Article

3 tips for restaurant owners to master user-generated content

We live in a social media world and nowhere is that more clear than in the restaurant industry. Pictures of food are ubiquitous, dominating photo-driven networks like Instagram and Pinterest and prominent across mainstays Facebook and Twitter.

April 20, 2016

By Jeff Ernst, CEO and co-founder, Smync

We live in a social media world and nowhere is that more clear than in the restaurant industry. Pictures of food are ubiquitous, dominating photo-driven networks like Instagram and Pinterest and prominent across mainstays Facebook and Twitter.

Can these trends affect your restaurant? The answer is, yes. It's more important than ever for restaurant owners — no matter the size of your business — to take advantage of social media. Specifically, the content generated by people your consumers otherwise known as user-generated content (UGC).

A key factor in marketing to anybody under age 35 — Millennials — is recognizing that three out of four feel of them feel it's their duty to help others make purchasing decisions, and only 1 percent of them have their trust in a brand  — including yours — swayed by an ad. If they don't trust that they'll get great food or a great experience, somebody has to provide that trust for them to decide to visit your location.

A valuable benefit of building social word-of-mouth and a brand-advocate community is gaining people's trust in your brand. One way this happens is from UGC. In the era where the marketing message is greatly distrusted, the sheer volume of content is unmanageable, and what people say about your brand is more important than ever, UGC can provide a huge difference in your marketing results.

There are right and wrong ways to get UGC. For brands to successfully obtain UGC, they need to always inform consumers what their provided content may be used for and what they may or may not be entitled to, if their material is used. The benefits from a marketing perspective are straightforward.

Here are three tips for restaurant owners to master the art of UGC.

Let your audience share their story

Consumers value seeing how your brand fits into other people's lives — what the food looked like or if they enjoyed eating there with their family. As marketers, we've always known the value of testimonials — one of the original UGC tactics, but if we can see the story that goes with it (images, video, words) — as consumers we put that message in a different voice. It's no longer Ving Rhames commanding us to believe what the brand says; it's somebody with whom you can associate, who you trust that is sharing a story.

Build a relationship with your audience

We, as humans, seek relationships and many of us humanize a brand and what it stands for. If we have the opportunity to engage and tell others how much we liked an experience or a meal, it makes us feel special.

Think of your favorite brand and imagine if they asked to hear your story. Who would you tell? How much more connected would you feel? Would you become an even better customer? Chances are you would tell as many people who would listen, share the brand's story during any occasion possible and buy more. It explains why UGC and brand advocacy go hand-in-hand.

Create an emotional connection

While Ving Rhamestalking about how Arby's makes its meats is great, show me somebody who looks like me and had a great meal with people they're connected with and I want to do the same. As consumers, we connect with that. We can see ourselves eating there and having the same experience.

In today's social media environment where both reach and trust in marketers is down, finding a way to connect people to the story becomes more important and why UGC needs to be a part of your marketing strategy and a key component to your social-brand advocacy.