Welcome to the second entry of our Winter Marketing Series, where we tackle the frosty challenge of keeping your business warm and toasty all winter long! As the holiday lights twinkle and consumers retreat into their cozy caves, it’s time to dust off these marketing strategies and put on your creative snow boots. In our previous post, we covered third-party delivery services and their ability to supplement revenue during the slow winter. And while this strategy might introduce your offerings to new customers, you still want them to make the effort and walk in the front door. Which brings us to our next marketing strategy.

Highlighting your restaurant staff on social media is like adding a secret ingredient to your signature dish—it makes everything so much better! Not only does it humanize your brand (because let’s be honest, a restaurant without people doesn’t sound very fun), but it also builds trust. Customers love knowing there are real humans behind the bar and not just robots programmed to crack open Busch Lights. Plus, showcasing your kitchen staff’s culinary expertise lets everyone know that those mouthwatering dishes are prepared thoughtfully and with a little TLC. So, let’s give a shoutout to your team and show the world that your restaurant has the charm, skills, and maybe even a few goofy dance moves that keep customers coming back for more. After all, who wouldn’t want to eat where the staff is as entertaining as the food is delicious?

Even if you’re not super tech savvy, chefs, bartenders, and restaurants can be hugely successful on social media. Why? These platforms are perfect for creative expression and cater to content-hungry customers. In fact, 62% of consumers follow food and beverage companies on social media to discover restaurants, according to a survey from OpenTable. People love getting that peek behind the curtain of how restaurants work—Snapchat and the stories feature on Facebook and Instagram are the perfect way to share these glimpses. You can give your fans a look backstage into the food prep area or in the kitchen. You can use it to profile employees. Diners want to know you’re having as much fun in the kitchen as they are in the dining room.

There isn’t really a wrong way to show your team members some love on social media. In short, whenever something noteworthy or even just mildly interesting happens to one of your team members, you can capture that and share! Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Staff Spotlights

• Weekly Features: Create a weekly post or video that highlights a different staff member. Share their background, role, favorite dishes, and fun facts. If your bartender has a cocktail that’s a seasonal offering or simply a hit with the regulars, film them preparing and serving the drink! They can provide their inspiration and thoughts on the drink, and why theirs is the best in town.

2. Recipe Sharing

• Have your kitchen staff share a signature recipe or some basic cooking tips. This could be in the form of blog posts, videos, or social media stories. Vivaldi may be a fancy French restaurant in Quebec, but their videos on basic cooking techniques on simple dishes are racking up views on YouTube. This video highlighting their Caesar salad has over 1.8 MILLION views!

• Here is another example of simple content you can share across various platforms. Vai’s Italian Restaurant shows some behind the scenes shots to entice customers to try new seasonal dishes.

3. Themed Days

• Designate certain days for staff to take over your social media accounts. They can share their day, favorite menu items, or even customer interactions. Have them describe their perfect meal, including appetizers, main courses, and drink pairings! Let the staff get creative. After all, they probably consume food content as much as anyone else. They might have some creative ideas to include in their takeover.

4. New Hire Features

• Introduce your newest hire to your digital audience! You can get creative here, but here’s a simple example to get the content juices flowing:

Case Studies

By actively involving your staff in your content strategy, you not only showcase their individuality and expertise but also create a warmer, more inviting brand image. And while this may sound fun in theory, you may struggle to capture engaging content when it’s time to hit the “record” button. Here are some tangible examples of how others are incorporating staff into their content.

1. Feature individual staff members regularly on your social media and website.

• Example: Blue Bottle Coffee regularly posts about their baristas, sharing their stories and favorite brews. This personal touch helps customers connect with the brand and fosters loyalty.

2. Behind-the-Scenes Content

• Example: Taco Bell uses Instagram Stories to showcase the day-to-day activities of their team, highlighting both the fun and hard work that goes into each meal.

3. Staff Takeovers

• Example: Shake Shack has successfully conducted staff takeovers, where employees share their favorite menu items and personal stories. This approach adds authenticity and encourages customer engagement.

4. Cooking Demos

• Example: Vivaldi highlights specific dishes and their preparation. Remember, you don’t have to give away secret ingredients. Showcase your rubs, sauces, and marinades without going into too much detail about ingredients. This creates some mystique around the dishes and entices customers to visit and try dishes for themselves!

5. User-Generated Content

• Example: Zoe’s Kitchen runs a campaign where employees share their favorite menu items on their personal social media, creating authentic engagement and expanding reach.

Which Social Media Platforms To Use

The best platforms for your staff takeover content will depend on your target audience and the type of content you want to produce. It is worth considering new platforms that you are currently not using, like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat. These platforms are ideal for short-form content. Your videos shouldn’t last more than a minute or two. Short-form content is easily consumable and highly shareable. For maximum reach and engagement, consider using a combination of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok to showcase your staff's personalities and skills effectively. Focus on where your audience is most active and tailor your content to fit the platform's strengths.

These platforms also track engagement for you, so you can see which posts perform best with your audience. Track the number of likes, shares, and comments on takeover posts compared to regular posts. If your posts include links to your website (e.g., menu or reservation page), use analytics tools to track any increase in traffic from social media during the takeover period. Analyze the nature of comments. Positive interactions and discussions can demonstrate strong audience interest and connection.

By implementing these strategies—and maybe stealing a page from the success stories of others—you can spotlight your staff's unique personalities and impressive skills. This not only creates content that keeps your audience engaged but also builds a loyal fan club (you know, the kind that might even show up for your karaoke night). After the takeover, don’t forget to get some feedback from the star of the show. Their insights will be as valuable as the secret sauce! And when you gather the team for a post-takeover meeting, make sure to have snacks—because brainstorming is much easier when there are nachos involved. Consider what resonates best with your brand and audience, and start incorporating these ideas into your digital content strategy!