We entered the restaurant scene during the times when brick and mortar stores were still a thing. A time when the opportunity for business was found mostly in the interest of people to explore, dine out, and experience something different personally.

Meanwhile, the current times present an opportunity to do business in a different light. Nowadays, a lot of businesses are born to fulfill people’s cravings or expectations remotely. Compared to putting up a physical shop, it really doesn’t take much work to start selling on the internet. You can do so simply by having a profile on social media!

In the same way that we were challenged to get our brands to stand out from the other shops in the beginning, newbies in the food industry today, with no exception those competing just now online, will also have to come up with clever ways to leave an impression with would-be consumers.

This part has been one of the most difficult things to figure out in my early years as a restaurateur. But as we grew wiser, I can safely say all it takes is a good strategy. And a good strategy is composed of tactics that you can use to carve your winning path.

Let me briefly discuss with you a few tactics that you can put together in a future strategy to elevate your brand’s presence and pave the way for potential growth on social media or any other online platform. The first few thoughts would probably be too elementary for some but we’ll talk about them anyway for the beginner restaurateurs who are seeking guidance. And then, we’ll move along to less obvious pointers that are real game changers.

1. COME UP WITH A MEANINGFUL BRAND NAME. It’s a simple tactic that’s often overlooked by starting entrepreneurs, but it goes a long way if you don’t skimp on this. You have the opportunity to create something your patrons will remember you by. So, don’t settle with something that’s just catchy but lacks substance. While a lot of people look for creative ways to come up with something funny or witty, it gives a more lasting impact if your brand name speaks of what your core experience is. A good case study is our brand called “Steak Unlimited”. We could have gone with something catchy or funny to get people’s attention, but we looked at the bigger picture and decided that if we were to put up a steakhouse, we might as well be an authority on it. Hence, we placed the word “UNLIMITED” next to “STEAK” and built a strong image of being a restaurant dedicated to the craft of STEAKS.

2. A LOGO THAT RESONATES WITH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE. A logo’s design is oftentimes a product of subjective decision making. The subjective nature of its origin means it will never feel the same for everybody – what’s good for you may not look stunning to your customers. This is the very reason why you should direct your design away from satisfying your own taste and lead it towards meeting the level of artistic appreciation that your audience might have. This goes without saying that this tactic aims to recognize the little quirks associated with your audience’s demographics that affect their perception of an image.

3. GET GOOD IN FOODTOGRAPHY. Good food photos have always played a major role in enticing people to try a product. Sadly, a lot of entrepreneurs in the food scene end up with the notion that food images are good for just that. Some don’t even care if the shot is well-lit, clear, and neatly arranged as long as they have something to post. At least for us in our companies, we believe that some photos must tell a story and bring about feelings aside from hunger. Inspiration may be found in the unlikely things that surround the food item – the story of how it’s made, who made it, what’s in it, or who’s eating it. If you find a way to add another element that brings life to the photo of an already delicious-looking food, it will mean more than just a cliché shot of something edible. It takes a lot of conceptualizing to compose your shots. But, once you arrive at a good set up or find a sample shot on the internet you can replicate, you’re on our way on telling visual stories even with just your phone’s camera – the very same way we do our food photo shoots 98% of the time!

4. PUT THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES ON THE FRONT PAGE. Having your own brick and mortar allows your customers to experience your brand beyond the food. They get to see your staff’s sincere service and, in some occasions, take a peek in the action that goes on in the kitchen. It’s these genuine nuances that draw people back to you. Sadly, the online space and the current pandemic, don’t really allow for much of that to happen. But it’s not impossible to show your audience the glimpse of that REALNESS behind their favorite brand. So, aside from taking good food photos, take some time to take candid photos of your team in action – be it during cleaning, prepping, or cooking. You could even have them pose for a group photo and look their best. Whichever way it is, get the team to the front page and allow people to get to know the men and women behind the scenes and what their values are. If you manage to pull this off correctly, you will have given your brand a human touch to it. And people just love that real human connection.

5. DON’T JUST “SELL A PRODUCT”. I’ve seen this way too many times being done on social media: Someone has a product to sell and they just aggressively post a bunch of photos of it with captions that are simply focused on telling you they have something for sale. I don’t have anything against it. It’s just how some sellers are. But if you’re aiming to be known more than just a seller; If you want to become a trusted source of good food and experience online, you have to step up and give your selling page, website, or profile more depth and personality. Start by using the online space as a platform to introduce your brand’s story rather than a place where you merely sell things to people. Have a few posts where you don’t appear as if you just want to grab people’s attention and, later, their money. Take a few steps back and consider letting out some genuine moments about you so people can build their trust based on how you compose your captions, respond to messages, and behave on your page. Choice of words and photographs is critical as it will be the only way your customers can assess you before they engage with you for an experience. So, if you know you want to become a formal brand that people will actually love, start acting like one.

If you haven’t guessed by now, my main strategy is to create a more genuine connection between our brands and our audiences by sharing our stories. Go ahead and try using these tactics to create a unique experience that will set you apart from other online competitors. Revealing some realness in some posts builds your brand’s image. And doing so will make your fans see you as something more than just a random person behind a computer selling them something. Be consistent with your narrative across all media. This is the very same strategy we used for our brick and mortar stores to build our audience’s trust. And we haven’t changed anything now that we’re shifting to an online-focused service.

Rather than simply shouting out to the world that you have something for sale, try sharing bits and pieces of the journey you went through to serve a dish to your customers. That time you take to talk about it might not look much to you but in the eyes of your customers, it’s something that adds value to your brand, your product, and the experience.