3 real world case studies on Facebook ads

Do you ever wonder if Facebook ads really work?  Well here’s a helpful primer. Fishbowl Marketing’s SM3 team has worked with trusted clients on Facebook ad opportunities and learned what works best. Here are some short case studies on how and when Facebook ads make the biggest impact.

When opening a new location

This casual dine chain has been so successful with its original two restaurants; it decided to open a third location. But how to get the word out? Their Facebook page had plenty of fans already, providing a good base, but not all of those Fans would leave their favorite location in favor of the new one. Here’s what the SM3 team did on behalf of our client. In addition to posting updates on the construction of the restaurant on the Facebook page, running photo contests and gift card giveaways, the team also ran Facebook ads, targeting specifically those living in the vicinity of the  new location, and encouraging them to become a fan of the new Facebook page.

Within two weeks, after a $200 ad spend, the client had more than 400 new Facebook fans living around the new restaurant’s location. That’s 50 cents a guest!

When Targeting a Specific Audience

This high-end catering hall focuses on providing a memorable atmosphere for its guests’ most cherished memories. The client prided itself on its wedding banquets in particular. They wanted to reach out to local brides about their place. SM3 responded by running a wedding-focused ad for three weeks, targeting Facebook users in the community with a relationship status of “Engaged.” The client spent a total of $50.

The ad received nearly 3,000 impressions, resulting in 63 new Facebook fans and 95 clicks to the client’s website. Even if only 1 bride-to-be decided to rent the banquet hall, this client would easily recoup that ad spend, and then some!

When Pushing Online Reservations or Publicizing Big News

This restaurant had two goals when it approached Fishbowl– it wanted to publicize a recent 4 star review in their local paper and it wanted to leverage the good buzz to drive online reservations. The SM3 team turned a Facebook post which included the review into an ad, and included a link to the reservations page. The total ad buy was $50.

Over two weeks, the ad reached 6,700 local restaurant enthusiasts. 27 guests clicked to make reservations, and the post itself generated above average engagement (i.e. likes, comments and shares).

With the right marketing plan in place, Facebook ads can turn a good campaign into a great one. Relatively little ad spend can provide substantial ROI – but you have to know what works and how to have the biggest impact.

A picture's worth a thousand words—Intro to Instagram for newbies

In the spring of 2013, Facebook purchased a little photo sharing application called Instagram for the impressive sum of one billion dollars. Why did they spend so much? Because more and more smartphone users are choosing to share their experiences via photo-sharing apps. For example, taking Instagram pictures of meals has become a huge part of the restaurant experience for many millennials. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. What will pictures of your restaurant say? 

Instagram is an online photo, video, and social networking service. Consumers use it to post media they’ve created with their smartphone cameras and edited with special digital filters. Like Twitter, Instagram is a great way for friends to share information, such as recent meals, in a concise and easy-to-digest manner. What does that mean for your restaurant? Imagine running a promotion where you give a discount to anyone that “Instagrams” a shot of one of the new desserts on your menu. A potential guest could be flooded with appetizing pictures of creams, cakes, and pies, all singing the praises of your menu. It’s the best marketing money can’t buy – personalized recommendations from the friends your guests trust.

In short, consumers have taken to Instagram in droves.  How can you as a restaurant marketer leverage this consumer activity?  One of Fishbowl’s SM3 Social Media and Email Specialists, Casey Manning, has come up with the following pieces of advice for newbies:

Discover Your Audience. Search Instagram regularly to see if your restaurant has been mentioned. You’ll see what appeals to your guests quickly – after all, they wouldn’t want to share unless they have something to say! 

Promote the Positive. When you find someone posting a picture of your restaurant with a positive comment, it’s always a good idea to share those good feelings on your social media. Link the post on your Facebook or Twitter. Potential guests love to see a spontaneous display of enthusiasm. Take advantage of the free marketing! 

Encourage with Contests and Prizes. Use Instagram for brand promotion by creating contests and rewards. Consider Instagram the digital, visual cousin of the essay contest – offer a free meal or a discount to the one person who can capture the “essence” of your restaurant in an Instagram picture. Come up with scavenger hunts that encourage guests to explore your restaurant and your menu. The possibilities are endless – and you can use the resulting pictures to promote yourself!

Want to learn more about Fishbowl’s approach to helping restaurants grow their revenues? Call Amy Plumley at (703) 836-3421. 

4 ways Facebook advertising can help increase your restaurant sales

If you have a Facebook page, you may know that the social media giant has made changes to how it displays posts in the Newsfeed, reducing the number of people who see posts from business Pages, even those they have previously Liked. While still an effective way to communicate with your guests, the changes to Facebook’s formula mean that your posts may be reaching fewer people than in the past. 

Consequently, it’s time for restaurant marketers to look more closely at Facebook ads. Fishbowl’s SM3 team has been managing Facebook ads for clients for some time and they know they work.  

Here are some ways to use Facebook ads to make every dollar count:

Acquire new Facebook Fans living near your restaurant. Because Facebook can geo-target its advertising, you won’t have to worry about your California restaurant spending ad dollars to reach Florida or Ohio. It’s cost effective: You can generally acquire targeted Likes for under $1 each.

Broaden your Reach. Because of the Facebook changes, not all of your Fans will see offers or promotions you add to your page. But with Facebook ads, not only will you reach more of your current Fans – you can also reach new guests. Typically, spending $5 or $10 to promote a post ensures that thousands of people see it.

Increase online reservations. A Facebook ad doesn’t just have to drive fans to your website; you can have them make reservations right from Facebook. It’s a big benefit when your goal is driving more reservations.

Drive traffic to your website for catering, private parties, or takeout. If you have higher ticket offerings, like catering or private parties, you might want to spend your ad dollars pushing guests to these specific areas of your website.

Despite the changes in how Facebook displays your posts, the platform remains important for your social media marketing. We know from experience how effective Facebook ads can be for restaurant marketers. Just make sure you know and follow Fishbowl’s best practices.

For more information about Fishbowl’s suite of restaurant services to help you increase your sales, call Amy Plumley at (703) 836-3421.