Food Service Has an Appetite for Advocacy. ebook

Transcription

1 Food Service Has an Appetite for Advocacy ebook

2 The Trust Factor For many people, the quality of food is just one of the factors in a positive restaurant experience. Consumers aren t looking for mere satiation. They seek a unique dining experience that stands out for the right reasons. Restaurant goers are constantly seeking answers to questions like where to go to grab a bite to eat or what burger is seasoned to perfection? Or, what restaurant will provide the perfect atmosphere for a romantic date, lunch with a client, or a casual night out with friends? Consumers rely on the Voice of the Customer (VoC) for accurate firsthand information, just like your company does. Results from a 2013 Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising survey showed that 68% of people trust consumer opinions found online, which exceeds the trust factor for more traditional forms of advertising, such as print, television, and radio ads.

3 When Consumers Question Motives Consumers question brand motives. They fear the mindset of the used car salesman who will do anything and say anything to close the sale. They don t entirely mistrust restaurants, but the level of trust certainly varies from brand to brand and location to location (something that should be fixed, by the way). For this reason, potential guests turn to their peers. When corporate statements don t jive with guest statements, consumers won t side with you. While online reviews published through certified sites like OpenTell are helpful in establishing brand trust, there s still an even better way to reach out to prospective guests.

4 Don t Contradict Guest Consensus, Cultivate It Although consumers sometimes rely on anonymous online reviews when making a dining decision, consumers are increasingly turning to the recommendations of their family members and friends. The 2013 Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising survey also discovered that approximately 84% of consumers trust the recommendations of people they know, ranking higher than all other methods of advertising. Social media has made these conversations more accessible than ever. As a result, it s critical for restaurants to find an industry-tuned VoC program that not only collects feedback about guest experiences but also provides the tools (like GoRecommend) to cultivate those guests into advocates. Empower satisfied guests with an advocacy program that encourages them to speak up and recommend your food and services to those within their circle of influence.

5 Join the Conversation As discussed in our Socialize Your Guest Experience in 3 Steps ebook, social media is foundational in establishing a brand s promises and identifying customer advocates. If there are any doubts about the influence guests now have over a brand s success, all one needs to do is take a peek at social media and view the conversations happening. [These conversations] are not only getting louder, they are happening more frequently... InMoment has found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of individuals have used Facebook to make a restaurant decision, and half of those consumers had tried a new restaurant due to a social media recommendation. You can be confident that your guests experiences with your brand are influencing the purchase behavior of prospective consumers for better or worse. Is your company an active part of the conversation?

6 Find Your Key Brand Advocates A 2013 research study by Aberdeen Group sought to compare the performance metrics of brand leaders (the top 35% of industry performers) in contrast with the industry followers (the bottom 65%). The greatest distinction that set these brands apart as industry leaders (by nearly four times) was their ability to identify their key social influencers and convert them into strong brand advocates. Organizational leaders were also more likely to have established processes to monitor social media mentions and prioritize posts for engagement. Restaurants are reaping rewards as they implement programs to facilitate the process for guests who would like to spread a good word about them on social networks. For example, the US-based fast-casual burger chain, Smashburger, generated 2 million social media impressions from approximately 12,000 guest recommendations using GoRecommend. As a result, guest satisfaction improved by 5.5% in a matter of months, and Smashburger was able to turn passive goodwill (satisfied but silent guests) into active word-of-mouth marketing.

7 Food Service Has an Appetite for Advocacy What kind of payoff can a company expect to receive from an established referral marketing campaign? A 2013 study conducted by SocialTwist analyzed data from 119 social media marketing campaigns run by the world s leading brands across several industries. Out of the 3.2 million consumers involved in the study, just under one fifth (19%) referred products or services to their friends. The percentage of consumers who became brand advocates was nearly triple the overall average (56.1%). The results brought out an exciting find for the food service industry: Food service has an appetite for advocacy.

8 Deliver on Your Promises, Then Let Guests Deliver for You InMoment has discovered that 46% of consumers don t believe brands are acting on the feedback they provide. What happens when your brand fails to listen and engage with its guests? Your brand misses out on the opportunity to build trust and establish loyalty with its most powerful advocates. For this reason, it s important that your brand implements an established VoC program that collects guest feedback across multiple touchpoints, protects against the input of fraudulent data, and turns guest data into easily digestible insights for the brand-level decision makers. Satisfied guests are willing to advocate your brand to their friends and family. By enabling your brand with the right guest feedback tools, providing a good guest experience can now impact thousands of people outside the walls of a single restaurant location. Your guests will deliver new business to your brand, just as you deliver on your promises to them.

9 About InMoment InMoment helps businesses improve customer retention and increase profits through listening, understanding, and sharing customer stories. Our Voice of Customer (VoC) solutions arm brands with real-time, actionable insights for customer experience (CX) improvement at all organizational levels. We are a full-service partner, providing leading-edge technology, strategic guidance, market insights, predictive analytics, dashboard reporting software, and an unparalleled social media advocacy solution to more than 300 top brands. Our international presence covers more than 90 countries and 45 languages. Contact Us sales@inmoment.com Copyright 2015 InMoment, Inc.