Social media strongly influences customer behavior. In fact, brands can be built on social media channels. Similarly, established brands use social media to build recognition and increase sales. The restaurant industry is heavily influenced by this trend. There are several ways to approach social media for restaurants and Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for food photos. It’s simple to use and allows you to connect directly to your customers and better your brand.
Here are some tips to take your Instagram presence to the next level, along with businesses doing it right:
6 Tips to Improve Your Restaurant Marketing on Instagram
Focus on the first impression. A platform like this requires creativity and innovation. Here are a few tips to improve your instagram marketing:
- Post content on a regular basis – If you want your customers to connect with your brand and be consistently aware of it, post regularly. Maintain a schedule and be consistent to help gain new followers.
- Post quality content – The restaurant industry is competitive on Instagram. Posting quality photos and videos will increase your visitor engagement and consequently gain you more followers.
- Don’t be too “salsey” – You can post new dishes to built interest, but be subtle about how you message. It comes across more genuine if you share content from a conversational angle rather than a salesy one.
- Interact with your followers – Interact with your customers! This will demonstrate the human nature of your brand. It will make you more approachable among customers.
- Use your story – Instagram Stories are a newer but but useful feature. It helps you communicate with customers in a different way. Instagram Stories provide a great opportunity to play with different elements that make photos and videos more interesting.
- Run targeted ads – Ads are a great way to expose your brand to people with similar interests to your customers. These people are your potential customers and can easily be turned into regular ones.
Examples from Top Restaurants on Instagram
Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s social media presence has always been ahead of the curve. Taco Bell chose a creative way to display their food and brand position on Instagram. Targeting the younger demographic, they often leverage experiential photos and humor.
Piada Italian Street Food
Piada Italian Street Food has a classic take on their Instagram profile. They know what people like and they stick to it. Pasta, pasta, and more pasta! The brand posts frequently and their photos and videos are high-quality. This tells their audience that their food is high quality as well. They also interact with their audience occasionally and are not “salsey” on their posts.
Shake Shack
Shake Shack is a great example of embracing everything the customer base cares about. For example, a new initiative to eliminate plastic straws is emphasized. Photos are high-quality and food is always at the center of attention. Shake Shack also has story highlights.
Dominos
Let’s face it. It’s hard to mess up an Instagram account dedicated to pizza, but Dominos goes beyond that. Their frequent posting schedule and vibrant photos make their account a delight. On top of that, they often use popular slang and speak to their young audience in a way that feels closer and more personal.
Author Bio: Ujëbardha Bekolli is passionate about lifelong learning and self-development. She writes for Kiwi, a restaurant LMS that aims to help restaurant owners train their staff in an easier and more effective way. Moreover, they offer online training courses for different Restaurant services.