Review Site Marketing for Restaurants
Review Sites
World of mouth is nothing new. You provide customers with an experience, they talk to their friends about that experience, then those people either choose to visit your restaurant or stay away. Restaurant review sites are just like world of mouth through a big megaphone. Most restaurant-goers regularly look at online reviews to help them make decisions about where to eat. 68% of people said they tried a new restaurant based on positive online reviews. 45% off people check online reviews before deciding on a new restaurant. 67% of millennial restaurant-goers look at reviews before deciding on a new restaurant.
The reasons to claim your business on review sites include:
be found
boost search rankings
build relationships with customers
improve your business
There are various review sites, including:
Zagat
Trip Advisor
Google
Yelp
Facebook
Zomato
Foursquare
Open Table
Here are the best practices when it comes to responding to reviews.
When responding to positive reviews, don’t get overly confident. Rather than basking in the glory of a positive feedback, here’s your opportunity to show you’re a humble, hard-working restaurant operator who appreciates customer loyalty. Thank your reviewer for visiting your business and sharing their experience. Invite that person to come back again and encourage them to bring some friends. When responding to Yelp reviews, you want to come off as grateful and genuine. The key is to keep it short, sweet, and simple. By responding to a positive review, you’re thanking your reviewer for taking the time to do something nice of your business. And if other users see that, they may be inclined to do the same. You response might go something like this:
“Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed our pasta special; it’s one of my favourites. We hope to see you again soon.”
A negative review is no reason to panic. When you get a negative review, your first move should always be to respond to your reviewer privately, as opposed to publicly. If you want to turn that negative review into a more positive tone, bite your tongue and take your response offline. Before you craft your response, do your research. Read the review carefully and investigate the incident the reviewer alludes to. The last thing you want to do is make excuses or get defensive. Rather your goals should be to: apologise for the customer’s negative experience, and ask the customer for a chance to make things right. Don’t explain lengthy personal details to do with your chef or staff. None of that matters. You need to make it clear that what your viewer experienced was an unfortunate exception, not the rule, and that you’re confident you can do better. If a private response doesn’t yield any results (meaning your reviewer ignores you, responds rudely, or leaves his review unchanged), then consider responding publicly. Here you want to be polite and to the point. The more level headed and respectful you come off, the ore users might start to question the reviewer, as opposed to your restaurant. Your response to a negative review might go something like:
“I’m sorry you felt your steak was overcooked and under-seasoned. Usually our customers rave about that particular dish, so I apologise if our kitchen had an off night. We’d love for you to come back and try some of our other mains.”
Yelp
Approximately 142 million visitors turn to Yelp each month to read up on local businesses. Yelp is now home to about 100 million reviews. It’s no wonder people people turn to yelp in choosing restaurants.
To create a profile, you need to either claim your business, or create your listing. The basics include:
your business name
address and contact info
your restaurant’s hours
the category (e.g. diner, pizzeria, etc.)
Then, verify your business, and delete duplicates.
To optimise your page, add photos, and detailed business info, including:
have gluten-free menu options
provide wi-fi
accept mobile payments
provide bicycle parking
provide customer parking
Yelp encourages restaurant owners to invest in their advertising program. Users are more likely to convert into customers with a gentle push from targeted ads and an upgraded business profile. You have a choice between:
branded profile - includes photo slideshow, video, and a call to action feature
enhanced profile - includes all the features of a branded profile, including the removal of competitor ads
Trip Advisor
With 4.9 million restaurants and counting, Trip Advisor sees millions of travellers every month research and plan their trip. But did you know that Trip Advisor is used by locals, too? Over 200 million people on average search for restaurants on Trip Advisor each month. And apparently, 86% of users have opted to dine at a restaurant as a result of a Trip Advisor ranking, review, rating or award.
To create a profile, you need to either claim your business, or create your listing.
To optimise your profile, add photos, and detailed business info, including:
contact information
hours
cuisines
meals served
meal price range
amenities
You can further optimise your profile, by:
get your listing not he map
add your menu
integrate reservation links
allow users to order delivery
show your stickers and honours
add a widget to your site
You can pay for advertising with Trip Advisor Premium and Trip Advisor Ads.
You can gain a competitive advantage with Trip Advisor Premium for restaurants. Upgrading to Trip Advisor Premium allows restaurant owners to effectively curate their brand on the platform, so that you can enhance and differentiate your restaurant’s page. Features include:
Storyboard
Top 3 Reasons to Eat Here
Favourite Review
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Digibites is a digital agency for Bars, Cafes, and Restaurants. We specialise in digital marketing and creative solutions that will get new customers to your door and keep customers coming back.
Our services include: consulting, online marketing, website design, branding & graphic design. We also provide an online course.