Social Media Toolkit

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• 3-4: Why Social Media?

• 5-9: How to Post and Examples

• 11-22: Appendix

• 12-14 Social Media Basics

• 15-19 Best Practices

• 20-22 Thought Starters and Photos

Contents

Table of Contents *Pew Research, October 2015.

76% of adults use social media.*

TO STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION,

ENGAGE GUESTS ONLINE.

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Find copy ideas and instructions to promote your seasonal menu items and LTOs on social media.

Social media can help you:• Get guests excited about your seasonal specials. • Stay connected and top of mind with current guests and

engage new customers.• Share photos, promotions and updates.

Purpose of Kit

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How to Post

Pick a platform• Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram?

Click to see how best to use each platform.• Note: Facebook and Twitter may be updated on desktop or mobile.

Instagram posts must be made within the mobile app.

Pick a promotion• Is it a daily special, a seasonal LTO, a happy hour deal or late-night loaded fry

appetizer? Choose one goal for each post.

Pick a message• Choose an image and caption to post. • Double-check for accuracy, spelling and correct links.

– Facebook and Instagram allow you to edit captions. Tweets may be deleted and reposted, or you could post a correction.

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Facebook Sample Posts

 *Images are for reference only—the full-size images for posts are located in the .zip file where you found this guide. Due to copyright, please do not alter these provided images.

See Facebook best practices. 6Table of Contents

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More Facebook Sample Posts

 *Images are for reference only—the full-size images for posts are located in the .zip file where you found this guide. Due to copyright, please do not alter these provided images.

See Facebook best practices. 7Table of Contents

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Twitter Sample Posts

See Twitter best practices.

 *Images are for reference only—the full-size images for posts are located in the .zip file where you found this guide. Due to copyright, please do not alter these provided images.

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Instagram Sample Posts

See Instagram best practices.

 *Images are for reference only—the full-size images for posts are located in the .zip file where you found this guide. Due to copyright, please do not alter these provided images.

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For more information, visit ufs.com/SeasonallySmartTHANKS FOR READING!

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• 12-14:SocialMediaBasics+Tips• 15-19:BestPractices

• 16:Facebook• 17:Twitter• 18:Instagram• 19:Hashtags

• 20-22:ThoughtStartersforSharing• 21:RestaurantPostingIdeas• 22:PostingPhotos

Appendix

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Table of Contents “What Restaurants Need to Know About Social Media”, NRN July 25, 2014

CommunicationThe tone of your posts should reflect the personality of your restaurant. Users look for authenticity!

ConnectionUse social media to listen; don’t just broadcast. It’s a tool for conversation and building relationships with your guests.

CommunityEngage your guests, get their feedback and ask them questions.

Why Use Social Media?

What’s important to remember is the basic purpose of social media:

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Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all have dedicated sites for businesses, which help you get the most out of your social accounts.  

Facebook for Business: https://www.facebook.com/business/

Twitter for Business: https://business.twitter.com/basics

Instagram for Business: https://business.instagram.com/

Business Basics

These guides also help you advertise. Sponsored posts are an effective method of increasing your reach and connecting with your audience.

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Which Sites Are Right for You?

The following four pages outline best practices and tips for each platform.

Because tweets are limited to 140 characters and the feed is constantly updating, Twitter is ideal for sharing real-time content.   Twitter is great for customer service and networking in your community and industry.

Facebook is the world’s largest social network.  If you only use one social media site, Facebook is probably the best use of your time.

Instagram is a platformthat focuses on imagesand short-form videos.   Instagram is most often accessed on mobile, and users can tag photos at specific locations. Loved by foodies.

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Best Practices

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Table of Contents Golin Harris | http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2015/11/08/for-brands-and-pr-when-is-the-best-time-to-post-on-social-media/

Facebook has placed an emphasis on promoted posts and limited the reach of Page content that isn’t sponsored. Paid promoted posts allow you to reach more people and target posts to users based on their geographic location, demographics and interests.

Character Limit: 400400 characters allowed before Facebook cuts off the text and prompts the reader to click “see more” to continue reading.

Users are of all ages, skewing older than other platforms.

16-24: 25% | 25-34: 30% | 35-44: 25%

Facebook Best Practices:• Challenge yourself to tell a story in a simple sentence or two.

You can't do it for every post, but when you can, it will stand out.• Include media when possible; posts with photos perform best.• Recommend posting 3-5 times a week, and no more than

2x a day. • Make sure you have more than one admin on your business page to have

a continuous rotation of updates.

71% of the U.S. population uses Facebook.

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Twitter’s strength is in interacting with guests who @ mention you or reply to your tweets. It’s a direct line to your customers.

Character Limit: 140• You can shorten and track links to help fit within character counts with a

service such as bit.ly

Most are college-educated and under 50 years old.

Twitter Best Practices:• Tweet engagement decreases after posting

more than three times in a day. • You can pin a tweet to the top of your feed to temporarily highlight important

information. (Ongoing promotions or extended hours,for example.)

Golin Harris; 7 Tips for Better Tweets, NRN August 27, 2014

23% of all Internet users use Twitter.

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Character Limit: 2,200• No links are allowed in the captions, but you can link to

your website in your profile.

Instagram Best Practices:• Use emojis sparingly. They are a great way to add personality but should

not be the primary form of content. • Brands that post daily see the highest engagement. Set up an account if

you have new content to share on a regular basis.• Repost content from your customers. Simply ask the guest if you can

reshare by commenting or direct messaging them—they feel special and you get free photography!

55% of adults 18-29 are active on the platform.

28% of adult Internet users use Instagram.

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Table of Contents 6 Tips for Creating a Good Hashtag: https://medium.com/@salesforce/6-tips-for-creating-a-good-hashtag-7d90a3a512df#.gtr79sbjk

#WhatsUpWithHashtagsAnyway

Hashtags are:• A quick way to link to other content about a subject and

engage in larger conversations.

#TIPS

# Keep short, unique and ownable.

# Hashtags aren’t always possible to track on Facebook. Restrict hashtag promotions to Twitter or Instagram.

# If you’re tracking hashtags for a contest, choose unique hashtags. For example, you can’t track both #PromoName and #RestaurantName at the same time, unless you’re using a paid aggregator service like Hootsuite, TweetDeck , SocialBoard or Social Mention

# Use caution when hopping onto other trends that may not match your tone or might communicate an unintentional message.

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Thought StartersFOR SHARING

Regular posts are essential. (Ever visit a page that hasn’t been updated since 2014?)  If you’re worried about the time it takes to manage social media, apps like Buffer and HootSuite allow you to schedule posts in advance so you can stay relevant in followers’ feeds—without spending all day checking your pages.

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Restaurant Posting Ideas

Share restaurant promotions and events• Limited time offers• Weekly specials

Highlight current food trends• Seasonal dishes or ingredients• Find food holidays and celebrations—National Potato Month, anyone?

Tie in to local events and venues• Partner with other businesses for a neighborhood promotion• Highlight community events

Show behind the scenes at your restaurant• Share pictures of your chef experimenting in the kitchen• Introduce servers and staff

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Posting Photos

• Choose simple photos: clear, colorful and appetizing.

• Change up point of view. Try taking beverage photos from the perspective of a diner. Overhead beverage photos are also popular on Instagram.

• Natural light is best—avoid fluorescent lighting when possible.

• Turn on your camera's grid and remember the rule of thirds.

• Don't forget the human element. Have someone grabbing for the garnish or hands holding an appetizer for added authenticity.

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Thank You