Once upon a time, if you posted to social media, you were pretty much assured that someone would see your post.

Not anymore.

While you can purchase ad time on platforms, there are ways to connect with your customers and potential customers that just require time, not dollars. But, like anything else, you need to be smart and understand who you are reaching out to and why.

Know Your Platforms

Remember back when there was just Facebook and Twitter? Yeah, those were the good ole days. Today you are confronted with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Parler, MeWe, and a host of other, smaller niche platforms.

So how do you choose?

Start with your current customer base. Ask them. Give customers you want to keep a card that asks them to list the social media groups they use, and which ones they use the most. Offer them a free drink or dessert if they fill it out. You will see trends.

Who do you want to attract? For example, let’s say that you’ve noticed that you can turn tables with families in under an hour and they drop at least a hundred bucks every time. But maybe, you’ve seen dating couples that spend hours at a table nursing the same piece of pie. You’ve decided you want more families in your establishment. So where do families go for social media? Is your clientele the young, hip squad? Find out where they check in.

Use the Right Post for the Right Platform

Once you’ve determined the top two or three platforms you want to use, look at them. Each platform has a different format.

Facebook has made it easy for businesses to use their platform. You can create your own page, even your own groups for special clients and customers. Facebook has made it easy to create a landing page that has all the information your customers need from hours of operation, food served, phone numbers and directions to your location. Multiple locations are easy to add making it a great place to start connecting with your audience. They also have the most variety when it comes to types of posts. Your posts can be as long or short as you wish. You can livestream events that remain on the platform even after the event ends.

While many people still use Facebook, it’s quickly falling out of favor. Part of the problem is their latest editorial decisions. But part of the problem is just that there are so many businesses on their platform, it can be hard to get noticed.

Twitter is another popular platform. Like Facebook, however, it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle. Twitter also has limits on their posts and even on their business description.

Instagram is another wildly popular platform. But it is almost exclusively visual. So you will want to ensure that any picture you post will include any information actually added as text to the image.

TikTok offers short videos to their users. So, you want to create posts that are visual and move. That doesn’t mean that you can only have videos. You can create photo montages. Just remember, the more interesting your video is, the more views you will receive.

Parler is a Twitter alternative and one of the highest rated new apps. Unlike Twitter, you don’t have the post limitations, although most uses are drawn to shorter, snappier posts. You can include both video and pictures.

MeWe is the new kid on the block. It is designed to look and act similar to Facebook, however, it doesn’t have the same business attributes that Facebook offers.

Just because you have chosen one of these groups, doesn’t mean that you can’t use others. You can use many of the same images across several different platforms, giving you a wider audience base.

Look for Groups

One of the best reasons to use social media is to narrow down your target audience. For example, If you know you want attract college students, look for groups that are associated with your local college. It doesn’t have to be an official group. In fact, some private groups may not allow you to join unless you have a tie to the organization. But look for ancillary groups. Think about intermural groups, fraternities and sororities, clubs, or even alumni groups. Many of these will be open to the public.

Look for local groups that fit the demographic of your client base. Are you located near a mall? DO you want to attract more business from the larger establishment? Look for mall-walker groups, employee groups or even security companies.

Don’t neglect other local organizations. If you want to attract families, why not join a mother’s group, homeschooling groups, or working with your local schools to find those families you want to draw to your restaurant.

Make it Worth Their While

It’s great to get people to see your posts, but you want to get them into your restaurant. One of the fastest ways to do that is to offer your customers something that they wouldn’t get if they didn’t subscribe to your social media.

For example, you can your post to a coupon or a Q-code that offers your potential clients a discount, free food, or a promotional gift if they show the post to their server. Not only will this encourage potential clients to subscribe to your feed, but it will also give you some indication of your success in real time.

You can encourage your clients to take pictures of their meals and post a favorable review. Ask them to include you and let them know that you will choose a post each week for a free treat. This encourages your clients to be your best advertising.

Are you looking for a level of clientele that isn’t interested in T-shirts and free pie? No problem. Run a contest. There are plenty of free programs that let you set up drawings. Each player can get entries for subscribing to your newsletter, feed and for reposting to each of their social media platforms. You can offer a free meal to a winner.

Social media can make a real difference in how you connect with your customers. Understanding the platforms and using them creatively will help you make the best decisions for your business.