How to Make Live Video Work For Your Restaurant – Lights, Cooking, Action!

According to Tech Jury, 87% of businesses now use video as a marketing tool. Despite this eye-watering statistic, not all restaurants create either live or pre-recorded video content. If you are yet to grasp video marketing through your website or social media channels, it can seem quite daunting. After all, you are in the business of creating food – not movies! 

That being said, video marketing continues to create 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 in real-time your dishes being prepared, or even your patrons having a good time experiencing your hospitality. It can give a flavour of what to expect when people dine or hold events with you. 

Further read: https://stampede.ai/blog/how-video-marketing-can-boost-your-restaurant/

If you’re ready to embrace live video as an effective marketing tool for your restaurant. Here’s everything you need to know about why video matters and how to get started. 

Why Video is a Gamechanger

Over 500 million hours of videos are being watched every single day on YouTube alone. That’s a staggering level of audience retention that cannot be ignored, especially when you are looking to market your business. 

In the old days, you’d need to watch tv or rent a video (remember those?!) to view such content, but now video is everywhere we turn. In fact, it’s within just a couple of swipes or clicks. Before you know it, you’ve fallen down the video black hole and are watching something completely unrelated to what you first clicked on. Normally involving cats! 

Video is not just a fad, and our addiction to watching hours of content means it’s the perfect place to market your business. Like live videos or even pre-recorded video ads that run before the video is played. Either way, it’s completely changed the way we consume content and is here to stay. If you’ve ignored live video up to now, it’s time to sit up and listen. 

How to Go Live

There are many ways you can create live video content in your restaurant. With the likes of Facebook and Instagram live, it’s never been easier to shoot rolling content that goes out to all of your followers without the need for a professional film crew. 

First things first, you should make sure the orientation is correct. Landscape works best! Choose a location that has good lighting and isn’t too noisy, so that your viewers can hear the audio and see your content properly. It’s also possible to buy an external mic or even headphones with a mic. If either the lighting or sound isn’t up to scratch, it’s worth picking up a cheap solution on Amazon that will make your broadcast shine, such as this selfie ring light.

Before you hit the ‘go live’ button, it’s also a good idea to practice what you’re going to say, and have an idea of what you are going to show your viewers. For example, a quick kitchen tour that involves a demonstration of your latest dishes by your head chef. As a quick side note, always check that everyone is happy to be on camera before you start! 

Remember It’s an Advertisement

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

With video, it needs to be constantly engaging so avoid long talking headshots. One of the biggest mistakes video content creators make is assuming people will hang around for hours. With a live broadcast, people might not have time or they might have even joined a few minutes after you went live, so remember to keep this in mind. A good idea is to re-iterate every few minutes who you are and what you are showing people. 

On social media especially, your followers will all be notified once you go live, so this can swell your audience up quite quickly. Make it worth their while, and let your restaurant really shine as you do so. Why should people watch and ultimately book a table with you? Now is the time to tell everyone! 

Get Creative

While live video is a marketing tool for your business, that doesn’t mean to say the video you create has to feel like it. Remember that food is a really engaging topic, not least because we all have to eat it several times a day. Aside from showing them the interior of your restaurant, what else can your team literally bring to the table?

Perhaps you want to educate your followers on how to create the perfect pasta. You could even launch a competition, whereby someone who tunes in and correctly guesses a question relating to 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 your customers what they can expect if they book with you. And by asking them to tag a friend to bring along in the comments this will up the viewer count even more. Eating is a sociable, fun experience so make sure your live video content reflects this. 

Conclusion

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, so what’s the solution? Here at Stampede, our software can help collate customer information through a customised portal. Allowing you to understand and stay in touch with your customers through insightful marketing data. 

Ready to make your restaurant centre stage? Sign up for your free trial today and discover how Stampede can skyrocket your marketing potential. Our technology is simple to set up and use and will allow you to increase your sales and customer loyalty. From live video to email marketing – staying clued up about who your audience is could not be a bigger advantage when it comes to filling tables at your restaurant. 

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