‘KEEP HOSPITALITY ALIVE’!
This is a summary of my email I am sending out weekly, where I aim to round up as much as poss from the plethora of articles & posts out there that you might find useful & give you my thoughts & ideas of what to post on hospitality social media in these tough times, even if you’re closed.
One of the ways I think we can keep hospitality alive is to not go quiet on our social but show followers we are still people behind our businesses. It might be tough to keep upbeat but I honestly think it could make the difference for you in the long run. Remember, ‘People Buy People’ (someone should name a business that!!)
I should also say I’m not here to judge whether at this stage you have chosen to make significant changes, close your business or stay open, but either way there should be something of benefit to you each week.
‘USEFUL ARTICLES’:
Here are some of the bits & pieces I have come across from experts in our field on social, marketing & more that I thought you might find useful or give you food for thought (no pun intended!).
Great article from Mark Mcculloch of Supersonic: 13 Coronavirus / COVID-19 marketing tips for hospitality. My thoughts… lots of ideas for marketing to put into place, plus ways to diversify.
My own article from last week: Coronavirus & social media in the hospitality industry. I will be publishing some more as things change so feel free to follow me on Linkedin
This is a good article with ideas for what you can ask your followers to do for you – 8 things you can do to support your local restaurant during Covid-19
This from Morning Advertiser is a little out of date now but still a few good points to consider: Coronavirus – how to keep your business safe
If you come across any articles around Hospitality you think might benefit others please do let me know so I can include. There’s loads out there & I keep finding them to add, but this email will never go out if I add them all!
‘PBP POST PICKS’
There have been some great posts out there on social media that have come from the heart both when making drastic changes & if taking the tough decision to close.
Consider when you are posting anything at all if it will be in your businesses best interests to put it out. There really are 2 camps out there (much like Brexit!) some that will support you no matter what & others who will have a very strong opinion that you should close. So just think ‘How will this benefit me & the customer?’ by putting this out there on social.
Most of these examples are in & around Yorkshire as that’s where I am based.
For example this post from The Potting Shed in Guiseley, which in essence is a great idea, received mixed reactions:
Personally, I think asking your followers their thoughts, suggestions & opinions is a blinding way forwards. Which is exactly what ‘The Little Teahouse‘ & ‘Rafters Restaurant’ both did. It gains their buy in, & support & gauges what they really want.
To be honest I think Rafters Restaurant have got it spot on with social at the moment, so they are worth a follow for inspiration. They have also introduced take-aways as so many have & have gone about it really well. Sharing their menu’s, asking followers opinions on what to include, creating a sense of urgency & showing Chef making the dishes :
The same at Bistro Saigon who have got the team & people behind the take aways at the forefront:
Don’t just tell people about extra measures you are putting in place, physically show them like Everybodys in Guiseley:
Support your local community & get through the tough times together ‘We are stronger together’. It’s not just a nice thing to do but it will also show your business in a positive light. What can you do? Give free take outs to the elderly? Give away food? Start a food bank drop off? shout outs for other local businesses. Loved this selfless post from Rafters:
Don’t be afraid to have a bit of fun (but jokes about the Coronavirus itself are a no go!) We all need cheering up a bit at the mo! Hessian did this well I thought with their post about plastic food:
If you do have to close don’t be afraid to show your true feelings but be true to your brand still, people buy into the people behind your venue. You can feel the emotions coming off this post from Yard & Coop Leeds.
‘CONTENT IDEAS’
I know things are changing daily with every ‘BoJo’ daily press conference, but I urge you all to pull a plan together for your social that is movable. Remember you can schedule posts directly on Facebook or via a tool like Buffer or Hootsuite & then shift them if necessary. Have a simple content calendar you can complete also. Shout if you’d like me to send you one?
Here are a few other things you could do:
- Show people the extra measures you are taking
- Share take-away menu’s, Chef making the dishes from them, delivery food ready to go out, deliveries actually being completed. A video of your first customer?
- Give people a voucher to spend in the future if they dine with you or order a take out of a certain value or include a random golden ticket with prizes.
- Promote your gift vouchers & consider giving extra i.e. Buy £30 worth & we’ll throw in an extra £10, so you get £40!
- Create some fun posts – things you are doing to cheer yourselves & others up – members of the team singing into a mop, while hoovering, dancing to their favourite tune behind the bar, juggling fruit, telling jokes etc. Try & steer away from sharing funny videos though as they can look a bit tacky, platforms don’t always like them & they might not fit in with your brand! Look up ‘Fun, National days’. Can you do something around these?
- Thank your top fans on Facebook & give them a shout out (see community tab on your page)
- Don’t forget if you are making any changes to your services or hours to amend your about sections, headers, profiles & Bio’s!
- Ask your followers what they think you should do? Ask them for ideas of what you could do to help the local community/charity? Give shout outs & support anything you possibly can within reason.
Above all else be heartfelt & include people in your posts, ‘the people behind the venue’. It’s not just a building these are warm, friendly hospitality people who work their socks off & who’s livelihood is at risk. ‘People Buy People’!!
As I said I could go on all day, but I’ll save some for you for next week
If you want any quick advice over the phone, contact me on 07711 999123
We can do this peeps & come out fighting the other side!
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Take Care
Becky x
