PR Tips for the Socially-Active Chef

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Gone are the days when chefs can be seen only behind their stoves or mingling in front of their restaurants with their customers.  Nowadays, you will see them appearing not only in the television and on the radio, but also in the Internet as well.  Because of the popularity that the media gave them, more and more people are becoming interested on how to become a successful chef.

Short of becoming a Gordon Ramsey, or a Jaime Oliver, or even Wolfgang Pucks of the culinary world, there are a variety of ways that you can get your name out there.  Of course, you will need to have the culinary talents and skills to back you up, as this is the biggest thing that you will need in order to be a successful chef.  However, there are some things that you can do to speed your way up to fame and popularity.

Maximize the Use of the Internet

Getting your very own food and cooking show at one of the biggest television networks is really a monumental task to undertake; however, this does not mean that you cannot start small.  By small, I mean the Internet.

There are a number of very effective social media and networking sites that you can take advantage of.  For one, there are Facebook and MySpace.  The bigger the number of fans you accumulate, the more popular you become.  Another important social media “tool” that is a must-have is a Twitter account.  Just like Facebook and MySpace, the more followers you have, the more interaction you get with your followers, and the more popular you also become.

The important “personal relation” or PR tip to remember when you make use of the Internet is to draw in your audience, make them feel as if they are inside the kitchen with you.  After all, a very interactive and interesting “network” is what will keep their attention.

Here are some ways on how this could be done:

1. Talk about your job.  This will make you seem more “human” to them, not just an entity behind the Internet, as you share stories of your daily life and your job.
2. Share with them any changes that you make in your menus.  This will make them anticipate the changes the next time they visit your restaurant.
3. Ask your audience about their opinions and what they would like to see next on their plates.  The interaction with them is sure to make them feel like a part of your life, too.
4. Post behind-the-scenes photos of your restaurant.  This will surely make your audience feel more at ease with you as you draw them into your restaurant’s kitchen.
5. Share photos of some of your most delectable meals.  This way, your audience will have you and your delicious meals in mind when they visit your area.

By utilizing the Internet, you increase your customer base and make you more “endearing” to your online audience.  It will also generate not only interest but loyalty as well.

To Follow or Not to Follow Trends?

One good PR tip when it comes to trends is to simply FOLLOW IT.  Of course, this does not mean that you have to join whatever bandwagon is popular right now, but you also have to consider your objective, your audience, and your customers and base your changes on those.  This is more like “adapting” to the current situation.

Again, here are some good PR tips for trends:

1. Do not just jump into whatever the new trend is.  Instead, study your market and what your current customers want and take it from there.  One of the biggest mistakes that many chefs do is jumping on a trend only to find out later that it was a mistake, not a benefit.  Remember, once you have made a critical mistake, it will be double the effort to make things right again and gain credibility.
2. Because the trend right now is utilizing the social media and networking sites, you have to make sure that you are personally managing or at least keeping an eye on your accounts.  You can entrust the job to one of your staffs, of course, but you definitely would not want the horror stories of a staff taking to task one of the reviewers who dared to post a bad comment.  Remember, a huge number of people are going to see the “angry debates and heated exchanges,” and bad press could kill a good reputation.

Fame or Skill?

As I have said above, make sure that you have the necessary culinary skills and talents to back yourself up.  It would not you a lot of good to praise your cuisine and restaurant only to disappoint customers when they visit you.  Remember, if you have the culinary talent, customers will remember you for your delicious meals.  If you do not and yet you say that you have, customers will remember you for disappointing them.  If the latter happens, it would be so much more difficult to win them over the second time around.

For this reason, here are some PR tips that you can follow:

1. If you think that you are not quite there yet, then hone your culinary skills to prepare yourself and not disappoint your customers.
2. If you think you have the skill, then build your credibility.  Aside from creating an excellent land-based and online presence for yourself, make sure, too, that you join relevant groups and associations where you can build good connections with colleagues and people who have the same interest as yours.  As chefs, it is important that we become a member of reputable organizations such as the IACP or the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  You will get to learn a lot from their annual conferences and training sessions as well as build networks.  Join events, functions, charities, and whatever occasions that can get you contacts.  Lastly, do not be a wallflower.  You are there to meet people, so meet people is what you should do.

The Importance of PR

Because we depend on customers for our living, having excellent PR skills then becomes one of the most important things that we should consider.  This is a whole lot different from cooking, so it will do you a lot of good to learn from a PR consultant or read up on PR tips and advices on the Internet and incorporate them in your day-to-day life.  Chefs should not only have good manners and graciousness in their professional and personal lives, but they should also have the bravery to say sorry when they are wrong and thank you to people.

The most important PR tip therefore is to always work with honor and humility.  This way, others will also recommend and endorse you without the fear of putting their own reputations at stake.

Good PR will not only help your career grow as you prolong your stay in the limelight, but it will also help you stay there and keep the attention.

Image Credit: communities.canada.com

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