Facebook’s most recent design changes have made them a mecca for the restaurant industry. Their business pages have become another way for restauranteurs to connect with new customers while helping their old clients feel needed.

The engineers have made it easy to use their platform to build your business, whether it’s a food truck or a national chain. Let’s look at some of the ways Facebook can help you win over new clients and connect with the world.

Starting with a business page, your restaurant can have a presence with Facebook in a matter of minutes. The home page gives you plenty of room for a picture of your storefront, or your signature dish at the top.

About Feature

Along the left-hand side, the template has room for pertinent information. Under the “About” heading, customers can find out what hours you are open, the type of food served, the price range and a short description of the atmosphere. There is space to add your web address, allowing postential patrons to look at a digital menu. The section also includes the phone number, address, and a small map. This is especially important for potential diners who are looking for a place to eat on their phone. The map feature links directly with the phone’s navigation feature, seamlessly directing the diner to your restaurant.

The final portion of the “About” section helps you gauge how you engage with your customers. It lists how long the page has been active, how many people have “liked” the page, and how many people have checked in while eating there. This can be an important part of showing how many people who are active on Facebook have visited your establishment. It shows that you are active in the community, and that you post regular content to keep clients coming back to both the page, and the restaurant.

Posts

Facebook is social media. So, it’s all about what you post and when. What you post should be simple: post the best moments of your business. On a day when the weatherman predicts sun and heat, you might point out that there are cool, fruity drinks just waiting for your favorite customers. You might even make it worth their while by adding a discount to anyone that shares the deal or shows the post when ordering. Little enticements such as this will grow your engagement while keeping your regulars happy with perceived status.

Choosing the right time to post can be tricky. You can post first thing in the morning, but, if you do mainly dinner business, your viewers might forget about you before they eat. According to Facebook’s own data, many people don’t choose a place to eat until about an hour before they order. So, try posting in morning for lunch diners or the late afternoon for a dinner crowd. Don’t have time? No problem. You can write all the posts at one time and schedule them to appear on your page at specified time. There are several add-ons such as Hootsuite that will schedule your posts for you.

Pictures

Pictures are often what makes or breaks a restaurant’s page. While it’s tempting to take pictures with your phone and post them quickly, don’t rely on that strategy. Instead, hire a professional. You can prepare a wide range of food and drinks and hire a professional photographer to take pictures at a variety of tables and light settings when the restaurant is closed. In a couple of hours, most photographers can take hundreds of pictures from a variety of angles that you can pop into your posts for months, or even years to come.

But you also want to show people in your posts. This is where it can get sticky. It’s tempting to ask patrons if they would be willing to have their picture taken while enjoying a meal. If they’re happy, a lot of people are willing to be involved. But, what about the people in the background? It’s great that you have a picture of a happy family celebrating Grandma’s birthday. But that guy behind them who’s out to lunch with his secretary isn’t going to be too happy to have his face spread all over the internet. If you take the picture, you can be liable for the outcome.

Instead, watch for families that are taking pictures. Ask them to tag your Facebook page when they post them. You are free to repost anything they make public, but you are not liable for the original picture. It might even be worth offering such patrons a small discount or a treat.

Video

Facebook not only allows, but encourages live video to share those times when your place is buzzing with business. But be careful. Live video posts, are just that, LIVE. You could be showcasing your star bartender making the most beautiful boutique cocktails in town, but if a couple gets into a screaming match at the bar, or a child throws a temper tantrum at table three, that goes out too. While you can delete the video, that doesn’t mean it will stay gone. Video archives exist. There are people that search through deleted videos for the most embarrassing moments for their own webpages.

Instead, try filming videos when there are few or no people around. Not only does this give you more control of the environment, but you can also post them before you expect to have diners.

Help

Facebook has also created a group of Restaurant Entrepreneurs to help you get your Facebook page up, running, and profitable. Facebook for Restaurants offers a wide range of instructional articles, videos and slide shows to help you get the most out of your Facebook page. There you will also find out how to use your page for advertising, take out strategies, and how to use Facebook advertising.

But you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a lot out of Facebook. You can use their free services to help build your business and make it more accessible to your target consumer.