Are you a restaurant owner looking for some help with social media? IT’S A LOT OF WORK, I know. But, your industry is one of the TOP industries that benefit from posting regularly to social platforms! So, I’m going to give you 5 tips on things you absolutely need to know about social media marketing.
1. People Eat With Their Eyes First
Photos really sell your food. And people eat 3 meals a day, they get hungry (or bored) on a daily basis, and they have a natural desire for your offerings! With social platforms like Instagram, Facebook & Tiktok there’s a lot of opportunity to entice your audience and persuade them to buy your gourmet dishes. If your food looks good, the customers will bite. Simple enough. And posting once in a while is not good enough! That’s why Snickers has commercials. We all know snickers exist, we enjoy them (a lot) but we STILL need a reminder they exist.
If you really want to maximize your potential to reach your customers, I’d recommend hiring a professional to take monthly photos that can be used for marketing purposes. You can hire someone like me, a food photographer and content marketer, to make sure your food looks TASTY. The key to good food photos is lighting, composition & clarity. Food needs to look like edible, like it is in person (no color casts), and be photographed in a clean environment suitable for devouring.
2. When You Post Is Important
If you’re strategic about when you post, you will be more successful! You can refer to analytics for info on when your audience is available. That’s a great start. Another thing to keep in mind is when people typically order from you. If you’re a breakfast place you might consider posting in the morning, or evening so people have the time to make the decision to visit your establishment. Some customers make split-second decisions, some like to plan. You can also create anticipation with your timing. Create multiple posts dropping hints about new dishes, specials, events, etc so your followers have a reason to check back in. The excitement around your offerings will push them to order from you!
I would encourage restaurants to post something daily. If you have daily specials, post them! If you have weekly events, create a buzz around them by regularly sharing the news! You can use social media like a visual bulletin board.
3. Link Directly to Ordering
If you offer online ordering or take reservations online, you should without a doubt link directly to the ordering or reservation page on your social media accounts. This encourages ACTION. Those pages should also have pics of food and your offerings so people who aren’t familiar with you will have some references. You want to make it as EASY as possible for your customers to spend their money. There are so many options out there for food, you have to make the ordering process SEAMLESS.
4. Strategic Partnerships
One of the cooler things I see restaurants doing is collaborating with brands to cross-promote. A more traditional cross-promotion could be a bakery partnering with a coffee brand, but I would encourage thinking outside of the box to boost your reach. Seek partnerships with brands whose customers have a similar lifestyle/interest to your restaurant. For example, a coastal eatery could partner with a surf company. Or a pub could partner with a guitar shop.
5. Include Humans
Quality food photography is going to draw the customers in. But, social media is also about connection and community- so don’t forget to add a human element to your posts! If your customers post pics of themselves enjoying their food- repost them ASAP on Instagram stories. Add photos of your employees serving food or having fun. Don’t forget to tell your restaurant’s story and get your brand’s personality out there. People will be drawn to your personality, so make sure at least a quarter of your posts feature images of people, groups, or community events.
Hope you enjoyed reading about these 5 social media tips for restaurants looking to market their business and connect with their followers! If you want to learn more, contact me and I’ll get back to you ASAP. I love helping others and spreading helpful knowledge. So feel free to share and follow on social media!