In an age of constant communication, your restaurant can greatly benefit from a strategic, on-brand social media presence. By evaluating your primary customer base, developing a content strategy, and reviewing audience interactions, you can transform curious followers into loyal customers. Take into consideration the following tips for effective restaurant social media when creating your own strategy.

Restaurant Social Media Strategy

If you’re choosing to engage with customers online, you must create a social media strategy first. Having a strategy in place beforehand prevents you and your team from sharing content sporadically, engaging unprofessionally, and missing crucial marketing opportunities.

Consider the following as you create a concrete strategy for your restaurant’s online presence:

Social Media Marketing for Restaurants

Below we go through 9 social media ideas for your restaurant. Browse through these tips to create posts and campaigns that will excite your followers, bring back guests, and bring in new ones.

Invest in a Professional Photographer

To get your Instagram started, consider hiring a professional photographer to stock up on high-quality images.

Utilize Food Photography Techniques

If taking your own food photos, research proper food photography techniques. Using natural light, action shots, proper angles, and adhering to your brand are all essential.

Hold Contests

To create buzz and spread the word about your restaurant, hold contests where your followers have to tag a friend or share your post. For example, ask your followers to share your latest post on their page or Instagram story for a chance to win a free dessert, and randomly select a winner which you can announce on your page. Alternatively, you can have your followers tag a friend on your post, which will expose them to your page and can increase your following.

Include Front-of-House Photos

Post action or scenario images of the front of the house when possible to allow the viewer to picture themselves in your restaurant. You can even include staged photos of a "cheers," share photos of your busy nights, or include images that emphasize your unique interior design.

Use Natural and Candid Photos

Don’t shy away from candid, natural, unedited, or humorous photos taken by servers or staff. This can add a personal touch to your posts that will help guests feel like a part of your community. Get staff involved with images and videos to further emphasize this. Giving followers a behind-the-scenes or real-time peek into your restaurant’s functioning makes them feel more connected to your business.

Ask for Your Followers’ Input

Ask your followers for their thoughts and opinions. Thinking of trying out a new dish? Include a poll or ask followers to comment what they would be most interested in. Curious what your guests' favorite dish is? Ask your followers for their thoughts and opinions!

Share Stories and Interesting Facts About Your Business and Staff

Consider including customer photos, employee profiles, anecdotes, and stories about your business to create riveting, personal content that guests will look forward to.

Inspire and Utilize User-Generated Content

Encourage guests to post photos from their visit to your restaurant and to use a hashtag specific to your business or tag your business on their post. You can make this into a contest, and choose the “best photo” or randomly select a winner. You can also simply remind guests to use a certain hashtag. Not only does this spread word about your restaurant to their followers, but it creates more content that you may use for your profile. Just be sure to ask customers before reposting their photos under your own profile, and always give credit to the original poster.

Take Advantage of Relevant Topics

Participate in national food days such as National Pizza Day, National Ice Cream Day, or whatever day is most relevant to your menu. Take part in buzzworthy topics such as upcoming sporting events and holidays.

Social Media Etiquette for Your Restaurant

As fun and laid back as social media can be, always remember that this is still a professional space when representing your business. As a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t act differently online than how you would in the middle of your restaurant.

Treat everyone you interact with online as a potential customer. Give them the same respect as you would someone eating in your dining room. This goes for those posting about a positive experience or followers who may be providing you with some critical feedback.

If you’ve decided that a certain social media channel isn’t right for your business, do not simply abandon your profile. An old, outdated profile can look unprofessional or lazy to potential customers who stumble upon it. This can leave the impression that you don’t care enough about your business to maintain a solid online presence or that your business may be closed. Instead of abandoning a profile, simply delete it altogether.

Because social media is always changing, it can feel like a challenge to learn the differences between every channel and the best practices for each. In fact, staying up-to-date on the latest features, creating unique content, and monitoring your success can feel like a full-time job. But even devoting a small amount of time and resources to your online presence can create a positive impact on your ability to reach new customers and create a great relationship with them.

• On-Brand Voice and Aesthetic. Your brand determines how you will show up on social media. It impacts how you speak in a tweet or post as well as the aesthetic of your restaurant’s social media pages. Your brand encompasses your restaurant’s identity, personality, and mission, and your social media presence should reflect all of those facets.
  • If you operate a fast-casual establishment that is brightly lit and contemporary, your page may mimic this by including bright photos with an on-the-go appeal to them; perhaps you also include short, witty quotes.
  • If you run a farm-to-table, rustic-style restaurant with an extensive local beer selection, your page may feature darker or more neutral colors. You might also include statements and posts that express why your business supports this seasonal, local approach.
• Quality. Give your followers valuable content that relates to your brand. Sharing interesting, thoughtful posts gives people a reason to continue following and interacting with your page. Avoid appearing spammy by posting high-quality photos which include authentic and thoughtful captions. Whether you are sharing an upcoming event or a new dish, the post as a whole is an art. The image, caption, and purpose of sharing should together provide something meaningful, useful, interesting, or entertaining to followers.
• Responsiveness. How quickly can people expect you to respond to their comments, posts, or direct messages? However diligently you choose to check your social media, be sure to make your response times consistent. In general, it’s good to try to respond to customer inquiries within a few hours to one day.
• Engage Your Followers. Emphasizing the importance of your followers to them can bring back customers and bring in new ones. Offer special discounts and prizes with contests for your followers. Not only does this create more loyal guests, but Instagram’s algorithm rewards actual engagement on the app. When followers engage with your posts and stories, Instagram interprets that your feed is popular and will show your post to more of your followers. In addition, your posts will be more likely to show up for your hashtags, allowing your business to expand outside of your existing network.
• Think like your customers. Focus on understanding your audience and what it is they actually want to see when scrolling through their feed. Through a bit of research or some trial and error, you can then begin to understand what types of posts they’re most likely to interact with.
  • Protip from Agora Downtown: “Try to stay on top of current trends and incorporate them into your social media presence. It can add some humor, which helps put a face to your business. Also, it's nice to take a break from focusing on products or services and instead just focus on making your customers laugh!”
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