A café lives on passing trade and regulars. Social media will not fill the room by itself, but it can decide which of two similar places a stranger walks into. It does that with three things: how the food and the room look, whether the information is right, and whether anyone seems to be in charge.
Show the real thing
- Photograph the food in the light it is actually served in, from the angle the customer sees it.
- Show the room with people in it, not only empty, perfect tables.
- Show who makes it: the person at the coffee machine, the one who bakes at dawn.
Keep the facts right
- Opening hours, including holidays and the odd closed day, on every profile and on your map listing.
- The menu, or a link to it, with prices if you can.
- Allergen and dietary information, accurate and up to date. Do not guess.
- The address, and how to find the door.
Post for the week, not just the day
The dish of the day and what came out of the oven this morning suit a quick post from your phone. Everything else, such as a new menu, an event or an offer for a quiet day, can be written once and scheduled. Check the queue when plans change, so that a post does not advertise something you have run out of.
Answer the way a host would
Reply to comments and messages in the voice you would use at the counter. Questions about booking, dogs, prams and dietary needs are easy to answer, and they tell the person asking that somebody is home.
Let customers help, with permission
People photograph their coffee anyway. Ask before you repost a customer’s picture, and credit them. A thank-you in the comments costs nothing.
Check your opening hours on every profile every Monday. A customer who finds you shut when you said you were open does not come back.