The Facebook Page Dilemma for Restaurants
As a precursor this post is primarily written with multi-unit restaurant concepts in mind. I have been digging through research and best practices to try and find an answer to a restaurant chain’s social media dilemma: Should we have just one corporate Facebook Page or a Geo-Targeted Facebook Page for each of our Locations/DMAs? It is an interesting question and different restaurants have tested different approaches with varying results.
As with all social media- questions need to be asked before just jumping into the social media pool. (And it may vary from types of restaurants, for instance a QSR may have a different approach than a casual dining restaurant.) First, what are our social media objectives? Who will maintain your page and engage with fans? How will we encourage participation on our Facebook page? And, for the purpose of this post, do we want just one Facebook page or a number of geo-targeted Facebook pages?
Let’s run down some advantages of each approach.
A Single Corporate Facebook Page
Example: Chick-Fil-A
- One place for all Fan interaction and engagement
- Better Tracking and Analytics for Business
- Communicate Corporate Promotions using the Wall
- One unified Brand Message/Feel
- High Ranking SEO Benefit
- Easier to Maintain with Fresh Content
- Better Monitoring
Multiple Geo-Targeted Facebook Pages
Example : McAlister’s Deli
- Local Feel/Appeal
- A place for Locals to Engage other Locals about their Restaurant passion
- Local SEO Benefit (if optimized properly)
- Local promotions (especially good for franchise operations)
- Reviews – a chance for Operations to see Local Reviews
The big question if choosing multiple geo-targeted pages would be: Who will update and maintain the page with fresh content? It could be challenging when considering a 200-unit operation.
As you can see both approaches have some advantages and possible disadvantages.
Recommendation: It can be evaluated on a case by case basis. No matter what the choice, keep the content fresh, interact with fans, and be social (give the brand a personality). At a minimum, be there because your competition will be.
Thoughts? Do you favor one approach over another? Are you a fan of a local restaurant fan page or all corporate?