Some helpful social media tips came out of a recent “Summer Brand Camp Conference” as reported by Nation's Restaurant News.  Here they are, along with some of our own thoughts-

Facebook is still the most favored platform.  There are others, but Zuckerberg's baby seems to pay off the most.  Our guess is that both your kids and your grandma are on Facebook.  It's easy to use.  Twitter, while popular, is perceived as slightly more technical.

Simplicity is key.  Short and visual messages often get the best response.  The top Facebook post for Buffalo Wild Wings was a tantalizing photo of a glass of beer and the post: "Mmmmmm, Beer."  People love pictures.

Social media should be a conversation - not a sales pitch.  If you’re always trying to hawk your product, people find it annoying.

Resist the urge to jump right in and defend you restaurant against a negative post.  Other customers may step in to defend you, which looks better and may prevent you from getting into an online squabble.

Folks love video, and everyone can be a videographer with a smartphone.  Some smartphones even allow you to edit videos on the device.  Tell customers if they make a good video about your restaurant, you’ll post it online.

Integrate social media with other marketing efforts.  If you’re advertising anything offline, you should include your social media information too.

More than one location?  It might be best for each location to conduct their own social media efforts if each has its own character.  A sandwich shop in an industrial center will have a much different vibe than the same brand in a college town.

These suggestions are quick and easy, but remember – all markets are different – do what works best for your restaurant.

This quote is particularly telling about one of the main benefits of online ordering:
“Maximizing the number of customers who are engaged with the brand and come into the restaurant at least once per month, as a percentage of your total customer base, is what differentiates restaurants on the metrics that we monitor," said Dan Meichenbaum of Dectiva, a California-based research firm. "Preventing customers from becoming lapsed customers is critical to sales and ongoing brand success.”

It reminds us of one of the most important aspects of NetWaiter: It helps you take good customers and make them better ones.

According to a 2011 study by Cornell University, the top two reasons consumers use NetWaiter is convenience and speed.  Customers know they can get their takeout order without hassle, and they can get it quickly.

We'd like to add another reason - Reliability.

Once customers know they can rely on your restaurant for an easy takeout experience, they have less incentive to change.  Make it simpler by adding the ability to order with their smartphones (a feature provided to all NetWaiter clients) and you will further establish your restaurant as reliable and convenient.  Combined, these efforts make it difficult for another restaurant to lure them away.

"An alarming number of customers order online four and five times a week," says Charlie Olson, owner of Blue Moon Burgers in Seattle, WA (and NetWaiter client).  "The customer always has the right menu in front of them, and the order is always accurate.  If the customer pays online, then they just come into the store and grab their bag, and they're gone."