By Daniela McVicker, Contributor
Ever since social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram became multi-billion user content-sharing hubs, restaurants have had a harder time making a name for their brand online. However, with ready-made content from those same users, you can effectively change up your marketing game to reflect current digital trends. Whether you run a small local restaurant or handle a large chain of restaurants with a team at your side, user-generated content (UGC) can transform the way you attract visitors.
According to Medium, 88% of customers believe reviews written by other users of that particular brand, with 84% of millennials stating that UGC has directly impacted their final purchase decisions before. There is a clear advantage in using user-generated content in your restaurant marketing strategy to not only attract guests but also position your brand name on the local and global market.
However, finding the right ways to do so isn’t straightforward and depends on numerous factors in regard to your existing restaurant marketing as well as the culture and values you aim to promote. With that said, let’s take a deeper look at how to make the most out of user-generated content in order to grow your business in popularity and revenue.
What Is User-Generated Content?
Before we dive further into the topic of restaurant marketing, let’s discuss the term “user-generated content” for a moment. As the name suggests, this type of content is generated by the users of your services, not by your marketing department.
In the case of implementing user-generated content into your advertising efforts, you essentially use the testimonials, photographs, reviews, quotes and other materials made by your satisfied guests to attract an even bigger clientele. User-generated content is deemed to be highly effective in the catering industry since it relies on food, beverages ,and other sustenance which should expectedly be of high quality.
According to Social Media Today, 74% of consumers claim that user-generated content makes a brand look more authentic, while 48% of marketers agree that it humanizes a company that might otherwise be just a logo somewhere online. For that reason alone, UGC is worth implementing into your existing restaurant marketing for the betterment of your brand reputation and guest retention going forward.
Why Is User-Generated Content So Important?
Let’s talk about the importance of user-generated content in the aspect of restaurant marketing, online advertisement and industry competition. As it stands, your restaurant is one of many catering companies in the local area, no matter how refined, niche or high quality your offering might be – potential guests don’t know that.
The only tried-and-tested way to attract new guests to eat and drink the products made in your kitchen facilities is to use user-generated content made by previous visitors who might be inclined to help promote your brand. In that aspect, several benefits can be attributed to this type of restaurant marketing, including but not limited to:
Social Proof
Social proof is arguably one of the most essential aspects of marketing in general, not just in the restaurant industry. UGC can provide your marketing team with a plethora of materials that can be retrofitted into your official advertisement content. Communication channels such as social media, Google PPC and offline print can then be used to push user-generated content and attract new followers quickly and easily.
Minimizing Production Time
Creating marketing content takes time, patience, and resources. However, user-generated content can cut your marketing production time in half by simply relying on the creativity, charm, and trust of satisfied guests. Whether its images, quotes, or short reviews from happy guests, you can rest assured that the production time of your restaurant marketing content will be scaled down drastically. As a result, you will be able to push out content more frequently and appear more active to would-be guests online.
Authenticity
As we’ve previously mentioned, the fact that real-life people came to your restaurant and enjoyed your food is one of the best proofs of authenticity you can receive as a restaurant. User-generated content can provide your restaurant with a stamp of approval in terms of authenticity, public approval, and quality in terms of guest satisfaction. No amount of paid advertisement, custom-made graphics, or professional photography will ever replace that, making user-generated content a no-brainer for any restaurant marketing campaign.
Why Should You Use User-Generated Content?
Now that we have a clearer image of how your restaurant can benefit from user-generated content in business terms, let’s talk about web-based advantages. As we all know, search engine optimization (SEO) plays a very important role in whether or not a brand is visible on the web when someone searches for related businesses.
UGC can propel your brand and place it among the top results whenever someone looks for their next culinary adventure. With that in mind, the search ranking advantages user-generated content can bring to your business include the following:
Cyclical Content Production
The best kind of restaurant marketing is the one that is made for guests, not for search algorithms or other marketing experts online. By using user-generated content in your marketing efforts, you will effectively attract a new wave of guests to your business which will help you create even more UGC for future use.
Review platforms and paper writing sites can serve as a tool for you to delegate your content writing if you don’t have the know-how to do it internally. This type of cyclical marketing can streamline your production by a significant margin and practically automate many of your research and content creation activities up to this point.
Online Customer Engagement
One of the better reasons to rely on UGC in your online (and offline) restaurant marketing efforts is the customer interaction that comes with it. Users who left their impressions, quotes, reviews, or photos in your name will gladly follow up on their initial content with even more comments, shares, and word of mouth.
You can interact with these customers online via public social media pages, Google Reviews and other popular communication channels for everyone to see in the future. This will brand your restaurant marketing as a pro-consumer, and create a very positive brand image around your restaurant. Take time and respond to questions, comments, and commendations that pop up on your user-generated content – it will pay off in spades.
How Do You Ask for Permission to Share User-Generated Content?
With the advantages of user-generated content out of the way, let’s dive deeper into how you can get a hold of more UGC for restaurant marketing. It’s inevitable that your guests will take pictures, leave online reviews and talk about your restaurant on the web in some capacity. However, just because they mentioned your brand name in relation to their content doesn’t mean that it automatically belongs to you.
In that regard, it’s always a good idea to reach out to the original creator of any piece of user-generated content and ask for publishing permission. Explain your reasoning, the fact that their content is of high quality and represents your establishment adequately, and that you would be happy to feature them on your restaurant website, social media, and other channels.
In case of a negative response, it’s best to move on to the next best piece of user-generated content and its creator instead of creating an argument. Find the best pieces of content to use in your restaurant marketing and work on their integration into your existing content publishing activities as soon as possible to reap the benefits of user-generated content.
Credit the Creator
No matter how small a quote may be or how insignificant a photograph of your dish may seem at first glance, it’s always a good idea to credit the original author of user-generated content. Thank them in a short-but-sweet message at the end of your restaurant marketing message in addition to their full name and surname.
If the author is a professional photographer, designer, or someone with their blog or website, link it in the description. Be as forthcoming and professional as possible to set a standard for future user-generated content early on.
Watermark the Content
If the user-generated content you want to use relies on multimedia such as photography or video, it’s best to watermark it before publishing. Create your logo and place it somewhere on the surface of the content to make it impossible for other brands to use it or for visitors to mistake your business for another.
The watermark will also defend you in a court of law in terms of copyright protection in case of any infringement or accusations in regard to your user-generated content’s authenticity or ownership. Take every precaution to ensure that the user-generated content you publish under your name is truly “under your name” once the creator has accepted to share their content with you.
Examples of User-Generated Content
Since we have a good idea of how to secure user-generated content which might suit your restaurant marketing activities, let’s take a glance at a few examples of UGC. While these don’t belong to the restaurant industry, the pattern of user-generated content is always the same, since it is “generated by users” of any individual brand.
Brands that rely on animals and provide services such as grooming or medical assistance tend to rely on user-generated content. Such is the case with Pet Smart and their efforts to push for a pro-client, pro-pet brand reputation on social media. All of their content is generated by satisfied clients and their pets, making the marketing efforts quite effortless (pun intended) as a result.
Another great example of user-generated content can be found in Stitch Fix, a stylish apparel company. Their marketing content places satisfied customers front-and-center in their everyday activities. Girls in dresses, men in jeans, and friends in a coffee shop with Stitch Fix’s clothing, tags and logo are representative of their advertisement philosophy. The same principle can be applied to restaurant marketing since the experience of brand interaction typically takes place on your business’ premises.
How to Get More User-Generated Content
The best way to cap off the UGC argument in restaurant marketing is to talk about its continuity. How can you get even more user-generated content on top of the pieces you already have available?
Turn Your Guests into Brand Advocates
Satisfied guests will sometimes be open to working as brand advocates for your restaurant in exchange for certain benefits. Small incentives such as discount coupons, free meals, non-restaurant related items, etc. can work wonders to turn people into brand advocates.
These advocates and social influencers will provide your restaurant with a steady supply of new user-generated content regularly and spread good word about your establishment to their social circles and online followers. If you don’t have a clientele prone to posting social media pictures or leaving reviews online, brand advocates might just be the thing your restaurant marketing could use.
Content-Centric Competitions
Social media competitions, giveaways, and quizzes can generate a lot of user-generated content for your restaurant marketing quickly and efficiently. Competitions held on social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram are perfect for generating more user content in a short span of time.
The terms of social media competitions you set up should revolve around mandatory sharing of your competition post and content submission to your page. This tactic will not only bring you more traffic and online reach but also provide your marketing team with an ample amount of user-generated content to be used for restaurant marketing in the future.
In Conclusion
While it may be a lot to take in at first glance, integrating user-generated content into your restaurant marketing is a no-brainer. As we’ve stated previously, your job is to exceed guests' expectations so that they can spread positive comments about their experience.
User-generated content in the digital advertisement is exactly that, only formulated so that it can appeal to a broader audience on a local and global level. Don’t be afraid to ask for a testimonial or a review from a customer with a satisfying experience to share – the results of doing so can only have a positive outcome for your restaurant marketing.
About the Author
Daniela McVicker is a blogger and a freelance writer who works closely with B2B and B2C businesses providing blog writing, copywriting and ghostwriting services. Also, she is a chief editor at StudyClerk. When Daniela isn’t writing, she loves to travel, read romance and science fiction, and try new wines.
