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NRA: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram execs share 3 social media myths

Social media myths dispelled by Facebook, Twitter and Instragram experts.

May 26, 2015

Sixty percent of people use their phones to decide where to eat, according to Eric Schnabel, Facebook's creative shop director of North America. The average person looks at their phone 110 times a day, and once in every four minutes, he said.

Twitter sees a billion tweets a day and about 100 tweets per minute with the word, " lunch," mentioned; 14 million people a day are reached with 120,000 tweets about hamburgers, according to Twitter Director DSO David Pattillo.

Eric Edge, expert on brand strategy for Instagram found #food in 170 million pieces of content; 30 million for #coffee and 30 million for #dinner on the company's site.

What does it all mean?

"These are opportunities to present a unique point-of-view for your restaurant. It's a way to stand out," Edge said.

"Your point-of-view, your restaurant's personality, can convey what's different about you. All of that will help you stand out on social media," Schnabel echoed.

Restaurants must have that "ownable" thing first, he said, that restaurateurs have always put on their chalkboards. Take that unique content, and put it on social media to differentiate your business.

Ask yourself this question, Edge said: "Who is that audience I want to capture and what is their lifestyle? Use that unique perspective on social media to grab their attention." If restaurants post content that has nothing to do with their brand, it will lose attention. All posts should be authentic to the brand; people will know the difference.

Common myths about social media:

1. You have to post every day.

"You don't have to post every day," Schnabel said. In fact, "Be ruthlessly reductionist. Ask what is going to make people care, make or break your year and focus on things that will get you fired or promoted. Focus on your brand's voice and post what people care about. What you're doing should be central to the business."

2. There's no ROI in social media.

Many smaller restaurants "think they can't have an impact" on social media, according to Pattillo. But when data logic looks at offline sales, it paints a different picture.

Restaurants should start slowly, be nimble and take chances with social media, he said.

"You don't have to be big or small. Be in touch with who you are and what you want to be in your community. Stay focused on one or two things, such as awareness and products, and bring it to life. You will see returns if you stay with it."

3. You need digital expertise.

"You don't need digital expertise," Schnabel added. "Think like you always thought when you created your business."

Take elements of your brand, capture them visually, take feedback and create posts around this content. Take the most visually interesting parts of your business to put on social media.

Think about the content and strategize for the next 12 months, Pattillo said, and know what metrics matter. According to Edge, metrics that matter most are those that speak to brand health, such as favorability, engagement, direct response and your ideal customer.