Where do you want to go eat?

This question gets asked more than we think it does. Every single couple, group of friends or even first dates will experience this dreadful question.

The possible answers are in a constant battle of “I don’t know” or “You choose” or “I’m happy with anything” – even though you low-key want to go to that Mexican place with the soft tacos.

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You see… Most of the time, it’s difficult to pick a place to eat because you may not know where to even begin looking. I personally like to use Instagram or Zomato to grab ideas.

With social media growing rapidly, we are all equipped with apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr etc. These platforms have become the greatest weapons a business will use in order to draw you into buying their products or using their service.

Well, here’s the game changer. Not only are they going to convince you to buy unnecessary products and services, but they’re also going to tell you where you should go eat too.

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Hootsuite, a social media management platform, discovered that 71% of customers base their purchasing decisions from what they find out on social media. Apparently, using Instagram can grow a business’ audience by up to ten times.

Now, we all know how Instagram runs nowadays. It is full of social media influencers who will showcase their make up skills, beautiful athletic bodies or aesthetically pleasing homes to draw in consumers. Instagram has basically become the home-ground of using the hashtag “goals” and seeing the comment “omg want”.

So, it makes sense that now restaurants, bars, and hotels are leveraging these influencers to draw attention to their established businesses. “Hotels, bars, and restaurants are tagged every 28 seconds on Instagram”, says Hootsuite.

And I guess at this point you’re probably wondering, “What does this all mean?”

Basically, it means that as a consumer we are changing the way we make decisions. We are moving away from research, hardcore evidence and our own experiences. As social media rises, consumers are looking at follower count, amount of likes, positive/negative comments and reviews, how often it’s shared, and even who the influencer is.

Social media has given us (consumers) the ability to jump onto any band-wagon even if it’s “all show, no result”, as long as there are lots of followers, likes, and shares.

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If you’re a business entering into social media, here’s some advice:

• Be social – What I mean by this is, actively post photos, videos, and read and respond to comments from customers.
• Choose your platform carefully – You don’t want to be stuck with a platform that consumers don’t use or can’t all access.
• Plan, plan, plan – There is nothing more embarrassing than seeing an amazing flat-lay of brunch and seeing a spelling mistake in the description.
• Be consistent – Ensure that your activity aligns with what your business is about.
• Prepare to spend money, time & energy – There’s a 24/7 expectation from customers who will want to be endlessly entertained.
• Keep it simple & easy to understand – You don’t want something complicated that causes confusion in your customers.

So, the next time you hear or ask the question “Where do you want to go eat?” be sure to check out what the latest hype is.

Until next time, click this post to leave a comment and give this post a like! 

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