Your restaurant’s digital marketing strategy should include comprehensive social media coverage. This means using every major social media platform to your advantage, including the oft-overlooked LinkedIn. It’s true—LinkedIn may not be as personable as Facebook, nor as entertaining as TikTok. But when it comes to professional networking, LinkedIn marketing strategies are essential.
Business owners are increasingly using LinkedIn for restaurants to improve community engagement, gain industry visibility, and foster professional relationships. As a result, this social media platform is helping restaurants improve their marketing strategies, recruitment efforts, and more.
Below, we’ll offer tips for optimizing LinkedIn marketing strategies for your restaurant. But first, let’s take a closer look at LinkedIn and why it’s so valuable for business owners of all kinds.
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a unique social media platform that connects professionals, organizations, and opportunities. With millions of members worldwide, LinkedIn has become an essential tool for companies looking to expand their networks and reach new customers. LinkedIn is at once a valuable platform for job seekers and employers, as well as a forum for networking with other business owners in your community and your industry.
While other social media platforms are focused on personal stories, popular culture and recreational engagement, LinkedIn focuses on building professional relationships and nurturing collaborative business opportunities.
An increasing number of operators and owners are using LinkedIn for restaurants as a way to seize on these opportunities.
10 Ways LinkedIn Marketing Strategies Can Drive Restaurant Business
LinkedIn can serve as a portal for connecting with other professionals in the restaurant industry, building your brand, and attracting new customers. This makes LinkedIn a powerful tool for restaurants who are looking to expand their visibility, strengthen relationships in the industry, and solidify their reputation.
But how can you make LinkedIn marketing strategies work for your restaurant?
1. Create a detailed company page
The first step is to create a detailed LinkedIn company page. This page should be used to showcase your company culture and convey your values to potential employees, partners, and customers. You can highlight your company's mission, vision, and history. This is also a good place to share employee testimonials, and show how your business is making a positive impact in your community.
2. Nurture industry connections
LinkedIn is the ideal place to look for influential people in your industry. It gives you a direct line of contact to restaurant critics, food bloggers, and influencers. LinkedIn is also a great way to research your competition. You can connect with other restaurant owners or operators, join groups to learn more about industry trends, and gain insights on how to stay competitive.
3. Prioritize customer conversions
Always look for ways to convert potential customers into actual customers. Be sure that your LinkedIn page provides easy and obvious links to your restaurant’s website and your online ordering system. Your LinkedIn page should also include links to your other social media accounts, like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. This will make it easy for customers to find you on other platforms and can help to increase your social media following.
4. Consider the visual component
LinkedIn also offers a prime opportunity to highlight your menu offerings. Share gorgeous snaps of your culinary creations and your physical space. As with most other social media platforms, LinkedIn marketing strategies benefit from strong visual presentation. Keep your LinkedIn followers engaged with striking visual content. Eye-catching photos can be a great way to share menu changes, seasonal offerings, and teasers for upcoming promotions with your followers.
5. Recruit top talent
LinkedIn is a hotbed for employment activity—a platform that makes it easy for recruiters and talent to connect. Business owners using LinkedIn for restaurants have an opportunity to attract talent at a fraction of the money spent on traditional recruitment. Use LinkedIn to share job openings, call for applicants, and convey an image of your restaurant as a desirable place of employment. LinkedIn also allows you to actively search for and recruit candidates based on applicable skills, education, experience, location, and more.
6. Answer questions via LinkedIn Q&A
Become an active participant in the platform’s Q&A forum. This sometimes overlooked LinkedIn marketing strategy is a great way to establish your restaurant’s expertise and thought leadership. Answer questions related to food, ingredients, recipes, back of house operations, and restaurant management to demonstrate your authority and build your reputation within the LinkedIn community.
7. Join discussion groups
Join relevant groups to build clout and connect with others in the industry. There are countless groups you can join or connect with, including the National Restaurant Association, Catering Professionals, and Foodservice Professionals Network. Apart from exposing you to valuable industry insights, these groups provide an avenue for connecting with other chefs, owners, and operators.
8. Encourage customer reviews
Positive reviews are crucial to the success of any restaurant. Fortunately, LinkedIn offers a great platform for garnering and displaying reviews. Encourage your customers to post their feedback on LinkedIn. Positive customer feedback on this well-regarded professional platform can help to solidify your reputation in the industry.
9. Consider using LinkedIn ads
LinkedIn is home to a massive pool of potential customers, employees, suppliers, and more. Paid ads offer the opportunity to tap into this pool. When using LinkedIn for restaurants, consider investing in targeted LinkedIn Ads. Because the platform is uniquely built to facilitate professional engagement, LinkedIn marketing strategies provide enhanced demographic segmentation. This allows you to target ad campaigns based on industry, job title, location, and much more.
10. Track analytics
LinkedIn marketing strategies are supported by comprehensive data analytics. By tracking your LinkedIn analytics, you can learn more about the people visiting your page, see how your content is performing with visitors, and refine your messaging to resonate with these visitors. To access LinkedIn Analytics, click the “Me” dropdown on your LinkedIn account home page and select “View Stats.”
Implementing LinkedIn Marketing Strategies for Your Restaurant
LinkedIn can be an effective tool for promoting your restaurant, building your brand, connecting with potential customers, and recruiting new talent. Not sure where to start? Find out how a third-party digital marketing provider can help you make the most of this valuable social media platform.
