In 2010 my family took on a new adventure, we bought the “Alger Bar.” Yes, we all thought my dad went crazy starting into a new industry at the age of 50. However, it has been both a blessing and a curse. Now seven years later we have turning that run down bar into a thriving family friendly restaurant. One of our biggest battles was altering people’s opinion of our establishment. Before we bought and renovated the Grill it was a wild and rowdy bar with drunks, bar fights and greasy food. Social media has been able to help us reach out and get new customers attention but now I want to improve our online social media strategy with these tips to not only benefit our business but also to benefit the customer.

            First, prior to engaging in the social media world one must think about what their business is trying to promote? What are your assets? Finally, who is your target market? In my case, I want to promote a family friendly atmosphere where people can come for any occasion and enjoy consistently great tasting food. Our assets include making everyone feel welcomed, when you’re dining with us you’re not just another customer you’re family. We appreciate and value each customer we take the time to ask how your day was or how your son is doing at college. It’s the little things that show we care the most. Finally our target market is a wide range because everyone needs to eat! Young, or elderly we look to provide you with a quality experience. Once you have answered these questions you are ready for the next step. Sign up for social media. Many sites allow you to create a business page, be sure to use this to its’ full advantage.

            Furthermore, using all the platforms for your business can get a little hectic at times so do yourself a favor and download a social media manager such as, HootSuite. This website allows you to manage all of your accounts from one site. HootSuite will permit one to schedule your post to deploy at a certain time of the day so you don’t have to watch over each account all day. You will save yourself a  lot of time by doing this, and in the business world time is money.

            Moreover, content is the most important part of your social media page before people start following your page you want to have post that make people want to follow or like your page. Many people react more to visuals so post pictures of the business. Make it easily recognizable for the consumer. Show people enjoying their time at your business. We love to post pictures of birthday parties, class reunions, and benefit dinners that we host at the Grill.

            Finally, as a business you want to engage friends and followers. In my business I have found our customers love seeing what we give back to the community. Each year we put on a Veterans Day breakfast at my local high school. Also, I love to get their opinions on what their favorite meal may be to incorporate it into the months’ dinner specials. In my experience people value you more when you value their opinion. Overall, you want to spend time to better your social media platforms. Social media is a huge thing in this day and age, it will allow you to reach more people than one would ever think.