Over the past few years, it’s become clear venues and restaurants that succeed in social media blow their competition out of the water. Through ads, Instagram posts, and web content, hospitality businesses can catch the eye of more customers. But for Ryan Bishti, CEO of London’s premier hospitality innovators at The Cream Group, social media platforms like Instagram have become more than just an electronic billboard advertising his venue’s location or services. Thanks to some creativity and exceptional client experiences, Bishti’s turned customers into marketers for The Cream Group brand.
Having customers share their venue on social media is the goal for a business owner. But too often, it can seem like a challenge. How does a restaurateur entice a customer to upload a picture of their meal? How does an entertainment venue encourage customers to share a performance they recently saw on Instagram? These questions plague a business owner trying to develop a social media and marketing presence.
Cracking the Code
Ryan Bishti has cracked the code on turning customers into a dynamic source of public marketing. Since the advent of his entrepreneurial career, Bishti has worked to break boundaries and build businesses that do something different. His business ventures have gone global thanks in part to his dedication to one rule: building social media into the business.
The power of social media has only grown in the last decade. For Ryan Bishti and The Cream Group, it’s a core component of staying at the forefront of trends. Facebook, Instagram, and other social media titans aren’t going anywhere. Like any savvy entrepreneur, Bishti makes use of social media in all the conventional ways. Tools like infographics, videos, and ads all play a role in advertising his venues. But RyanBishti understands what turns a potential customer into an actual customer isn’t always an ad but another customer. So Bishti says he made it a point to develop a business model that encourages customers to use their social media.
How Ryan Bishti Earns Those Tweets
But how exactly does Ryan Bishti earn that “like” or “tweet”? It requires a high level of tenacity and adaptability and a willingness to change with the trends. Bishti likes to point to the diversity in his projects as an example of these skills. After all, his Knightsbridge restaurant venture requires a different approach than his entertainment venues. To Bishti, it’s all about creating a unique, interactive experience at every venue for every client. Businesses have to provide such an extraordinary experience that customers want to share their good time with others online.
Because of this dedication, customers to any one of Bishti’s venues are treated to unique aesthetics, entertainment, and cuisine that evolves to stay at the forefront of the industry. Providing this unique experience is part of Ryan Bishti’s signature and goals — he knows a stagnant business will fade, so he focuses on creating businesses devoted to staying fresh that can adapt and keep up with the ever-changing trends of hospitality and entertainment.
Bishti’s methods are certainly compelling. Some people visit his venues just for the opportunity to snap a pic and share it online. It’s not hard to see why. The Cream Group’s venues take aesthetic and customer experience to unparalleled levels. Take The Windmill Soho — a historic London building that now hosts extravagant theatrical performances paired with Michelin star-quality food. Every performance is unique, every dish inventive, and every second an opportunity for customers to share their experience on social media.
Take a Selfie!
Much of Ryan Bishti’s success comes from crafting an interactive, engaging experience at his venues from the ground up. His venues incorporate design features of the space to promote social media engagement from customers. For example, creating a dedicated “selfie space” or open area with vibrant decorations as a backdrop for a customer’s visit tells a customer, “Yes, you are welcome to share your story — we want to hear it too!”
This appeal to customers is an unspoken investment in their experience, as much as it is a request for their engagement. The customer always has a goal when visiting a venue. Perhaps it’s to have a fantastic birthday party, or maybe they’re there to celebrate a decade of marriage — all Instagram-worthy events. Whatever the reason, they chose that venue with the expectation it would fulfill their goal.
How Ryan Bishti Turns Customers Into Marketers
Every promise fulfilled to a customer ensures the likelihood of coveted social media shares. As a hospitality innovator, Ryan Bishti seeks to make good on that expectation, that promise, for every customer. He does so by sticking to his cardinal rule: providing something not already on the market that entertains and excites people and does it well. He has an excellent track record of filling those niches. New concepts like an interactive experience to theatrical fine dining have brought a breath of fresh air to London’s entertainment circuit and customers looking for a night of adventure and novelty.
When it comes to turning customers into marketers, Ryan Bishti’s methods work. His venues and brands stay present and provide a moment of engagement and escapism outside the norms of life for his customers. By creating exhilarating, fresh experiences, Ryan ensures every moment at one of his venues is a memory customers want to catch on camera.
