Remember, social media marketing can do a lot, but never lose sight of the basics. Twitter can’t mix the perfect martini and Facebook doesn’t know the difference between medium rare and rare. Also, be mindful that traditional forms of marketing are still important. A skillfully created banner or sandwich sign never goes awry, and short radio spots, magazine and newspaper ads are tried, tested and true.

Facebook

Some of the most defining moments of our younger generation’s age have come through Facebook. This social networking community is the largest of its type in the world. It’s worth over $1 billion and ranks as the second most visited website in the world.

Creating a Facebook fan page for your restaurant is a sure-fire way to connect with the younger demographic. Many people check their Facebook more often than e-mail. Utilize everything Facebook has to offer by filling out the info section and adding pictures and videos on a regular basis. Try posting pictures of new menu items, and embrace the interactive aspect of the website by asking for opinions. For example, have a mixology contest, whereby your Facebook friends can compete to create a new martini for your next drink menu. The winner will have the cocktail named after them and will receive a gift certificate. It will cost you next to nothing, and this type of creative marketing gets people talking. Also, who wouldn’t bring their friends and family to a restaurant that has a drink named after them? Hold a similar contest once a month and people will get to know you for it. Once people catch on that you’re actively involved with the Facebook community, they’ll check your page more often and be more likely to get their friends involved. Be sure to include links to your restaurant’s official website as well. It can do wonders for site traffic.

Blog

Blogging has been around for a while now. It seems everybody and their dog has a blog — but for good reason. A blog is like an electronic journal. It posts your entries in reverse chronological order — most recent always on top. They often demand a heavier time commitment than other forms of social media, but the payback can be significant.

Try posting a blog entry once a week — take a couple of hours to research, snap a few pictures and write. Talk about yourself, interview a star employee, tell funny stories, and bring your customers behind the scenes. Show some pictures of your kitchen staff at work, a chef buying fresh produce at the market, even you shopping for new wine glasses. If you buy a new blender for the bar, include a picture and tell everyone how excited you are to make a new type of Pina Colada. Encourage comments by asking for flavour suggestions. People love feeling a part of something. If you bring them into your life a little, you’ll be surprised how many brand ambassadors you will create.

Twitter

Twitter is fast, easy, fun — and boy does it get around. This little blue bird is everywhere and it’s getting bigger and bigger every day. Twitter is a free microblogging website that allows users to send and receive messages up to 140 characters in size. Each message is called a tweet. If you’ve ever seen TMZ or checked out Perez Hilton, you know that every A-list celebrity is on Twitter, some of whom tweet up to 20 times a day.

Once you sign up for an account, you can tweet using the Twitter website, but most people tweet with their cell phone. Twitter is a great way for your restaurant to engage your customers instantly. Think of it this way: every tweet you send is like an instant press release.

But it’s important to remember there are good and bad ways to tweet. It’s good to promote a new menu item or tell about a daily special or drink feature every now and then, but don’t overdo it. People are turned off by blatant advertising. Keep your tweets creative, light and friendly. Try giving your customers a time sensitive freebie. For example, send a tweet saying, “1 free sm passion fruit smoothie for anyone who comes w/in the nxt 2 hrs and says the secret password: delicious.” People love secret passwords almost as much as they love free stuff.

The key with Twitter is to evoke conversation and generate some buzz. It can also form a connection with you and your customers — something that ultimately changes their level of loyalty. When they feel a connection with the owner or chef, they feel like they’re a part of the operation and have a vested interest. They’re more likely to visit on a regular basis and spread the message through word of mouth — or word of tweet.

Foursquare

Foursquare is one of the fastest growing social networking phenomenons in Canada and the U.S. You may not have heard of it yet, but it’s going to be huge. Foursquare is a free application for your iPhone, Blackberry or Palm. Say you’re at a restaurant — or wherever. You “check-in” using Foursquare and it will use GPS to record your location. It will associate your GPS coordinates with that specific restaurant and reward you a point for each time you visit. Then, you collect points for various prizes and bragging rights.

Starbucks has started to reward frequent Foursquare customers with a $1 discount on a frappucino. This type of GPS location sharing technology is the next big thing, and it allows you to reward your most frequent customers.

Google alerts

Ever wish you could be a fly on the wall while customers are talking about your restaurant? Now you can.
Google Alerts is a free service that tracks keywords (your restaurant name) from across the Internet. It will index millions of conversations, blogs, social networks and restaurant reviews, then neatly summarize the information and send you a daily e-mail that outlines what people are saying behind your back — positive and negative.

Restaurant review sites

These days, everybody is a food critic. Restaurant review websites are becoming increasingly popular. Urban Spoon, Restaurantica, Chowhound and Trip Advisor are some of the big players, but be sure to check the local sites as well. Most big cities in Canada have their own community pages with highly active users.

Create an account with some of these sites and play an active role in your community’s food scene. Set the tone by pointing out positive things and avoid negative remarks. Remember, whatever you say reflects your restaurant, so keep things fun and lively. Also, consider encouraging some of your regular customers to post fair reviews on your restaurant every now and then. The odd bad review is inevitable, but do your best to bury the less becoming pieces under the weight of more favourable opinions.