While most customers nowadays prefer an online restaurant booking system and online reviews, your online presence can greatly influence their decisions about dining in your place.
Online reputation management (ORM) can uplift your restaurant business or break your image. How so? Today’s foodies and netizens turn to websites and social media pages more to find what’s cooking well and where.
Are you eager to know more about ORM in restaurant success? Let’s explore some vital tips and ideas on executing this function to make your business thrive.
A Restaurant’s Online Reputation Management (ORM) in Essence
Essentially, a restaurant’s online reputation management deals with day-to-day online activities and functions. You might serve your customers on the spot (and remotely), but their feedback is mainly found online nowadays.
So, whatever you do, it’s reflected on online platforms, like the restaurant’s website, Facebook or Instagram page, or an e-commerce site. Not only customers but also individual food bloggers, online forums, or popular food review services may leave comments on your restaurant’s services.
Overall, these activities become decisive over time regarding whether your restaurant will succeed or not in the long run. However, you, as an owner, must take these matters seriously.
But why is online reputation management so vital to your restaurant’s success? That brings us to the following topic: four strong reasons.
4 Strong Reasons Why ORM Is Important in Restaurant Success
Learning the reasons for online reputation management can enlighten you of its importance. Below, we’ve shared four strong reasons:
-
It Increases Traffic to Your Website
Traffic becomes a crucial point to consider when relying on a website or multiple social media platforms. You can’t expect more customers to visit your restaurant without an increased and stable traffic rate to your website.
Hence, website optimisation enhances page speed, UX, etc., making your website more customer-friendly. It makes your restaurant business more reliable, functional, and up-to-date from customers’ perspective.
-
It Brings More Customers to Your Business
Increasing traffic results in an additional number of customers. When existing customers find your website and social media pages up-to-date and functional, they recommend your service to their friends and families.
This way, new online visitors check your restaurant, including location, ambience, food quality, prices, online menu, restaurant table booking system, etc., bringing more sales to your business.
-
It Gives Your Restaurant a Competitive Advantage
Today, an online presence can make your restaurant stand apart from the competition. If your service is commendable, online reviews like Yelp, Trip Advisor, etc., can take your business to the next level.
Since most foodies and diners today rely on these online reviews before visiting your restaurant, you must ensure that your reputation isn’t at stake with these review platforms.
-
It Enhances Your Brand Image
Many restaurants and even small cafes have gained massive popularity with the blessing of online reviews, online forums, online customer services, etc. The more reviews and comments on their websites or SM pages, the more familiar they are.
Admit it or not, having a website or a Facebook page has become vital for any culinary business. An online presence like this instantly instils a brand image in customers’ minds, so it’s become a staple for businesses.
5 Effective Tips & Ideas to Manage Online Reputation Management
Since it’s clear why online reputation management is essential for your restaurant’s success, it’s time to grasp five practical tips and ideas to manage this function:
-
Regularly Optimise Your Restaurant’s Online Presence
Be it a website or social media page, you must calculate your budget and long-term outcomes before investing in optimisation.
For your restaurant’s website, target enhancing page loading speed, image quality and size, URL structure, UX (user experience) etc. As for the social media pages, regularly update profiles, images, settings, privacy, etc.
For greater accessibility and customer satisfaction, you may include an online booking system for your restaurant on both the website and SM pages.
-
Monitor and Respond to Online Reviews
Whether it’s a reputed or new online review service, if your restaurant is mentioned, set a time to respond to queries, negative or positive comments, advice, etc. Also, monitor your website’s customer feedback or comments section to make prompt replies.
People mostly comment on social media pages. So, keep the customer review sections active on your SM pages and respond to the comments within a standard time frame.
-
Invest Time on Social Media
Again, social media’s importance is undeniable. Today, it’s become synonymous with any business’s online presence, and restaurant businesses are no exception.
Hence, in addition to a robust online food ordering system, invest in social media pages to promote, establish, and sustain your restaurant’s brand image.
Make sure to prioritise the Gen Zs as their preferences, likes, or dislikes may shift or create trends in food recipes or cuisines.
-
Bring SM Influencers to the Party
Did you know that over 69% of customers believe influencers’ opinions more than brands? Yes, influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere soon.
So, while preparing your social media marketing campaigns, include some selected SM influencers on the list. But don’t fall for their follower count; rather, make sure that their engagement rate is high and that their following matches your target audience.
-
Hold Occasional Events or Competitions
One of the most effective ways to manage your online reputation is to arrange events. These rejuvenate your brand image and keep your customers connected. You may organise both online and offline events for this purpose.
An event can be anything interesting, such as special offers, a cooking competition, or the launch of a new branch. To make it successful, make sure you’ve made enough noise to attract a certain number of online or on-site customers.
Wrap Up
Online reputation management is a challenging job, and you must strive to ace it on every occasion. Most importantly, you must balance your online and offline presence.
Moreover, don’t forget that your service quality matters the most at the end of the day. For instance, cutting-edge restaurant table booking software may have zero value if your customers aren’t satisfied with their dining experience.
