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For most businesses, their ability to maintain a strong online presence is part and parcel with their success. This is especially true for hospitality businesses. Being found on google can signal to consumers that you actually exist and are open for business! This blog post offers a few tips for helping you to stand out in the quasi-digital world.
Tip 1: Create a Google Business profile
We are all consumers and as a result the odds would say that at some time in your life you will have been to a restaurant, café or bar . In many cases when it’s time to decide where and what to eat… it’s the ‘local’ or time to consult google.
According to a 2013 study by Statista the top 5 factors influencing the US consumer choice of which specific restaurant to eat at where:
Price (Affordability)
Mood (Cravings)
Specific Menu Item I like (Tastes)
Location (Locality)
Variety of Menu Options I like (Selection)
All of these factors require some knowledge of the venues nearby, what they sell, and how much their menu items cost. So, before Google the decision would be fairly limited to what you could uncover from a wander through town, an ad you saw on TV or the suggestion of a friend or family member.
Today is different and as a modern consumer we have access to instant information on almost every topic imaginable – food and beverage included. A quick search in Google for a venue or restaurant food item will produce a concise list of places that ‘most of the time’ match what you were looking for. Furthermore, each of these results includes with it the basic business details and associated Google maps directions – these results are called Google Business Profiles.
There are several benefits to owning a ‘Google Business’ Profile. Firstly, it will display your venue to customers when they are local helping to incentivise them to visit. It also includes other useful information such as ratings, reviews and images. Most importantly, your business becomes an official location on Google Maps allowing people to quickly navigate to you using GPS.
Cost: FREE
Check out: https://www.google.com/business/
Tip 2: Create a Landing Page
A landing page is a place that prospective customers can ‘land’ on when they are searching the web. Landing pages are simple and consist of one or just a few pages. They cover all of the basics: what you offer, the menu, your address and how to contact you. A landing page is relatively straight forward to create and in most cases you don’t need a web developer.
There are a large number of services available that make the creation of a landing page ‘this’ easy. A service like Squarespace or WIX has templates that allow you to get started (even without design skills). You could even get a customized landing page built for you using a job posting site like Fiverr.
Cost: Varies
Tip 3 – Ensure you are SEO optimized
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a method used to increase your chances of being found on the internet. Google has a unique algorithm that ranks any website according to a variety of factors. SEO is about using a basic understanding of these factors to help you rank higher. Services like Wix and Squarespace have free apps that can provide basic advice otherwise seek out an expert.
Cost: Varies
Tip 4 – Invest in your content
You wouldn’t like your venue to appear bland or uninteresting; so, don’t let your online presence be the exception. Hence, it is important to invest in video and imagery that is going to “sell” your venue to consumers.
If you don’t have access to a camera, most newer smartphones can take ‘professional’ quality HD photo and video. Your most popular dish, bar, grill or the interior are aspects of your business that consumers want to see. If you can afford them, it’s best to choose authentic and original photos. However, if you are on a tight budget some stock images can often fill the gap in the meantime.
Cost: Varies
Tip 5: Don’t be afraid to show off your product
Instagram is a fantastic tool that every hospitality business should be using to showcase their food and drink. The commonly quoted phrase ‘you eat with your eyes’ could not be truer. Millennials have become adept at framing, filtering and tagging their food items to share with friends and networks.
Consequently, there has been a boom in popularity for photogenic food items. Foods such as acai bowls, turmeric lattes and blue spirulina smoothies seem to be almost ‘designed’ for image sharing.
Encouraging employees to take photos for you and post them to the business Instagram account is a great starting point. Why not create an environment that helps your customers take great photos and let them sell your product for you? Here are some examples of businesses doing just that? (Check out this article)
Cost: FREE
Conclusion
With a small investment of time and money your business can create a landing page to take your business online. Existing services and tools can then be used to optimize this landing page, create colourful content and stay visible. Doing so will improve your chances of capturing those hungry prospective customers who consult google for advice.
Sources:
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