Social Media Strategies

Social media, meaning Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so many more web sites, blogs, gathering spaces and tools, are what many marketers believe is driving the engine of commerce today. For most people, however, who are running businesses, living lives and generally trying just to keep up, the task of understanding social media feels beyond our capabilities. That's why, as a restaurant PR and marketing expert, I took the time to select the top social media sites and tools, and set down explanations of what they are and how to use them in Restaurant PR's brand new book entitled, Restaurant PR's Guide to Social Media, or What we do online.

The social media strategies contained within the Guide to Social Media cover all of the essential elements of understand and using social media to meet your business goals, for one low price of $49.95. Whether you want to build traffic to your web site, engage your customers in online campaigns or get more bodies into your establishment, restaurant and food service operators may purchase the Start-Up PR Package for restaurant marketing strategies here or call (888) 888-9609 to order the Guide to Social Media from Restaurant PR's toll free number. The Guide to Social Media is available electronically as a PDF file, and can be instantly emailed to you after purchase.

The Guide to Social Media is specifically designed to meet the social media understanding and needs of anyone operating in the food and restaurant industry by providing simple, clear information and guidance on the main tools and sites in Social Media today. This population is clearly an under-served segment of the market as evidenced by the flood of requests for help in understand social media to Restaurant PR, Inc., President, Stephanie Faison. The Guide to Social Media provides an overview of the sector, and explanation of the key tools, sites and elements, with helpful suggestions for usage along the way. There is even a Twitter Glossary, borrowed from Twitter itself, to put all the information you need in one place. The Restaurant PR Guide to Social Media was created and designed especially for food business and restaurant operators.

After speaking about Social Media Strategies at the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York (November 2010), Stephanie Faison was quoted as saying (in part):

In the session, entitled, "So Everybody's On Facebook & Linked In - Now What?", Stephanie Faison, president of New Jersey-based Restaurant PR, warned restaurateurs not to use twitter for self-aggrandizement. "It's not all about you," said Faison. "Talk to your audience. Give them something of value and interest. Social media is a tool for engagement."

What else was said at the discussion:

• Said Brian Simpson, director of digital media for Vikram Chatwal Hotels, in the panel discussion, "From Clicks to Checked Bags", says don't shy away from negative comments. "Negative stuff happens," said Simpson, "but it's the indifference to it on social media that damages companies."
• Don't miss an opportunity to learn about competitors through tracking what guests say about them on social media sites.
• Don't syndicate content across all social media channels. Your facebook and twitter audiences use these sites differently, so engage them in different ways.
• Measure performance. "Everyone should be watching and tracking analytics," said Krista Parry, director of marketing and communications for Park City Mountain Resort and a panelist on "From Clicks to Packed Bags" panel. You need to know what's working and what's not.
• It was standing room only at the afternoon session "What the Hotel Industry Needs to Know About Bedbugs." The heavy traffic in evidence at exhibitor booths that focused on solutions to this issue also indicated a healthy concern among industry operators.
• Outbound travel from China grew five-fold over the past 10 years, said Kevin Murphy, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association's Hospitality Committee during his presentation "China Travelers: Are You Ready?" China generated 47.5 million outbound travelers in 2009; 525,000 of them traveled to the U.S., which is number 8 on the list of top 10 destinations for Chinese travelers.
• Gastropubs may be the F&B solution for many mid-sized hotels, said Ned Barker, president of Grill Ventures Consulting, and a panelist on "F&B Reinvented." For one, it meets the needs of today's traveler for bar-centric, beer-centric, casual options with upmarket, eclectic food choices. For another, it can be a cost-effective way to use the lounge/bar space in many properties.
• Hotel F&B Magazine's top trends for 2011, presented during the "F&B Reinvented" panel include: Offering clients enhanced value in banquets and catering; local libations and regional beverage programs; profitable concepts generated through customer feedback; the "greening of F&B"; and driving sales through lobby F&B.

For additional information about the new Guide to Social Media, or anything related to doing your own PR, contact Stephanie Faison directly at (908) 626-0111.