Engage Tech-Savvy Customers with Top Social Networking Tips

Many will agree that jumping into the world of social media with a new business can be a daunting venture. As more and more customers take to the Internet to interact with others about their experiences in restaurants, operators are often challenged with the task of engaging customers that are already discussing a brand on the Internet, absent of any corporate participation. With stand alone websites quickly becoming a thing of the past, operators will find that there are many free services and applications available to help businesses extend their reach to these tech-savvy customers.

Why engage?
Social networking is gaining more and more popularity by the day and the benefits of utilizing these new social mediums have great potential.

• Attract and retain customers. Demographics of sites like Facebook and MySpace are expanding beyond what initially made them popular. New opportunities to reach all types of clientele are hitting the web daily however the process of attracting, let alone retaining, customers has never been more delicate. Today's online customer expects value and an interactive experience on their own terms. With a plethora of new services and applications available online, everything is optional and most of it is free. Postings with links to coupons may be a simple yet effective gesture on just about any site, while targeted ads in Facebook can be set up to display for a very distinct membership demographic. Meanwhile, sites like Twitter have recently raised the stakes when it comes to mobile text and online messaging. Millions of users are "Micro-Blogging" on every subject imaginable with businesses scrambling to take part in the action.
• Monitor the reputation of the business. Executives need to realize that every business has an online reputation. It can either be ignored or safeguarded by participating in the discussions that occur online. When a business name or brand is Googled, the results will reflect the most popular sites, blogs, and even related content such as pictures and videos. Sites like Yelp.com allow businesses to respond to customer postings and contribute in discussions.
• Influence search engine results. Social media optimization is the method of using social networking and social media sites to influence search engine results. Creating positive link relationships between sites is a powerful way to make an impact while traditional search engine optimization can be timely and often more expensive.

Choosing the right platform
Drawing customers to a restaurant's website should be part of the objective, but the interaction that awaits them could turn away or engage them further. Implementing the right technology is critical. If not done properly, the selection of an outdated platform could waste valuable time and money as well as frustrate customers.

The underlying engine and extendibility of the website is the key to being able to incorporate new apps and functionality. Some companies have developed applications specifically for Facebook that communicate with their own hosted database. Customers can add an app to their Facebook profile and the information is then captured for future use on the restaurant's end.

A Tasti-case
Through its social networking initiative, the 20 year-old NYC-based frozen dessert concept, Tasti D-Lite is just one of many brands that is embracing guests through Web 2.0 practices. Tasti D-Lite partnered with a WSI franchisee using an open source content management system (CMS). Following the launch of a new site in 2007, the content management systems allowed for the rapid development of sites with robust functionality as well as administrative interfaces that don't require developer skills.

Tasti D-Lite, uses a Facebook page that serves as an entry point for users to connect with the brand. This entry point enables "fans" to receive free updates about new products, location openings or features from the Tasti D-Lite website (among other things). Once drawn to the website, customers can sign up for the "Flavor Alerts" application which sends customers text or email messages informing them when their favorite flavors are available for purchase. This is made possible through the integration with a third party SMS engine. With over 100 soft serve treat flavors, an online "Flavor Finder" also allows customers to search for the nearest location serving a specific flavor. Tasti franchisees can also login to an Intranet that allows them to perform a number of actions, giving them the ability to populate a flavor calendar on the location's website, add customer "testimonials" and promotions and other customer and franchisee focused elements.

With half of the customers opting for additional promotional information when subscribing to Tasti Flavor Alerts, the opportunity for more touch points with the customer is remarkable. The potential of similar platforms will enable operators to leverage the power of social networking for the foreseeable future and provide a sense of community and value for customers.

BJ Emerson joined Tasti D-Lite early in 2007. He has overseen the rapid deployment of hosted systems and applications for corporate and franchise networks for almost 10 years. In 2005, BJ led the development and implementation of a $2M Corporate and Franchise Enterprise technology platform which won a Microsoft Pinnacle award for Excellence in 2006.