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Don't just "do" social media. You should have a strategy. And here's a 6-point one that works.

Last updated July 07, 2023 · By Dylan Blake

The last two weeks we picked Rob Austin's brain about the proven goal and process he uses for social media and 6 simple marketing efforts he's recently used at Leader Bar, a neighborhood pub in Irving Park, CHI.

This week, still thirsty, we're returning to Rob's knowledge well to talk about social media strategy—what to post, when/how often to post, how to post about events, etc. In our conversation we sort of coalesced around 6 points that a bar, restaurant, and brewery can use to develop their social media strategy:

  1. If you take away just one thing from this week's newsletter, make it this: don't assume people are riveted to your social media profiles. They aren't. They're riveted to their devices and their feeds. If you want to get in front of them, you need to post often so that you happen to catch them while they're scrolling.
  2. What should I post? Show people what it's like in your bar/restaurant/brewery. What's the space like? What is the food like? What can you drink when you're there? What can they do? Are there TVs? Pool tables? When planning your posts, return to those questions.
  3. When? How often? 5-6 times per week. 1 post a week isn't enough. If that's all you can do, then you might as well just not do it.
  4. What about with events? Post at least a couple times days before your events. If your event is on Saturday, post about it for the first time by Wednesday at the latest. Too often event posting doesn't happen until day-of, once people have already made their plans.
  5. Shared calendar. If you don't have one already, get one going at your business. Rob prefers Google calendar. This helps with social media in 2 ways: first, you can plan out your next week or two of posting really easily, meaning day-of all you need to do is post, not think about what to post. Second, sharing the calendar with your team means they can add events to it. If everything's on that central calendar, then it's easy for you post smartly about upcoming events.
  6. Bonus tip: Include your logo in your posts as much as possible. The better folks know your logo, the easier it is for them to recognize you and start creating an emotional relationship with your brand.

Check out the interview clip for more detail from Rob on his go-to social media strategy: