Restaurant Brokers, Robin and Eric Gagnon are joined by a panel of industry experts as they discuss Restaurants and Social Media on Atlanta’s AM Talk 920 and Atlanta's Biz 1190 AM.

The panel of distinguished guests includes Matt White, Founder of MyRestaurantPosts.com, Shon Christy, Founder of Eat Drink Promote and Jim Hamilton, CEO of Intouchdining.com. The panel discusses how restaurants target demographics using social media marketing and how operators can measure their success. The panel also discusses other marketing strategies outside the realm of social media marketing such as email marketing.

Matt White opens up the show and talks about everyone’s favorite demographic, the millennials. Did you know the millennials are they largest group on Facebook? But on the flip side, they are also Facebook’s fastest declining group. One reason that contributes to the millennials fast decline is trends. The millennials are a difficult demographic to track because they are always switching from one social media platform to the next.  In order to keep up with the ever-changing social media, operators must adhere to “social media rules.” Matt White explains how his company abides by the “6,2,2,” rule.

Facebook has been around for almost 10 years. How does this social networking site remain the “king” of social media marketing? Shon Christy explains it is because of the Facebook’s unique permission-based marketing. And if you’re familiar with Facebook, you know you don’t receive any information from companies unless you ask for it. This type of marketing also opens the door for two-way communication which can lead to consumer engagement.

One way to attract and retain a customer is by understanding them making sure they “know like and trust you” said, Shon Christy. Yes, Facebook and other social media platforms can do wonderful things for your company but you must be realistic about your expectations. Just because you build it, does not mean they’ll come.  Is a small independent restaurant going to have as many followers as McDonalds? Probably not. But that same small independent has a greater chance of engaging their audience and providing that one-on-one connection.

Jim Hamilton joins the panel and provides a different perspective on how traditional styles of marketing are being integrated into social media. Nowadays, it seems like everything you do must be tied back to social media. Customers need to be able to like, share and comment on information in order for your establishment to generate some sort of buzz.

However, the days of email marketing are not extinct, just evolving. In some ways, email marketing is slightly more effective than social media marketing because the messages are tailored towards the specific individual. And who doesn’t like to feel like a company is talking directly to you, yes,you reading this.  Operators should keep in mind that “email marketing and social media…"has created a tremendous opportunity for restaurants to capitalize on that customer messaging” said, Jim Hamilton.

In the last segment, “Restaurant Reality”, restaurant brokers, Robin and Eric Gagnon explain why the number one rule of social media is engagement. Robin Gagnon explains why operators are always apart of social media even if the operator doesn’t have an account. For example, if someone is eating at your restaurant and just happens to Tweet about how great the food is, your restaurant is now on social media. So it’s very important for operators to monitor their online presence and see who’s saying what about you. Word of advice, when responding to negative comments, do not get defensive, simply just “listen, be respectful and respond” said, Robin Gagnon.

Guests:

Matt White, Founder of MyRestaurantPosts.com

Matt White is the Founder of MyRestaurantPosts.com Matt loves getting the chance to talk with people about restaurant social media and says it’s his passion.  Matt loves sharing his knowledge of social media and often helps restaurant owners and managers grasp the full potential that social media offers. Matt lives and breathes online marketing and social media for restaurants. His company, MyRestaurantPosts.com provides daily, engaging Facebook posts for restaurants.

Shon Christy, Founder of Eat Drink Promote

Shon Christy has a passion for driving online buzz combined with almost 20 years of marketing experience, Christy Creative, LLC, a full-service social media marketing agency was born. With the success the company was having in the food and beverage industry he made the decision to launch a separate brand EAT DRINK PROMOTE. Since its inception in 2010 hundreds of companies have turned to Shon for his expertise in crafting strategic social media messaging that builds brands and garners results. His work has been featured in Inside Business Magazine; Smart Business Magazine; MAC World Magazine; Computer World Magazine; the Akron Beacon Journal; and the Young Professional Roadmap. Shon has spoken to groups all over the country on the topic of driving revenue with the incredible power of social media including the North American Pizza and Ice Cream show as well as the Florida Restaurant and Lodging show for the past 2 years.

Recently, his companies were bestowed with the Greater Akron Small Business Councils Excellence in Business - Emerging Business award. In 2012, the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network recognized Shon with the prestigious 30 For the Future award for his community service and business leadership.

Jim Hamilton, CEO of Intouchdining.com

Jim is a 35 year veteran in the technology field and developed one of the first Loyalty based initiatives in the country.  Jim operates intouchdining.com and Netmasons which provides services and tools for restaurant marketing including:  full service email marketing; web development, social media consulting and services and has an SEO team to drive traffic to your web initiatives.