Sell Takeaway via Facebook without paying for ads

The food business is more competitive than ever. Online advertising has become a must for everyone who wants to stay in business. The good news is, attracting the consumer’s attention doesn’t have to cost a fortune!

Let’s look at a few simple and FREE ways to boost your business’ Facebook exposure and help you sell more takeaway!

Setup a Facebook page for your restaurant

Start with the basics. Create a business profile on Facebook if you still don’t have one and fill out your restaurant information.

When it comes to selling Takeaway, make sure to highlight in the business description that your restaurant offers takeaway. The next step is to add all the necessary information people need to order food - add your takeaway ordering website, phone number, working hours and address.

Add a “Shop now” button

Adding a call to action button on your Facebook business page is essential. Why? Because this button is made to provoke the user to take action - it’s the biggest button on your page, it’s located on the top of the page and it’s in a different colour.

Adding a “Shop now” button is the easiest way to redirect people to your takeaway page.

Manage Tabs and Sections

Many people underestimate how much Facebook Tabs offer. Tabs appear at the top of your Facebook page and allows you to highlight photos, videos and much more.

Here is which tabs your restaurant’s business page must have:

• Menu - Facebook allows you to upload a photo or a PDF file of your menu. This is a super easy way for your followers to review your menu and contact you to order food.
• Offers - Facebook offers are a great way to give a discount to your Facebook followers. You can choose what type of discount you want to offer, add a description and an expiration date. Offers are a great way to attract new clients and improve your customer retention on takeaway!
• Reviews - Enabling people to leave reviews of your food is a must these days. More and more people decide if they want to try a new food place based on reviews.
  Don’t be discouraged that people may leave negative reviews. There will always be unsatisfied customers. It’s important to respond to these posts and show that you care about your guests and their good experience.
  

And again, why are these specific tabs so important for takeaway sales?

Often people decide to try new food places because their friends or colleagues recommended them.

When people, who don’t have any prior connection to your restaurant, stumble across your Facebook page, they would be interested in seeing your menu, seeing what reviews people left and a discount will give them that extra push to place a takeaway order.

Set up Facebook Messenger for business

Facebook Messenger for business is a great way to provide quality customer service, answer any questions about your menu and delivery options and most importantly, it’s another way to accept takeaway orders.

Try to respond to your customers as soon as possible. This way you will increase your chances of making a sale. Remember to schedule automatic away messages for the times when your restaurant is closed.

Now that you have created a solid foundation for your Facebook business page .. the fun can begin!

Content tricks that sells

The restaurant industry has a fantastic advantage to other industries when it comes to social media content. Everyone likes pictures of delicious food. Also your product - the menu card - changes a few times a year, meaning you always have fresh content!

With all that said, let’s focus on a few content tricks that will help you sell your takeaway food.

• Create attention grabbing visuals - set up a beautiful plate, choose the right background, find a spot with good natural light.
• Add text to the pictures you share - adding the word “takeaway” in a picture of food, instantly plant in the mind of the receiver the idea that they can have this dish for dinner.
• Optimize your post descriptions - tell people what the dish in the picture is and answer all questions they may have about your takeaway service. Does your restaurant offer takeaway only or delivery is possible? What are your working hours for the day? Mention any offers you may have that day and add a link to your takeaway website or a phone number.
• Use stories to boost your Facebook presence. Use pictures of your dishes to remind people that they can order takeaway tonight. Facebook offers a “swipe up” function that can redirect your followers to your takeaway ordering page.
• Share customer reviews - it’s one of the best ways to trigger people’s curiosity about your food.

It’s important to make it as easy as possible for your Facebook followers to order your takeaway food.

Even if it is repetitive to add your website and working hours, think that some people will be seeing your post for the first time and they will need that information. The reality is that consumers are lazy, so make sure that the only effort they have to make, to see your takeaway menu, is to press on a link.

When it comes to running a Facebook business page, it’s the small things that make the big difference. Will your page sell takeaway or will it just show your delicious food - it will be what you make out of it.