Why People FAN Facebook Pages

40 3 Tips for Small Restaurants

39 Using Facebook
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I had a great response on my article 6 Tips
30 for Busy Small Businesses Using
Facebook and wanted to follow up with
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some suggestions to my fans, friends,
25 followers, and connections for small
restaurants. Out of the 300+ business pages
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 I "LIKE" on Facebook a number of them are
Percentages from ExactTarget Report
restaurants or coffee shops. I looked at most
of their pages recently and realized the majority are using their pages as just another
advertising platform instead of really engaging their fans in a way that actually puts
those Fans at their tables.

A number of restaurants posted their "Lunch Special" and may even be getting some
fans to push the "Like" button. BUT pushing the button Does not put them at the cash
register. In fact I went through and "LIKED" 5 restaurants posts about their lunch
specials while sitting in a conference in Jacksonville yesterday. I may have "liked" your
post but you didn't get my money.

So here are a few ideas for small eateries or coffee shops to incorporate into their
Facebook posts that may get their cash registers ringing. First, remember why fans
said they "Liked" a business page (see chart above from ExactTarget report), 40%
pushed your like button to get discounts & promotions while 25% said they wanted
access to exclusive content. THEY expect some special "LOVE" from you. So give
it to them. Make your posts exclusive to your fans. Here are 3 easy ideas you can
incorporate into your posts that will motivate fans to come to your cash register:

1. Before you post your daily blue plate special menu say: "Mom's Country Kitchen
Fans Only -15% Discount on all lunch specials this week! Just tell your
waitress you are a Facebook Fan!"... Then post your menu special.
2. Or "Facebook Friday at Mom's Country Kitchen....for my fans only....FREE
desert of your choice during lunch on Friday... Just tell your waitress you are
a fan and have a slice of our award winning apple pie just for being a fan" .
3. OR... Give away a free meal for 2 for fans only.... "Each Thursday Mom will draw
a name at random among our Facebook Fans and post it to our Wall. Every week 1
lucky fan and a friend get lunch on Mom! Be sure to come by Mom's Facebook
page before 10 am Friday to see if you won and claim your lunch"
You get the idea...your post didn't just list your same old boring lunch menu, it gave your
fans a REASON to get out from behind their computer, come to Mom's Country
Kitchen and put cash in your register!

Be sure to take pictures of fans who come in to take advantage of the discount or
free piece of pie OR get that free lunch for 2 and post those on your wall! You
may even want to tag them. Why publicize the winners?
• I get something special for being a fan that non-fans don't receive,
• I tell my friends what I won and they are likely to come fan your page as well,
• I like to be recognized so seeing my photo and being tagged makes me feel special
which makes me "like" you even more!'l

Oh and don't forget to brief your waitstaff, hostess and cashiers! You may want to
instruct your waitstaff to put initials FB on the ticket so you can go back at the end of the
week to see how effective your FAN campaign was.

Like these ideas? Share some unique ideas you have to turn Likers into customers. I
would love to hear from you and share them with my readers! After all the reason we
started the Facebook page in the first place was to entice people to come to our
restaurant or coffee shop, so give them what they want AND they will come! Make
your Facebook Page work smarter not harder.