Facebook Ads for Restaurants: Everything You Need to Know

Targetable
May 2, 2019 12:53:47 PM
Facebook Ads for Restaurants
Facebook ads can be a great tool for restaurant owners. Read this guide to learn everything you need to know about Facebook ads for restaurants.

Are you looking to promote your restaurant? Perhaps things have been on a downward spiral lately and you have been wondering how to get your customers back. Or, maybe you want to embrace social media to advertise a new special or gain new followers. 

Facebook ads are the perfect solution to this problem. Facebook has billions of users every day and you can take advantage of that reach both locally and internationally. 

Facebook can help you to target people in your area and it can also assist you with pulling in people who are visiting the area.

Are you ready to learn everything you need to know to crush it on Facebook? Read on because you are about to find out how to use Facebook ads for restaurants!

1. Laying the Groundwork

Before you even think about using Facebook ads, the first thing you should be doing is making sure that your profile page is enticing. This means that you should make it a hub of information about your business.

Show pictures of the cuisine that you serve and the scenery in and outside of your restaurant. The point is that your page should look as if it is alive.

Remember once you start advertising people are going to want to check out your page. Give them something worthwhile to look at.

You can also show pictures of your staff and customers enjoying the food. If you have received any awards for your cuisine now is not the time to be shy about it, proudly display this on your page.

If you got a good health inspection score you should also include it here. When people dine out they want to know that they are eating from a clean and sanitary place. You should also ensure that you have filled out all the necessary profile information in as much detail as possible.

Once you have laid the groundwork you are ready to start advertising your restaurant.

2. Get Your Targeting Right

Whether you plan to boost a post or use the ads manager, you need to ensure that you target the right people. Fortunately, Facebook has made it very easy to do this.

While it is easy to simply press the boost post button. It is best to delve into the ads manager so that you can get some detailed suggestions about who you should target. 

Think carefully about who your ideal customer is and write this down, get very detailed about their age, occupation and even their interests.

Once you do this it will be easier to get on Facebook ads manager and find who you are looking for, since Facebook allows you to do detailed targeting.

Remember that your targeting is not set in stone you can change this whenever you want and this is the great thing about Facebook ads. Do not be discouraged if your first targeting doesn't turn out the way you intended. It may be that you need to take a more in-depth look at your customer base to find the right customers.

3. Target Your List

If you have a restaurant, you should be creating an email list. You can easily do this by giving people an instant discount when they come to your restaurant in exchange for them signing a membership card.

Once you have an email list, you can send them an email about offers you may have but it gets even better because Facebook allows you to upload the list for targeting.

Sometimes people don't read their emails. When you target them on Facebook it makes it harder for them to miss your offer.

4. Use Video

There is currently a battle going on between YouTube and Facebook to become the king of internet video. Depending on which statistic you read Facebook is ahead.

This can work for you in a positive way because Facebook wants to win the video wars and this is why more often than not video views are cheap. Many times they are actually cheaper than other types of ads.

When you create your video use captions. This is because most people watch ads on Facebook without sound. Maybe they are at work or they may be around others and do not wish to reveal what they are watching, whatever the case you are likely to keep them engaged if you have captions.

4. Retargeting

Once you have done your first ad you should take a look at the analytics for the ad. The data will help your targeting.

Look at who responded. This is the audience that you want to continue talking to. Even if someone doesn't respond to an offer you made right away, the fact that they interacted with your ad tells you that there is some level of interest.

Retarget your offers to these people in the future since they may take you up on it.

5. Brand Awareness is Important Too

Often when you create an ad on Facebook you do it because you want to see an increase in paying customers. There is nothing wrong with that.

However, this is not the only goal you should set for your campaigns. It is also important that you raise brand awareness. Sometimes your ads should only be done to get more engagement and to make people aware that you exist. 

You can do this by creating videos that showcase customers eating, your staff preparing food and even the type of entertainment that you provide. Create a visual showcase with carousel ads as well.

Once people make an emotional connection with you they are more likely to visit your restaurant and spend their money. Finally, if you need help with Facebook ads don't be afraid to hire a professional who understands how everything works. It will probably save you a lot of frustration in the long run.

Final Thoughts on Facebook Ads for Restaurants

If you are ready to use Facebook ads to kickstart your marketing it is a great choice. However, you must know how to use this powerful medium effectively in order to get the most out of it.

Using Facebook ads for restaurants has brought awareness to many fledgling and seasoned establishments and it can work for you too. However, before you even begin advertising you should at the very least make your page user-friendly. This means you should fill out as much information about your business as possible and start posting interesting things that your potential customers will enjoy seeing.

Once you do that you can choose your target audience and serve ads to them. You can use several types of ads but consider using videos since you are likely to pay less.

Remember to also retarget your ads to those who interact with it. If you would like some help with marketing your business, please contact us

Subscribe to Our Blog