Anyone that uses Twitter already knows that Twitter recently launched the live streaming app Periscope for iPhone and announced that there is already an Android version in the works.
What does this mean for the restaurant industry? A lot, but we will get to that in a minute.
First, let’s talk about live streaming of content. This is basically the ability for anyone, anywhere in the world to instantly stream through their smartphone what is happening in their life in real time.
Live Streaming Content is Everywhere
Take a look around at some of the more popular YouTube and other live streaming networks online and see how the people in the videos are instantly sharing information about local hot spots, attractions and restaurants.
With live streaming and Twitter’s new live streaming app, Periscope, fast becoming the hottest trend, you can be sure that your guests will be live streaming their visits to your restaurant. From the very moment they are greeted by your host staff to the time they are bid farewell with a full stomach and a smile on their face, their friends, family and everyone else who follow them on social.
If you just took a step back and imagined what all that entails, that’s a good thing. It shows that you care about your guests’ dining experience and want them to be completely satisfied with every visit. This is something that will show up in the live streaming video and it will show in every interaction they have with your staff.
This can be both good and bad.
Good in a sense that you are getting virtually free advertising as your guests are doing a live promotion for your restaurant and hopefully enticing more customers to visit.
Bad in the sense that anything that goes wrong or any customer or food service that goes awry, will instantly be spread throughout the social media realm for people everywhere to see. (If you listen closely, you can hear restaurant managers everywhere gasping in fear.)
But remember, live streaming information can be a restaurant owner’s best friend so embrace it and be prepared for Twitter’s live streaming app on guests smartphones to start showing up in your dining room soon.
Prepare Your Restaurant for Live Content
How do you prepare yourself for something like this?
Be sure that if you are offering free WiFi at your establishment, monitor your bandwidth to ensure that you have enough to support your guests live streaming usage.
Then, be sure to train your staff and explain to them what to expect with this new technology and guest behaviour. Increase your customer service and reinforce what you expect your public perception to be.
Be sure that if you are offering free WiFi at your establishment, monitor your bandwidth to ensure that you have enough to support your guests live streaming usage. Then, be sure to train your staff and explain to them what to expect with this new technology and guest behaviour. Increase your customer service and reinforce what you expect your public perception to be.
Then, be sure to train your staff and explain to them what to expect with this new technology and guest behaviour (guests will be seen speaking to a phone and might not hear you or seem distracted). Increase your customer service and reinforce what you expect your public perception to be. Give your staff a hands-on demonstration of this app and how to interact with guests who are live streaming.
Finally, you can even use this latest trend of live streaming content in your restaurant as a way to engage and attract your guests to your restaurant. Whether you show a glimpse into what happens behind the scenes with your chefs preparing food, or you preview the day’s specials by having your staff get together for a warm greeting to potential diners, Periscope can be used to get the word out and drive more traffic to your restaurant.
You can even live stream special events that your restaurant is hosting and bring in that extra crowd that might have missed out otherwise.
Of course, for this to be successful, you need to have your restaurant on twitter and a twitter following. Perhaps, this is the time to take a good look and evaluate twitter marketing as part of your the restaurant digital marketing strategy.
Now your turn!
What do you think this new technology and live streaming trend among youngsters impacts your restaurant? And, what steps are you taking to adopt this at your business?
We would love to hear from you; use the comment section below to share your thoughts.
