The internet is a big, big ocean when you’re a small hospitality business. There are so many questions to answer and random advice being thrown your way from all angles. Will you have your own website? Should you be advertising somewhere? How do you get your business in front of online customers? All of these questions make it hard to know where to start when thinking of a social media strategy.
Here, Rosie Akenhead, Manager of Local Business Outreach at Yelp, shows H&C News readers how to do Social and Reviews in just 30, well-structured minutes per week. You may be short of time, but we recommend that you take a few minutes for this valuable guidance…
88% of consumers trust online reviews
However, if you’re thinking that social media and review sites don’t matter, you may need to wake up and smell the internet. BrightLocal found that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This percentage has continued to increase over the last three years. There are now multiple channels that consumers can use to talk about hospitality and catering businesses. It’s vital that you keep an eye on these channels so that you can clearly see what your customers like and dislike about your business, and offer a timely reaction to both scenarios.
Where are you listed, where are people talking about you?
Before you start out with your weekly programme (see below), you’ll need to take some time to find out where you’re listed, and where people are talking about you. The first step is to search for your business on the major search engines. Google and Bing are a good starting point. Tip: don’t forget to see where you rank on Apple & Google maps too so that you’re capturing those local searches for your business also.
Search your business name, but also try more general search terms related to your business e.g. mexican and margaritas in Manchester. Go through some of those prominent sites showing on the first few pages of search results, see what it says about your business and, where possible, claim your business page. Note: some sites (Yelp included) offer free tools for business owners, so it shouldn’t have to cost you anything to get started!
Don’t just take my word for it, top Yelper Mellissa Morgan, founder and namesake of London’s top-rated vegan bakery, Ms. Cupcake is here to give you some of her tips.
After that initial sign up, it’s essential to maintain your profiles and keep your brand top of mind. So here’s how to do that in just 30 quick minutes each week:
Minutes 0 to 15: Review Websites
5 mins: Update information
Your number one priority for online review sites should be that the information listed is correct, up to date and relevant. Consumers are often found searching for reviews, opening times, telephone numbers and pictures so they can get a sense of what a business is like. All of these things help them choose which business to go to. Check your information, and feel free to upload new pictures to keep people interested. For example, you could photograph your new breakfast offerings or a picture of your storefront. We found that customers stay up to 2.5 times longer on profiles with photos, so upload away!
Ms. Cupcake says: ‘It’s crazy how much of a difference having accurate information can have on your business. When Ms. Cupcake had a stall at Greenwich Market, we used social media as a way of sharing when we were around and the latest flavours available. Before too long we were selling out before lunch!’
5 mins: Interaction
Respond to reviews. This might take a small amount of time or a little longer depending on the frequency of reviews that you’re receiving. You want to make sure to say thank you to those who have written positive reviews about you. Since 78% of reviews on Yelp are positive, you’re actually much more likely to be receiving good comments. It’s a nice touch to thank them and show your appreciation.
Negative reviews can be frustrating to read but remember that it’s useful feedback, plus it’s impossible to please everybody 100% of the time. Take a breath before responding, be polite and get an extra pair of eyes on your response before clicking send.
Ms. Cupcake says: “It’s always heartbreaking when you do get a negative review. Try not to focus on them too much, but remember they can be a good chance to better your business and yourself. If you see one negative review in amongst a slew of positive ones – it’s really no big deal.”
5 mins: Round-Up
Print off any relevant reviews and stats for your staff meetings. Any negative comments can be addressed, but even better, positive comments about customer service are a great team morale boost. Don’t forget to single out staff who have gone the extra mile, and keep your staff in the loop if you’re offering special check-in offers or deals.
Ms. Cupcake says: “I’m lucky enough to get to spend lots of time with my amazing team. They’re the ones on the frontlines every day and our staff love it when they get a personal mention in a review for being super-friendly or helpful. It’s like getting a virtual pat on the back!”
Minutes 15 to 30 : Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Other Social Sites
5 mins: Observation
Once you’ve chosen which social sites work best for you, stop and evaluate what’s going on. What’s trending? What’s everyone talking about? What’s been in the news this week that might be affecting your customers? What have your favourite brands or celebrities been saying? It’s a good idea to make a calendar style document with some seasonal references to help you plan out content. Is it National Sandwich day? Things like this can make for great posts. This website has a handy list of most national days (from the serious to the silly!)
Ms. Cupcake says: “I’m a big user of social media and it’s easy to see which sites have the most effect for you. Social media should never read like a sales pitch, have fun with your audience – enjoy the conversation!”
5 mins: Declaration
What are you going to post this week? Decide on a couple of announcements you want to make or topical comments and write them out ready to hit ‘post’ when the time comes. Make sure that you’re being innovative and not repeating yourself. Use pictures and videos where you can to be extra interactive and a little more fun!
As a guide, less than 25% of your posts should be sales or discount related. It’s fine to post a discount or an offer, but remember, your customers are human too, and they’ll want to see a variety of different content.
Tip! On many sites (Facebook is especially good for this) you can schedule posts to go out for the entire week or month, which is a huge time saver.
Ms. Cupcake says: “I often find myself having some baking inspiration in the early hours of the morning, but no one is around to look then. I’ll take some pictures and post them in the light of day so that they have the most impact.”
5 mins: Communication
If people are writing back or tweeting you or commenting, make sure to respond to them. ‘Share’ or ‘favourite’ ones you like as well as thanking them. Never give a generic response – keep it lighthearted and focus on something they’ve mentioned in their message.
Ms Cupcake says: “Your followers will love to see that there is a real human being behind the screen. Having that personal touch really helps to build your brand. I still man a lot of the social media myself as it really gives that personal touch.”
Social media and reviews in 30 minutes each week!
And there you have it, simple social media and reviews in 30 minutes each week! Overall, the most important thing is that consumers always have access to accurate information about your business wherever they are looking, especially your address and telephone number.
Remember: online reviews and social media don’t need to take hours or days out of your working week. Plan carefully and set aside time each week to review it, and you should be in good stead.
Rosie Akenhead is the Manager of Local Business Outreach at Yelp, one of the world’s largest consumer review sites. In this role she works directly with European businesses to identify best practice strategies for online reviewing, social media and reputation management.
Previous to this role, she spent 4 years at the heart of the travel industry as Director of Events & Industry Analysis at EyeforTravel, where she headed up large-scale industry events, plus related reports and whitepapers. Her expertise covers social media, mobile and communications, and she can be found on twitter @rosieakenhead
Mellissa Morgan is the owner of the fabulous Ms. Cupcake vegan Bakery in Brixton. Follow her @MsCupcakeUK