How to make live video work for your restaurant

Your kitchen, your staff and your dining room, broadcast live to the people most likely to book a table.

Most businesses use video to market themselves, but not every restaurant makes live or pre-recorded video. If you have not got to grips with video marketing on your website or social channels yet, it can feel daunting. After all, you are in the business of creating food, not movies.

That said, video marketing creates a tangible experience for customers of brands all over the world. Instead of reading about your restaurant on a poster or in a magazine, viewers can see your dishes being prepared in real time, or watch your patrons having a good time experiencing your hospitality. It gives a flavour of what to expect when people dine or hold events with you.

If you are ready to embrace live video as a marketing tool for your restaurant, here is why it matters and how to get started.

Why live video works

Video is where the attention is. People watch hours of it every day, on YouTube and across social feeds, and it is only ever a couple of swipes or clicks away. That is a level of audience retention you cannot ignore when you are marketing a business.

Video is not just a fad. Live streams, and pre-recorded ads that run before other videos, have completely changed the way people consume content, and the change is here to stay. If you have ignored live video up to now, it is time to sit up and take notice.

How to go live

There are many ways to create live video content in your restaurant. With the likes of Facebook and Instagram Live, it has never been easier to shoot rolling content that goes out to all of your followers, with no professional film crew needed.

First things first, get the orientation right: hold the phone the way your platform plays it back best, and check the framing before you start. Choose a location with good lighting that is not too noisy, so viewers can hear the audio and see the content properly. An external mic, or headphones with a mic, helps as well. If the lighting or sound is not up to scratch, a cheap ring light or microphone will make your broadcast shine.

Before you hit the go live button, practise what you are going to say, and have an idea of what you will show your viewers. A quick kitchen tour with a demonstration of your latest dishes by your head chef, for example. And always check that everyone is happy to be on camera before you start.

Remember it is an advertisement

Whatever tone you take with your live video, laid back or ultra-formal, the content should reflect the character of your restaurant. You might be streaming through a social media channel, but it is not the same as posting on your personal account.

Video needs to stay engaging, so avoid long talking-head shots. One of the biggest mistakes content creators make is assuming people will hang around for hours. With a live broadcast, viewers might not have time, or might join a few minutes after you went live, so keep that in mind. A good habit is to reiterate every few minutes who you are and what you are showing people.

On social media especially, your followers are all notified the moment you go live, so your audience can swell quickly. Make it worth their while, and let your restaurant really shine. Give people a reason to watch, and then a reason to book a table with you.

Get creative

While live video is a marketing tool for your business, that does not mean it has to feel like one. Food is a genuinely engaging topic, not least because we all have to eat it several times a day. Beyond showing the interior of your restaurant, think about what else your team can bring to the table.

Perhaps you want to teach your followers how to create the perfect pasta. You could launch a competition, where a viewer who correctly guesses a question about your business wins a free meal for two.

You might even have a themed night coming up. Live video is the perfect way to show customers what they can expect if they book with you. Asking viewers to tag the friend they would bring along in the comments pushes the viewer count higher still. Eating is a sociable, fun experience, so make sure your live video content reflects that.

Know who is watching

One of the best ways video creators can connect with their audience is to tailor the content directly to them. As a restaurant, you might struggle to understand exactly who your key demographic is. This is where Stampede helps: guest Wi-Fi collects customer information through a branded login portal, so you can understand your guests and stay in touch with them using the data they share.

Turning your restaurant into the centre of attention starts with the audience: from live video to email marketing, staying clued up about who your audience is gives you a serious advantage when it comes to filling tables.