Posts Categorized: Food blogs

Takeaways from Eat Drink Blog 3

Posted by & filed under Food blogs.

The SA Tourism Minister Gail Gago talks to food bloggers. Who’d have thought it? The South Australian Minister for Tourism Hon Gail Gago speaking to 90 or so food bloggers at Eat Drink Blog 3 conference. Mind you I was also surprised by Meat and Livestock’s sponsorship and more particularly their invitation to anyone who wanted to to visit a beef feedlot – I certainly plan to take up that offer. And let’s not mention the food writer who referred to Gago as “hon” most of the night. It was an amazing effort from local bloggers Christina Soong-Kroeger and Amanda McInerney and their team. There was a lot to learn from the conference although for me it was also a great opportunity to see many bloggers I hadn’t seen in a while and to also catch up with many new ones who I wanted to meet. I’ve been a bad blogger the past few years as I haven’t engaged with people through comments and Twitter like I used to. But the conference reignited my passion. I suspect we can all remember the community aspect as we get back to commenting and linking between each other. Simon Leong’s, from Simon’s Food Favourites, video of Eat Drink Blog 2012. In no particular order: 1. Food blogging as with all social media is about participating in and building a community. Half the work in terms of hours is writing the post. The other half is promoting that post (not forgetting keyword analysis if you are into that kind of thing). It’s about passion and nowadays (unlike when I started) about finding a compelling niche. 2. In recipe writing, list the order of ingredients in the order that you use them. Ensure none are left out or left unused. 3. Natural light is the best way to take great food photos. You don’t even need a tripod, let alone a light box thingy. 4. Use simple sheets of paper as a backdrop and shoot from the side rather than on top. You don’t need a warehouse full of props. 5. Use depth of field which gives a blur effect in the back of a picture. 6. The rules of blog design are quite simple. People look top left of a site first so whatever you want them to do put it there. If you want email sign-ups make it big and at the top… Read more »

27 social media tips for restaurants

Posted by & filed under Advertising, Food blogs, Restaurants.

Broadcast across multiple social media platforms thanks to Instagram. Today I’m on a panel at Food Service Austalia with Matteo Pignatelli and Robelen Baja talking about social media and marketing for restaurants and caterers. My specific topic is how to deal with negative comments but also how to use social media. I know this is a little off topic from restaurant reviews and recipes but I thought my thoughts jotted down over a couple of coffees (Sumatran Wahana Estate Magic at Proud Mary) would be of interest to a lot of my industry readers. Plus they apply to most industries. 1. Social media is the quickest most direct way to pull people into your restaurant. 2. Social media magnifies word of mouth exponentially through sharing tools such as the simple Facebook like button or the retweet. 3. If nothing else, claim your social media real estate (names) and start listening to what people are saying. 4. Set the rules and ensure your staff know them. This means no trolling (negative comments about competitors), being clear on photography (allow it), ensuring staff don’t leave anonymous comments on websites and how to handle negatives. 5. Most negative comments can be ignored. Whatever you do, do not become shitty and become involved in an argument online. Not only does it look bad but it will drain you emotionally. 6. Ideally take a deep breath and wait a few days before deciding to respond to negative comments. Talk it through with a friend. 7. Don’t threaten anything or even think about contacting lawyers. It will go viral. 8. Be nice. 9. The most important barometer to the public’s perceptions of your restaurant is Urban Spoon thanks to it’s simple voting and bringing together of critic reviews, blog reviews and user reviews. If you score under 60 per cent you are in trouble. 10. Deal sites can drive people to your restaurant but the cost are high – they take about 50% of an already discounted price. They may also have a negative effect of public perceptions depending on the site. 11. However, there are boutique deals and they may serve as a good introduction to your restaurant and introduce you to a new audience. Agenda is one of these. 12. Instead of confining your newsletter to a limited audience let everybody see it by making your website your newsletter. 13. If you have a… Read more »