We wanted to make sure everybody was aware of recent updates Facebook has made to its hub for analysis. Page Insights, which helps Facebook users to track information related to domain clicks, apps and referrals, has added several new features.

Mashable published a nice overview of the changes, but the most important new feature is that admins can now access metrics for the algorithms Facebook uses to determine what content gets preferred placement in the News Feed.

Facebook has also added a metric for what stories are being talked about and shared by users, and one that looks at the reach of a certain posts.

(Facebook)

Recently Wal-Mart announced a partnership with Facebook in which it would create individual pages on the social networking site for each of its 3,500+ locations nationwide. The local pages would be connected with the corporate store, but some information – things like specials and in-store events – would be directed through the individual pages.

As a Wal-Mart executive pointed out, retail is “fundamentally local business.”

While we’re aware nobody out there operates a company the size of Wal-Mart (unless Tim Cook is reading the blog), understanding why this move was made is relevant to all businesses owners.  Even if you aren’t a big fan of what Wal-Mart represents, there are nice parallels to be made here for how your bar/restaurant should handle its social media, particularly if you have more than one location.

Whether you know it (or like it), customers aren’t going to wait for you to start a Facebook page. In fact there’s probably a page out there right now devoted to your business.

We’ve worked with several owners who have been stunned to find a Facebook fan page about their establishment already in operation, independently run by customers. That is a big problem.

We talk quite a bit here at Interactive Hospitality about the conversation that is social media. While it’s nice that you have customers who feel strongly enough to organize in connection with your bar, the page is not yours. Social media is a conversation and you aren’t able to moderate the discussion.

Equally as important, you don’t have control over the page. You can’t customize tabs or otherwise make sure the page is an accurate representation of your establishment.  You also aren’t able take advantage of this group of customers by passing along specials, events or other information they’re likely to make use of.

In the case of a business with multiple locations, it simply isn’t good enough to run your social media operations through a central page.

If you have several bars across town, the concerns of patrons at one spot won’t be identical to those at other locations. You need the conversation to be moderated by someone who knows what is happening on the local level. People use Facebook and Twitter as a means of personal dialogue – they aren’t going to respond as well to an impersonal voice that isn’t in-tune with what happened last Saturday night.

Even the mega-corporations are beginning to understand how personal social media has to be in order to succeed. Make sure you follow the lead.

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

With so much going on these days on Facebook (Yes, we know you want Mark Zuckerberg to quit tinkering) it can be difficult to draw the attention of users to your business and its fan page. One way to cut through the noise is with a contest.

Giving potential customers/fans something to talk about, as well as a reason to connect with your page is a vehicle to get them in the door, digitally-speaking. It provides you the opportunity to wow them with the quality of your page’s fan experience.

Here are a few examples of what some companies have done to entice Facebook users. Not all of them are restaurants and bars, but the ideas can certainly be tweeked to fit the hospitality industry.

Toys ‘R’ Us

This first example shows that your prize can be 100 percent free and still be valuable. Toy “R” Us’ Facebook page rotates its profile picture each week among those submitted by fans.

Using a special “Featured Fan” tab, the company solicits pictures and allows fans to vote on the best one. This is savvy as it invites participation and creates a situation where fans will want to return to the page to see how voting is progressing.

Burger King

Back in 2009 the fast food giant came up with one of the more creative campaigns we’ve seen. Burger King employees were lamenting that their personal Facebook friend lists were ballooning and contained numerous superfluous names.

In response they designed a contest where the chain awarded a free sandwich after a Facebook user had “sacrificed” ten of his or her friends. The company used a third-party app that would track the friend activity of participants. Nasty, but certainly attention-getting.

Schmidt’s

Early this year the German restaurant held a contest where the best fan-submitted photo of a cream puff dessert pastry received a gift of 75 free mini-cream puffs.

Fans voted on submissions and the winner ended up being chosen democratically. Obviously larger companies will see huge turnout for contests like this, but Schmidt’s winner received more than 100 votes which is an impressive total given that it is a single location.

Snack & Munch

The smallish (less than 500 Facebook likes) vending machine company proves that you don’t have to be a huge corporate name to offer something appealing.

Washington D.C.-based Snack and Munch offers the chance to win a box with 24 free snacks. Periodically the company picks one of its fans to receive the prize. Once again here is a nice way to offer something appealing to your fans without breaking the bank in terms of cost.

Express

The clothing manufacturer’s contest was pretty straightforward in concept. Fans of the Express’ Facebook had the option to enter a contest to win a trip, a makeover and a $500 gift card.

What is particularly savvy about the Express contest is that it offers incentive to return to their page.  Participants can increase their chances by returning to the page multiple times during the contest. Express also puts their fans to work for them, offering additional entries for those who invite friends to participate.

These are just a few of the many contests you’ll find offered at any given point by businesses on Facebook. They illustrate a cross-section of the kinds of ways you can entice customers to join the conversation you are having on your fan page.

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

1. Your URL is not customized

We know there are those among you who pay little or no attention to that long horizontal box at the top of your web browser. For those people it may seems irrelevant that your bar’s Facebook page has random digits at the end of its address.

But think of it this way: There will be times when you need to share your address without the benefit of an internet Click Here button. In those cases the ability to say ‘Find us at Facebook.com/OurBar’ instead of ‘Find us at Facebook.com/pages/Ourbar/324281874′ could be the difference in making a sale . . .  or 100 sales.

(You’ll also find that customers will have an easier time searching for your business page within Facebook once you’ve customized.)

So once you get your page up to 25 followers (Facebook’s minimum for customizing URLs) make sure to take care of this important piece of book-keeping.

2. Your business has a profile page

This will seem obvious to many of you, but something this important is worth emphasizing. So say it with us: Your bar’s Facebook page must be a fan page and not a profile page.

The reasons are legion, but first and foremost is that creating a profile page for a business violates Facebook’s Terms of Use. Beyond irritating Mark Zuckerberg, there are additional reasons you don’t want a profile page representing your bar.

Profile pages have limited customization options, meaning you won’t be able to add information using third-party apps. It will also hinder your ability to interact with the fans, as the “Like” feature is only present for fan pages.

3. Your landing spot is your wall

You should be thinking about your Facebook fan page as a virtual gathering of people with the common link being your business. Therefore discussion on your page’s wall is naturally going to lean towards inside information.

Having non-fans land on your page’s wall rather than your welcome tab is the equivalent of going to a party and starting the night surrounded by strange faces. You need a host of some kind to greet you at the front door and tell you where to place your coat, get a drink, etc. The welcome tab is that host.

When people click on your FB page they should first be given a sense of what you are all about. Where are you? What kind of food do you have? What does the inside of your bar look like? Don’t forget to be a good social media host.

4. You don’t have contact information in your profile picture

We talked above about the welcome tab of your Facebook page acting as the host to your social media “party.” No having clear and accurate contact details located in your profile picture is like not having a visible address on your home. (Yeah, we know, this metaphor is getting stretched.)

When people jump on your bar’s page they should be able to glance quickly to the left and  find out how to get in touch with you – be it phone number or address.

There are going to be times when fans will want to get your information quickly. Not providing such assistance could be the difference in them deciding to go someplace else.

5. Your page contains bad photos

Unless you’re a boxer brief-clad Congressman, photos are one of the best parts of social media. You should be updating your bar’s photos as often as possible and making certain you capture the look of your establishment and the plentiful fun times had by patrons.

But that only applies to good photos. The most delicious entree can end up looking like prison fare with a shaky hand and bad lighting. If there’s any chance a photo might not accurately represent you, make sure you err on the side of caution. Having no picture at all is better than posting a bad one.

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

About a month ago a regular at the Ugly Tuna Saloona in Columbus, OH, sent a tweet that her phone had been stolen. A few hours later she tweeted she was on her way to the bar, adding that she was having a “(bad) day.” Ugly Tuna’s Twitter response was to tell her to show the bartender their tweet “and your first one is on us.”

With this relatively small gesture Ugly Tuna is effectively demonstrating what every bar and restaurant should do when it comes to social media: Taking advantage of New School technology to assist with Old School customer service.

Do you remember where you were the first time a server called you by name? The first time a bartender gave you a free cocktail because it was clear you were having a “long day”? How about the simple act of a hostess holding the door as you enter?

Through updates on Facebook and Twitter, customers provide you with an unprecedented level of insight into their lives. Since we now know everybody’s name — at least those who chose to connect with our business via social media — there is no reason not to take advantage of that information.

Here are a few examples of businesses that have gone above and beyond for that one customer:

Like many others, we recently highlighted the story of a New Jersey Morton’s steak house in New Jersey that brought dinner to one of the chain’s regulars at the end of a long day.

The man, Peter Shankman, was going to miss dinner and tweeted sarcastically that he wanted Morton’s to meet him at Newark Airport with a Porterhouse.

When he arrived at his car he found a tuxedo-wearing staffer from the Hackensack location holding a bag containing the requested Porterhouse, along with an order of shrimp and several sides.

Shankman was so blown away he wrote a 1,200 word blog post about the experience complete with pictures of the meal. Now when you type “greatest customer service” into Google search Morton’s gesture is the first link.

While waiting for a table at one of Kabuki Japanese’s Arizona locations a woman was told the happy hour specials only included beer and sake. She then lamented on Twitter how she was allergic to yeast and didn’t like sake.

A few moments later one of the managers approached and asked if she was the one who had just sent the note. When she confirmed her identity he apologized for the inconvenience and offered her a free appetizer.

Brendan’s Irish Pub in California recently unveiled a new chicken pot pie. A Facebook fan jokingly asked if the restaurant would delivery one to her home since she’d recently broken her foot. To her surprise the restaurant came through.

The woman was so happy she sent them a picture of her enjoying the treat in front of the television:

Brendan’s posted her thank-you on its Facebook page where it received 13 comments and 55 likes.

Just for comparison, here’s an example of how not to make use of the opportunities provided by social media:

At a bar in Houston a woman referred to the bartender as a “twerp” in one of her Twitter posts. The general manager of the bar in which she was drinking saw the tweet from home called in to work. He asked to speak to the woman, and when she had no kinder words to offer for his employee he instructed a staff member to kick her out.

The result of this were several negative tweets about the establishment from the woman, who is an influential social media voice in that area.

The common theme is that by going the extra mile to take care of a single customer these establishments were able to reach out to hundreds, even thousands, of other current and potential patrons. It would be impossible to pay for the kind of advertising provided by a customer so satisfied he or she wants to tell other people how great you are.

Because of the internet and smart phones, the pool of opportunities to reward customers for their patronage has never been larger. There is simply no reason not to take advantage.

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

There are few things as stressful and time consuming as opening a new restaurant or bar. You are essentially balancing the pressure of moving with what is a major change in your business. Free moments are going to be few and far between.

But don’t use that easy excuse to ignore the opportunity to build the foundation of your social media presence. It may seem to be low on the priority list as you are wrangling vendors and eying budget, but this a critical time for the social media component of your marketing strategy.

Getting your business linked to the major social media platforms – Facebook and Twitter – provides an opportunity for potential customers to feel as if they’re a part of this process. That kind of connection will naturally lead them to become invested in your efforts and you could eventually find them among the first people in the door when you open.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when it comes to hours, menu or even design. The biggest decisions will obviously be decided by your vision and your budget, but giving your potential customers input when it comes to more minor aspects has benefit. At the end of the day these are the people you’ll be expecting to make the purchases; why not ask them what they want?

You may want to put in seven pool tables because you love pool, but a quick poll of your social media followers might let you know that no one has any interest. Perhaps someone might tell you another bar just opened doing exactly the same thing.

Another thing to keep in mind is that social media can have a secondary effect: Free recruitment. Don’t be surprised if your marketing efforts pay dividends when the new GM needs to fill-out the dining room or kitchen staff.

Use the time building up to the launch to share photos of the construction, menu items, new hires, etc. Get your soon-to-be customers bought into your business, not just as customers but as friends and people who are going to make your business great once you open your doors.

Once you have a launch date in mind, start a countdown. 14 days out, share 14 great things about the new business. 13 days out, mention that 13 is unlucky for some, but lucky for you because we open in 13 days etc…..

Above all, use this opportunity the right way to build anticipation and excitement. By the time you open your doors, you’ll have customers lined up outside the door with their friends in tow, already familiar with your business and ready to spend their hard earned cash.

What could be better than that?

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

So you’ve finally become familiar with the world of social media. You’re monitoring Foursquare check-ins, interacting with Facebook fans and cell phone-tweeting with speed and accuracy that would make a high school sophomore envious.

Just as important as your technical savvy is making sure you maintain a tone consistent with that of your business. Social media is a conversation and you need to be sure you’re using the right language.

For starters, make certain to match your overall language and sentence structure to your personality and your audience. This may sound obvious, but there is sometimes a tendency to get overly ‘markety’ when using a keyboard.

If you run a small bar and most of your social media followers know you personally, speak to them online the way you would during happy hour. Use the same nicknames; make the same jokes; keep the same basic sensibility. If you’re the one writing the posts, make sure they know it’s you.

In cases where the social media writing doesn’t come from a single individual you’ll want to keep a close watch on the way your authors write.

A college bar can get away with Twitter posts full of LOLs and IDKs on Twitter, but that won’t fly if your New York strip sells for $50. And even if you do battle for Michelin stars, you should still avoid anything resembling advertising language. You may like the idea of formality with a more upscale clientele, but the result will be sterile and contrary to what social media is all about. Even the upper crust lets its hair down on social media.

Just about everybody uses social media these days, but the way they communicate is still connected to factors like age and economic status. Gauge who your message will be reaching and plan accordingly.

Social media should be thought of as a back-and-forth, not a broadcast. Before you hit “submit” make sure to ask yourself if this is something you’d say to a customer in your bar or restaurant. If the answer is ‘no,’ think about a re-write to something that sounds a little more human.

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

The Big Bar & Grill is located in Columbus on the campus of The Ohio State University. It is a popular watering hole nestled in prime real estate near the university’s athletic facilities, off-campus student communities and surprisingly affordable tattoo parlors.

In the past year we’ve worked with the The Big Bar to make sure its management takes advantage of the fact its primary customer base – the under-30 crowd – lives and breathes smart phones and social media. With that it mind, here are a few of the strategies we’ve helped them undertake:

A SIBLING RIVALRY

To capitalize on this year’s Super Bowl we devised a faux rivalry with The Big Bar’s sister restaurant (same ownership), The Little Bar. The Big Bar supported the Packers, with the The Little Bar taking the Steelers.

The plan was for The Little Bar to take digs at The Big Bar, chiding it for backing the Packers in an area with a healthy population of Steelers fans. Like so:

Along with the obvious opportunity for cross-promotion, this helped facilitate discussion from customers. Facebook fans of both locations who were rooting for and against the teams involved found themselves motivated to put in their two cents.

TICKET GIVEAWAY

We created a custom welcome tab that each month offered a pair of free Cleveland Cavaliers tickets to one of The Big Bar’s Facebook fans. The contest took place over three months early this year:

The bar selected a different winner each month, then made sure to document the ticket presentation and post the picture on its page for the rest of its fans to see. This allowed The Big Bar to engage customers before, during and after the promotion.

VIP PARTY

With college out of session, the summer season is traditionally a slower one for The Big Bar. To generate more business we created a ‘VIP Party’ promotion that took place each week during June and July:

The idea was that fans entered details into a custom Facebook form. Each week a winner was picked and The Big Bar contacted the winner to help them pick a night for the party. The prize was a free tab for them (up to $100) and 50 percent off for their friends.

The goal was to bring large groups in the door on a regular basis. The winners were allowed to include up to 50 friends in their party, meaning the bar was able to attract acquaintances of regulars who in some cases were brand new customers.

The danger with social media is boring your customers to tears by simply telling them your happy hour specials each today. The Big Bar is taking the next step, expanding and customizing in order to provide a more exciting experience. It is the most effective way to leverage social marketing into getting live bodies through the door.

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

We’ve got some bad news. The days of potential customers driving down Main Street and deciding where to grab a sandwich or a beer based on brick-and-mortar appearance are pretty much gone. That sweet awning just ain’t what it used to be.

In most cases the modern storefront is going to be how you look online, particularly to search engines and social media platforms. In the world of social media, Facebook might just present the best opportunity at one site for you to create an accurate and thorough portrait of your business.

On your Facebook page information is king. As mentioned, you should be thinking of the page as your bar’s digital storefront. And that storefront needs to look good. Can the reader get enough from 5 or 10 minutes on your page to decide it’s where they want to spend an evening?

Do you have pictures on your Facebook page? More importantly, are they good pictures? Videos can also be a nice touch, particularly if they show customers enjoying themselves. Give people a good visual sense of what to expect and make sure it doesn’t look like your neighbor’s kids had the camera.

If you are a venue that regularly features live music, you’ll want to make sure to include audio clips of upcoming acts. YouTube link of videos or recent live performances are a nice touch.

Here is an example of an establishment that has a full “tour” tab available on on its Facebook page. Each section in the tab has both pictures and pertinent information.

Does your venue interact with existing fans on the page? Are you or the staff posting regular updates and responding to questions from your customers? There isn’t any point to  promoting social media though your bar if you don’t do enough on the online end.

If your page seems dormant the modern reader will notice. Having a page you don’t seem to care about can be worse than having no page at all.

Do you have a profile picture in keeping with the theme of your bar? A fan should be able to read your Facebook page, go to the bar itself and come away with a strong understanding the two experiences are thematically linked.

You have to adequately sell your bar in a format where you’re only going to get a few minutes of people’s time. But if you’re able to do Facebook right, you will give readers every reason in the world to give you a chance in person.

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.

Weighing the cost of complimentary or discounted items against the value they serve marketing your business is a tricky business. The “2-for-1 Maine Lobster on Days Ending in ‘y’” special isn’t going to help your bottom line, but you won’t get much out of “Free Pint Glass Rental With Every Beer,” either.

In social media the name of the game is making sure the special is appealing enough to drive customers first to your social media platforms, then to your place of business. With sites like Facebook and Foursquare, communicating with customers is the goal. And that obviously can’t happen without anybody to participate.

Buffalo Wild Wings, a client of ours based in the Dayton, Ohio area, offered six free wings for customers after their first Foursquare check-in. For six weeks the response was minimal. Then the restaurant tried giving away 12 wings. The difference was immediate and dramatic. Participation more than doubled and the impact was felt with larger crowds and more customer interaction.

Variety can also be helpful. Uno Chicago Grill offers its 100,000+ Facebook friends a different special each week as part of a month-long promotion. Fans enter their email address to confirm they are a unique user and obtain that week’s offer – $5 off a high-ticket menu item, for example.

Another factor to consider is the directness of your campaign. The web is a fast-moving, quick-clicking place and your customers – particularly web-savvy ones – may not want to follow you over social media if the reward is a drawing.

Schmidt’s Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, offered a free dessert to new followers on Facebook. Filling out a short form resulted in being instantly emailed a coupon for the cream puff. Right away those folks had an offer in their digital possession and could start thinking about when to stop by for a visit. Gaining entry to a raffle that isn’t decided for days or weeks won’t have the same effect.

What you should take from this is that a willingness to commit to the endeavor is what will determine if you are able to maximize social media. Businesses are vying for the same customers and you’ll need a legitimate carrot to be on their radar.

In retail stores we’re occasionally offered discounts for a piece of clothing in exchange for our email address. We then weigh whether 10 percent off that 3-pack of spanx is worth surrendering our personal information.

Remember that people are offered things all the time.  Make sure to give them a reason for liking your page or checking-in when they arrive. Ask yourself: What’s the value to the customer?

Interactive Hospitality accepts 10 new clients each month. Not every business is a fit, but if you’re passionate about your business and your customers, you could join the growing list of customers taking their business to the next level. You can apply for a spot here.