Editors Note: This post was written by Kyjean Tomboc. She will be contributing to the PayrollHero blog from time to time.

Whether you own a small diner or manage a large chain of restaurants, social media presence these days is the norm rather than an exception. This should not be a surprise, given that recent figures by Forbes reveal that a whopping 81 percent of the people they surveyed indicated that social media posts by family and peers influenced their purchase decisions.

Restaurants who opt not to embrace social media marketing will be surprised to find out that they still have a social media presence after all. Diners will inevitably tweet, post photos on Facebook or Instagram, and talk about their experience on Yelp.

To get ahead of the pack, a restaurant’s marketing team should do more than just create a Facebook account and wait for people to like their page. For social media to work on a restaurant’s favor, these two components are crucial – creating a unique brand voice and using this voice to create a dialogue, rather than a monologue, with your customers.

It’s all about engagement and being consistent with it!

Brique’s Modern Kitchen, a newcomer in Cebu’s dining scene, is one restaurant whose social media presence is a perfect example of what it means to be truly social in social media.

Distinct Brand Voice

Brique’s Modern Kitchen is not difficult to miss if you pass by Salinas Drive in Lahug. The same could be said of its social media presence. On its Instagram, the restaurant describes itself as a:

A Cebu based restaurant offering modern cuisine with a rustic touch. Brique is the perfect place to have good food in a relaxing atmosphere.

See what the folks at Brique’s did? In the first sentence, they identified what Brique aims to offer. Next, they highlighted what diners can expect when they visit the restaurant. This is a brilliant example of using social media as a medium to not just talk about what you do but also showcase what your customers can expect from your restaurant.

Exclusive Offers

Brique’s recently celebrated their first year milestone through a free entree of your choice if you share a photo with the #BriqueTurns1 hashtag on Instagram. Offers that are limited to certain social media platforms is one good way to sustain engagement with your followers.

Responsive to Customer Comments

Did we mention that Brique’s replies to each customer comment on their Facebook page? Whether it’s a positive or negative review from a diner, a quick response from the staff sends the message that a restaurant is genuinely concern of its patrons and the quality of the food they serve.

Kick-Ass Multimedia

Aside from high-quality photographs of items in their menu, real diners (not stock photos), and restaurant interiors, Brique’s has a chock-full of kick-ass videos in their Facebook page.

With storytelling as one of the core principles of digital marketing, Brique’s multimedia content are tools that help the brand show its human side and capture its audience’s attention. Stunning visual content elicits emotions and these emotions, in turn, influence purchasing decisions.

Brique’s Modern Kitchen is just one of the restaurants in Cebu who is optimizing social media for their benefit. What other restaurants are using similar social media strategies? Your opinions matter to us and we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!