I’m super time poor at my business with 100 things to take care of. Why should I prioritise social media?
It’s like any type of business, really. What’s the point of having an amazing product if no-one knows about it? To not think about having a social media presence is to forego the easiest and most affordable advertising medium for your small business. If it’s a matter of not having the time to take videos on social media, then it’s certainly something to be delegated, just like any other role in the business.
Which social media platforms are important for small businesses to be on (particularly hospo businesses)?
Instagram and TikTok are the most important social media platforms for small businesses to create an online presence on these days. That, and Google. It’s all about discoverability – getting your name out there to new people, letting people resonate with your brand and your food.
How do I create engaging videos?
For videos to do well, you need one of two things:
- A really great hook at the beginning to catch the attention of the viewer. Maybe that might look like an eye-catching dish at the centre within the first second. This gets the viewer interested to watch your video.
- Some type of process to follow. The cooking process of a certain dish. A day in the life following a restaurant staff. Viewers will want to see a process like that out to the end, and hence will keep watching to see the end result.
For a video to do well on social media, it has to have good watch time. Viewers will find videos more watchable if they have something to follow along in the video.”
Kevin La → Content Creator
I suck at talking on camera, what else can I do?
Talking on camera might involve you being in front of the camera or doing a voiceover on top of a video. You don’t necessarily have to do either. It is certainly important to use messaging in your social media photos and videos, but you can do that in many different ways.You can write the messages in the caption. You can add text to your videos and use the voice-to-text feature on Instagram and TikTok to create a voiceover using a different voice.
It’s important to remember that to build an online presence, it takes more than just ‘uploading’ photos and videos. It’s also about giving people who might see your content a reason to relate to you and your business. This is done through messaging and storytelling. This is also very important in turning simple viewers to followers on social media. If viewers can relate to what you are saying, they will be more inclined to follow your page so they can see more from you in future.
As a time poor business owner / operator, what’s the minimum I should be doing?
I think as a business owner, the bare minimum would be at least understanding that social media is a tool readily available for you. Whether or not you choose to use it is up to you – there are plenty of small businesses that operate successfully without an online presence, and that’s great! However, if you are looking to increase awareness for your brand and increase traffic into your small business and restaurant, social media is here for you.
Think about social media the same way you would set up your business on Google. Make sure from a glance, people are able to see where you are located, when you are open, and what goods/services/food you sell.
See Kevin’s tips for taking social-friendly photos here
