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How (and why) to blog for restaurants

Oh, joy, a blog!  As a manager, owner or chef, this is the one thing you really want to do with your spare time, right?  You don’t think you can write, you don’t want to write, no one will read it anyway, etc. etc. etc.

A lot of people have misconceptions about blogging; they think of it in terms of overshare (“today I mowed my grass!”) or a lot of work.  I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it’s not work to do a blog right, but you don’t have to spend huge time on it and you don’t have to write nonsense.

As far as no one caring what you have to say, well you’re wrong there.  As I talked about in another post, people DO care.  Do you think it’s coincidence that there are so many cooking shows on TV?  Happiness and food go hand in hand.  Of course, a lot of anxiety and body image issues also go hand in hand with food.  People tie food to memories without even trying.

So yes, people care about what you say and do; if they didn’t they wouldn’t come to your restaurant.  How can you take that and turn it into restaurant marketing?  Well, let’s find out!

But I’m not a writer!

Step one is finding a topic that people care about.  As we’ve seen, food definitely qualifies.  Do you need to create some new ground-breaking perspective?  Of course not – you just need to bring it home to them in a way that matters and makes it personal.  “I’m not a writer” is a common reason given by restaurant folks to not blog.  OK, well, most bloggers aren’t; at least not trained writers.  Sure, there are exceptions, but for the most part it’s people with a passion for what they do.

So you’re not a writer?  Don’t write!

What is this guy talking about?

So now you’re thinking, “This guy is an idiot!  First he rants at me to blog, then he says don’t write!  He needs to make up his mind!”  OK, well, I won’t necessarily argue your first point, but yes, you can blog without writing.  In fact, video blogging is extra powerful in the world of food.  Remember, food is a sensory experience.  Sight, smell, taste all factor in.  Until Smell-o-vision returns (don’t laugh!) you can’t offer the last 2, but you can deliver images.  That’s why cooking shows are so powerful; you can demonstrate technique while you show them glorious finished products.

There are a ton of resources out there for video blog how-tos.  I’m not going to rehash them all; they do it far better than I ever could.  What I will say is this – do it and people will come.

A few points about blogging

• Your video blog doesn’t have to be studio quality; studies have shown that good audio trumps good video.  Your eyes will make up for the video quality; your ears will be annoyed by poor audio.
• SEO loves blogs.  SEO is search engine optimization (just in case); if you have a website, tie your blog to it (a la www.hawkeyeconsultants.com/blog).  That way when you post an entry you are adding new content.  Google and the other search engines love new content.  Post a couple times a week and your numbers will rise.  Get linked back to your blog by successful sites and the numbers will jump even more.
• Remember, what you do can be mundane to you.  Look at it from an outside perspective; ask regular customers if they have questions about cooking or your recipes.  It might renew your love for food to see what you do through someone else’s eyes.

Using a blog for restaurant marketing is effective.  You will set yourself apart from competitors.  It can be scary to put yourself out there in a blog, but know that people want to learn.  They see you as an expert – build off of that.  Teach them something they didn’t know and they will be hungry for more.  Just be ready to feed them!

-Karl
@karlkoelle

With 10+ years in restaurants and 12 years in communications, I have learned a lot about how to successfully market a restaurant - yet I still learn something new every day and whenever I talk to a client.  Looking for help with your restaurant or small business, whether marketing or management?  Let me know, I am always happy to help.