Have you tried Facebook ads? For a lot of restaurants, it’s tough to see any results with Facebook ads. It’s kind of like going to the gym. it’s easy to get discouraged after trying to just a few times and seeing no results.
1 – Setting Goals & Being Consistent
Luckily, just like with the gym, if you have a proven plan and keep things consistent, you will succeed in your goals using Facebook ads. Restaurants are missing this point and it’s costing them money. A mixture of consistency and frequency will get you much further Facebook Ads!
2 – You’re Not Collecting Customer Information/Building Your Database
The main reason is businesses fail to collect their potential customers’ information when running advertising. When you, as a restaurant owner, run advertising it causes you to miss out on the opportunity of reaching those people again without paying for another advertisement. When you do have their information, you will be able to reach out to them and other methods to keep them up-to-date on your business and work to drive them back into your restaurant. So next time you run an advertisement, think about ways you could collect their information and reach back out to them in the future without having to pay for another ad.
3 – There is Too Much Text in Your Ad Images
Unless you’re a Facebook Marketing Specialist, you might not know this secret. Facebook will penalize your ads if you have too much text overlayed on the image. They recommend having no more than 20% of the image covered. If you do, they’ll make it so your ads don’t reach as many people and may not get approved at all. But they’ll still gladly take your money, so be careful with this. A safe bet is to leave text off your images altogether unless you understand graphic design and the Facebook Ads platform very well. We recommend sticking to beautiful high-resolution photos of your food.
4 – You Don’t Have a Proven Plan
You need a plan when advertising on Facebook. You’ll never know if your post worked if you don’t have clear metrics on how to gauge that it worked. Sporadic posts and ads are the Devil in Facebook Advertising 101. It’s important to know where you are, where you want to be, and make predictions on what your efforts will get you. You also need to think about what will happen after the campaign. All of this matters because it will save you money!
5 – Your Targeting is Off
Are you targeting customers around your business? If so, you’ve got most of it right! But if you’re narrowing your audience with interests, your audience may be too small to get good results. We recommend going very broad on targeting when it comes to areas that have only a few thousand people in them. One strategy you could try (if you live close to a big city and get traffic from there already) is to run an advertisement towards customers who have a birthday this month. Offer them a free dessert or entree and watch the customers come in. It’s all about matching your ad with who you’re targeting. If you’re targeting people in Charlotte, NC, make sure you let them know you’re talking directly to them, the Charlotteans!
6 – Your Budget is Too Small
If you’re spending only $1 or $2 per day, you’re not spending enough. You should plan to spend $5-20 per day on each campaign you run when running local Facebook ads for your restaurant. This will get you the reach you need and let Facebook know you’re ready to make some moves. They’ll be sure to take your account seriously once you bump up to $10/day or higher.
7 – You’re Not Responding to Comments
Respond to all your comments on your ads to show your future customers that you have a pulse and that you will talk with them. This will make it more likely that new people come to dine with you. They’ll see you care about your customers and will be ready to try your place out with open arms and a smile on their faces. This also helps let Facebook know your page is gaining some popularity. Facebook will show it to more people per dollar spent. This means saving money!
Need more ideas? Check our article Restaurant Marketing Ideas – How to Market Your Restaurant
