These days, there are few industries as competitive as the food and beverage trade. If you’re launching a new restaurant, you’re going to need more than just a glowing newspaper review and loudhailer to successfully launch your business into commercial success. Here are some tips on how to dominate the market using your social media accounts.
1. Identify the pros and cons of each platform
For example, Instagram provides a visual call-to-action that can transform a hungry viewer into a potential customer. Twitter, on the other hand, allows for quick quips that portray the restaurant in a more personable light.
2. Keep your social media accounts active
You want to stay in the mind of your customer. A post a day usually keeps the absence away. Of course, this depends on the type of social media account you’re using; studies have shown that it’s recommended to post a maximum of two Instagram posts or one Facebook post a day.
3. Showcase good content
Make sure your photos are clear, grammar is accurate and stories are worth listening to. No one has time for mediocre posts these days.
4. Remember to geotag and hashtag
Geotagging (or location tagging) helps customers locate your restaurant from anywhere in the world. Hashtags help to link up posts with similar themes or content and are a gift from the marketing gods, so learn to how to harness their power.
5. Keeping up with updates
There are always new ways to help you interact with your audience more efficiently. Features like Instagram stories, Instagram Live, Facebook Live and 360-degree photos (supported on Facebook) are designed to encourage audiences to be more engaging and have more immediate responses.
6. Know what applications work best for you
Hiring a professional photographer? Sure, but if you’re looking to keep costs low, you can always download photo editing apps like Foodie, Snapseed or VSCO to help enhance your photos. Whether you’re taking a top-down photo of a flat lay or an angled close-up, make sure your food photos look mouth-wateringly good.
