want to do business targeting.

• Gender - You can select for whom you want your product and service according to gender.

• Interest Selection - Interest Selection is a common and simple process you can search and select what your targeted customer chooses. For example, If anyone has a mobile business, he will select "mobile consumers" as an interest.

• Behaviors - You can select your users by behaviors such as "Engaged Shoppers", "Business Page Admin" "Android Users" "iPhone Users" etc.

• Lookalike - The lookalike audience will help you to find similar audiences whose behaviors and choices are similar which will help you grow your business.

• Custom Audience - This custom audience will give you this facility even if you want to show your ads to your existing clients using any database. Learn more about custom audiences.

Funnel Marketing

Facebook allows a full marketing channel that turns your user from a cold customer to a hot customer. Every step of this channel is arranged in such a way that it looks like a funnel so it is called funnel marketing.

Pixel Setup + Remarketing

Pixel Code is a tracking code that helps marketers who visit your website or apps. Pixel is very popular for remarketing and helps to reduce the cost.

CRM Integration

With CRM Integration you can create a database, the database will help you find out what kind of user your potential is and follow up and do marketing.

Lead Generation

You can lead generation using CRM and live chat software. In this case, paid ads and website traffic will help you

Catalogue Setup

You can advertise in Dynamic Way by using Catalogue on Facebook and Instagram. You need to add your Facebook shop. Take a look at how to do it from this link

Live Chat Software Integration

Using chatbot you can communicate with your users and generate leads 24 hours a day without any people. 

Message Broadcasting

Message broadcasting is cost-effective remarketing. Message broadcasting helps to increase retention. 

Some popular chatbot for messenger -

• Manychat 
• Mobile Monkey
• Tidio (Both Facebook + Website Live Chat)
• Innue (Both Facebook + Website AI Live Chat)

Shopping Cart Integration

If you want, you can use some open-source platform to integrate with your Facebook page which can be added directly from Facebook Shop to Website Shopping Cart.

Few Free open-source platforms -

• WooCommerce
• Open-cart
• Magento

Restaurant Management Software 

Use the Online Ordering System

Nowadays, technology updates every day, and your business is also online-based, so that the online ordering system will be the best friend of your business. It will automate your whole restaurant business workflow and increase the efficiency of a restaurant business process. Also, people are comfortable using online ordering software rather than a Manual process, and you can complete more tasks in less time. I will recommend you use Bhojon all in one Restaurant Management System with Online Ordering System.

You can use ready-made software for your restaurant business if you want. We are recommending software that is a complete Restaurant POS system.

Bhojon - Restaurant Management Software

Bhojon is a popular software for restaurant management and billing system. It is available at a one-time price and the price is affordable. There are almost all the features to run a restaurant or cafe or bar.

Addon & Android App Integration

If you need an Android app or more features then you can integrate the Bhojon restaurant management system app. You can buy new or advanced features so that you do not need to change your website or software.

Final Thought

Here I tried to show you, beginner, to advanced level Facebook marketing for restaurants. These are the proven top Facebook marketing strategies for restaurants and still have been working. You can use these Facebook marketing strategies not only for the restaurant business but also for all other businesses as well.

Would you like to read? 7 Unique Ideas to Create a Restaurant Marketing Plan That Maximize ROI