I’m so glad I don’t have to write another column about why everyone should be active on social media. You already know how vital it is to your pizzeria’s marketing plan and posting had become a part of your routine. Now that you’re a social media expert with thousands of likes, friends and followers, I feel it necessary to point out some ways you’re abusing the system.
The most common mistake I’ve noticed is one of pace. A burst of posts is a dead giveaway that you suddenly remembered you have social media accounts to populate. Not only is it annoying for users to see their feeds flooded by a single pizzeria, it’s also a waste of impression time. If you post five photos on Instagram within one minute, I’m going to read it as a single point of contact. By spreading those photos over three hours (pre-lunch through post-lunch) you’ll create five distinct points of contact. I know it’s a pain to remember to post when you’re in the middle of a busy service, but there are tons of third-party apps that will let you schedule updates in advance. You’ll be able to load up all your content and schedule distribution in one shot!
Once you have content, it’s easy to link all your accounts and blast a single message across all platforms with the push of a button. The only problem is that a photo on Instagram doesn’t necessarily read well on Twitter and a post on Twitter is often inappropriate for Facebook. Every social media platform has a unique language, so be sure you understand the messaging capabilities of each before you cross-populate all your profiles with the same post. Tailoring your messaging to each platform also gives your followers variation so they don’t get bored from redundant information. If you’re posting the same thing on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram there is no reason for me to follow you on all three. Give me a reason!
Now that you’re crafting an effective social media plan, be sure your content is relevant to your brand. That’s my nice way of begging you to maintain separation between business and personal! I absolutely support your right to blab about your political views but please keep them off your company accounts unless they directly relate to your business and accurately reflect your entire organization’s opinion. The same goes for vacation photos, birthday parties, graduations and the like. If it reinforces your brand, go for it! Otherwise, leave it on your personal page.
When I follow a restaurant on social media, I expect content about their food. So why on Earth would you post stock photos instead of your own dishes? I know this sounds crazy, but I recently had to point it out to a pizzeria on Instagram because they posted an image of pizza that looked nothing like their own –– it looked much worse!
You’re proud of your food and social media is the easiest way to remind your customers you exist with fun and informative updates. Just remember that delivering an appropriate message will lead directly to you delivering more pizzas.
Scott Wiener owns and operates Scott’s Pizza Tours in New York City.
At Pizza Expo each year for some time now there has been a hugely popular workshop called “The Million Dollar Pizzeria.” You see, even despite inflation (a million bucks in 2022 isn’t what it was in 2000, 2010 or 2015, obviously) that million-d
Rise and Brine Pickles have been around my restaurant a long time. In my pizzeria, the staff frequently requests that we revive some sort of pickle recipe. Therefore, three months ago, Reuben, my operations manager, introduced our “Death Pickle for
Inflation is wreaking havoc, and a recession is knocking on the doorstep. To survive, we all need to double down on the connection with the customer. In 2009, Tony opened in the heart of San Francisco with many people saying “Little Italy in SF is
Famed pizzeria surpasses $1 million a month in sales Approaching 1570 Stockton Street in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco at lunchtime, a line of eager diners stretches for a half block. At the corner resides a thriving legend in pizza
A Look at Pizzeria Across America Talula’s | Asbury Park, New Jersey Talula has garnered a reputation for the care and love they put into every aspect of the business. “We source the best possible ingredients and make as much in house
Power to the People Most pizzeria ownership reflects three standard models: a single proprietor with one or more shops; a corporate chain; or a franchise. However, there’s another model that’s gaining traction around the U.S.: employee ownership.
Fall Guy Fall is by far my favorite season. As the weather cools and thoughts turn to football, Halloween and, of course, National Pizza Month, I always get a little bit of nostalgia. I think of trick-or-treating as a kid, pumpkin pies, going to foot
Rascal House Cleveland, Ohio Concept: Rascal House is an elevated quick service restaurant featuring all of America’s favorite foods. At Rascal House you can get pizzas featuring pizza by the slice, a burger, chicken sandwich, wings, fries a
Forgetting Full Service For some pizzerias, the front of the house looks and functions a bit differently these days. Pushed by the pandemic and labor market forces, operators across the U.S. have reevaluated their in-store service models. For many,