Social media is the best way for a company or brand to truly connect with their customers, and recent data shows that 55 percent of adults use it to find information on restaurants. A Pew Research Center study released last month found that about 55 percent of adults seek out information about restaurants, bars and clubs, and that those adults are more likely to be women, young adults, and technology adopters. Of that number, 51 percent look to the Internet for that information; 38 percent relied on search engines, 17 percent on specialty web sites, and 3 percent on social media sites or Twitter.
Today along with websites, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts, restaurants also utilize other social networks particular to the industry like Yelp and Urban Spoon. Many social media-savvy customers use sites like Foodspotting, Open Table, and Zagat to report dining experiences and favorite foods. Customers are also using location-based social sites like Foursquare to check-in to restaurants which promotes the business to their network of friends.
So the next time you dine out, check out the Internet first, check-in to the place of your choice, and write an online review. Restaurants are looking at this activity and some offer special deals to customers using social media to promote their businesses.
If I missed any other restaurant-related social sites, please feel free to leave a comment below.
(Disclosure: The author of this post/blog is a communication manager for a Latin restaurant in NYC.)
VelezComm 