With over 1 billion active users each month and 100 million posts per day, the success of Instagram is no longer in doubt. This social network has become essential for maximizing the online visibility of a restaurant. In particular, when it comes to food, the #food hashtag on Instagram has over 250 million posts each month.
However, there are certain rules to follow on Instagram to make the most of it. Here are some tips on how to manage your restaurantâs Instagram account like a pro, attract new customers, and retain them.
1. Create a restaurant establishment account
The first thing to do is to list your restaurant on Instagram. Once your account is created, just select the âswitch to professional profileâ option and fill in the required information:
You must have a Facebook page to switch to a professional status.
This will allow you to access the statistical data of your account (number of views, number of profile visits following a post, number of clicks, etc.). You can also create advertisements and sponsorship campaigns, which can significantly increase your restaurantâs visibility.
Make it easy for users to identify you. Your username should correspond to the name of your restaurant (or be consistent with it), so that users can easily find you. Make your profile âpublicâ so that those who donât follow you can also see your posts (and start following you!). Remember to include essential information (restaurant phone number, opening hours, address, etc.) in your restaurantâs Instagram bio. Add a Linktree link to your bio. A single link that redirects the customer to your booking module, delivery, menu, website, or other. Now, you just need to use Instagram effectively to achieve your goals!
2. Post beautiful photos and videos to make people want to visit
Instagram is all about visuals: photos and videos that capture the interest of users. This is a great way for restaurateurs to entice their target customers to come to their restaurant. In fact, most professionals today work on the visual image of their restaurant on Instagram to increase their notoriety.
To attract customers with visual content, it must be of high quality, reflect the atmosphere of the restaurant, and showcase the delicious food on offer. Kafkaf and Bon Bouquet CafĂŠ, two brunch spots in Paris, have successfully turned Instagram into a real driver of notoriety. They showcase photos and videos that reflect the âfood pornâ of the plates by playing on textures and different angles of view, and the sunny atmosphere of the two restaurants. To achieve this, the founders called on photographer Patrik Sater, alias @thetravelbuds!
But how can you produce quality content without hiring an expert? Here are all our tips for doing it yourself!
3. Create a visual identity to build your online brand
The restaurantâs Instagram page must also directly convey the identity of the place to users. To do this, you must have a page with an aesthetic overview and a unique thread that will make people want to stay and check out your posts.
Use the same filter for all published photos: this creates a harmonious and coherent effect! Consistency in your editorial line is essential! In your posts, donât hesitate to appropriate words and expressions that differentiate you. This is how people will recognize you: you create your brand identity, just like the Dalmata Group does very well :
4. Talking to your subscribers to create a lasting connection
Engaging in dialogue with your subscribers and other Instagram users allows you to create a bond with them and build their loyalty. Identify what interests your audience, what your subscribers like, where they go, and what accounts they follow, and interact with them! Respond to their messages and comment on their photos to show that youâre interested in them. However, be careful not to overdo it and risk being considered spam.
To interact with your community, use the features provided by Instagram. In this regard, stories remain the best means! You can ask questions, ask for the opinions of users, launch quizzes, polls, countdowns⌠Not only will you get closer to your customers, but you will also please the social networkâs algorithm!
Weâve listed the 15 latest Instagram features to use without moderation here!
5. Encouraging customers to share content
A customerâs content about their experience in your restaurant has as much impact as a Google review. Authentic content that tends to convince future customers. So, indirectly encourage your customers to share about their visit. One of the best ways is to provide âinstagrammableâ elements, whether on the plate or in the room. For delivery or take away, use packaging, with a small note that specifies your Instagram handle⌠to encourage them to generate content.
Keep these âtestimonialsâ in anchored stories. They wonât disappear! Mama Nissa does this very well!
6. Posting delicious and entertaining content
Post photos of your dishes and make your subscribers salivate, giving them the impression that they are savoring them. Thatâs the whole point of food porn! Describe them in detail: smell, taste, consistency⌠Donât hesitate to be humorous, as content that makes people smile is always more successful. Big Mamma combines âFood pornâ and humor perfectly, generating excellent engagement rates on its posts:
7. Taking advantage of current events to raise awareness in your community
The calendar gives you many opportunities to share relevant content with your subscribers throughout the year. Because some events deserve to be highlighted by your establishment, both on-site and online content. Take the example of the Euro. Setting up a screening of the matches in the restaurant and promoting it on your social media: actions that respond to the demand of many customers, raise awareness, and generate traffic in your establishment. However, the highlighted events must remain relevant to your identity.
You can send your wishes for the new year, Christmas, celebrate Motherâs Day, Candlemas, Easter⌠Identify all the celebrations that could serve you and imagine creative posts to make your subscribers smile and engage with them. We also advise you to share your achievements with them: your chef winning a star, your restaurantâs anniversary⌠Youâll maintain a close relationship with your customers!
What are these key dates of the year not to be missed? Download the 2022 marketing calendar!
8. Sharing videos to reach and engage more accounts
Videos generate good engagement rates and reach more people. Very popular with internet users, videos show whatâs going on in the kitchen, dining room, or on the plate. So be creative to activate this effective conversion lever!
Moreover, Instagram rewards accounts that regularly post videos, particularly in the form of Reels. Reels consist of a short, playful video that strings together different video sequences! An ideal format to showcase your restaurant and gain notoriety!
The very food porn videos of Kafkaf and Bon Bouquet CafĂŠ reach tens of thousands of views and attract many customers to the restaurants every day.
As seen earlier, stories remain an effective way to strengthen your storytelling strategy by communicating directly with your customers. When youâre tagged in a customerâs story, donât hesitate to repost it on your own account by tagging them
Instagram is the social network of choice for restaurateurs. Here are some tips to strengthen the link with your subscribers and boost your restaurantâs online visibility. Share user-generated content (UGC) UGC is content generated by your customers. When they share a photo of a dish they enjoyed at your restaurant, repost it on your Instagram account, and tag them. It shows your followers not only the visit of different influencers but also that your customers are happy to have come to your establishment. This is a sign of trust for potential new customers!
9. Organize contests to increase your visibility
Contests help to quickly grow your audience and increase your restaurantâs online visibility! The interactive format of contests encourages subscribersâ participation and engagement. We recommend that you encourage participants to like your post, follow your restaurantâs page, and tag friends. If the prize to be won is attractive enough, you can also ask them to share your post with a dedicated hashtag. The Deia and Dalia restaurants use contests to increase their visibility, make their community happy and thank them.
10. Use relevant hashtags to maximize your visibility
When you publish content on your restaurantâs Instagram account, use hashtags. Some underestimate this practice, but hashtags actually value your content in the Instagram algorithm, which will promote your content more. Be careful to use relevant hashtags! Hashtags that refer to the content in question should illustrate each of your posts, ranging from very broad to more specific hashtags, to show that you are âplaying the gameâ of rotation that the algorithm values.
Here are some of the most popular food hashtags on Instagram:
#food: 480 million posts #foodporn: 285 million posts #instafood: 220 million posts #foodie: 215 million posts #yummy: 189 million posts
11. Create a dedicated hashtag for your restaurant to anchor your identity
The best example here is Big Mamma with its own hashtags for each restaurant #PinkMamma, #NapoliGang⌠each of which has thousands of posts. An excellent way to encourage users to specify your restaurant in their posts and ideal for collecting authentic content!
12. Share backstage content to strengthen the link with your subscribers
In addition to photos of your dishes, donât hesitate to share content on the backstage of your restaurant. Introduce members of your team, their personality, anecdotes, photos of your cooks in action during service⌠Itâs gratifying for your teams and helps to accentuate the human side and deepen the proximity with your community. Dalia restaurant regularly shares content on its team members. It presents a new person each week, their hobbiesâŚ
13. Share ephemeral content to generate interest
To attract new customers and retain them, you can publish exclusive content on your restaurantâs Instagram account: special offers, promotions, and news!
14. Collaborate with influencers and other industry players for more traffic
A relevant collaboration with an influencer will boost the visibility of your restaurantâs Instagram account, and ultimately, your restaurant. To be effective, you must carefully select influencers: âmacro or microâ influencers, the menu, and the spirit of your establishment must be in line with the type of content published by the influencer.
Which influencers to target? How to contact them? Find all our tips in this article.
Calling on food content creators allows you to improve your reputation through that of the influencer, which leads to an increase in traffic to your restaurant and thus the number of reservations, in a time frame that is almost immediate. This is an approach that requires a much lower budget than traditional advertising. Experienced intermediaries who know the ins and outs of social networks. A loyal community that deliberately follows the influencer, therefore an image far from intrusive advertising.
But itâs not just influencers! Collaborations with a chef, brand, or another restaurant are all the rage! They have become a very popular way to promote your restaurant. A strategic communication operation that allows you to reach a second audience! And the ephemeral effect of collaborations creates curiosity among consumers.
The Plus de Piment group embodies the perfect example! Present at ephemeral events, offering collaborations with recognized chefs, or even filming music videos in the restaurant kitchens.
15. Sponsor your content to reach a wider audience
Instagram offers businesses the opportunity to promote certain posts to reach a larger and targeted audience, quickly and at a reasonable cost. Just a few clicks are enough to make your posts visible to thousands of internet users. Combine this approach with your influencer strategy that requires more organization!
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