Social media platforms are an important part of social media strategy for many business owners, but few restaurants make the most of them! For restaurant owners that may not be completely social media friendly this poses a challenge. Sharing posts and attracting an audience via social media is a viable way of building a customer base and marketing your business.
This article features social media posts ideas for restaurants to help increase interest, connect with your clientele, and take your social media game to the next level.
Share information on your restaurant’s history
Educate and inform your audience about how your restaurant came to life. Share the history and process of concept to creation and how the restaurant was named. Explain what the building was previously, or detail the education or past experience of the owners. This type of information can all make engaging social media posts. Sharing stories about your restaurant’s history on social media will help to build a story that your customers can relate to and connect with.
Share live or real time updates
What are you serving for lunch today? Food photos can make colourful and interesting social posts as well as targeting specific dietary requirements like vegetarian or vegan food. Take a photo, and post it on Instagram, make sure it’s good quality and enhance the image with Instagram filters. Add a cool caption, and you’ve got an attractive social media post. Posting things as they happen or even going live is an opportunity to show off signature dishes, share coupons, introduce new items, or highlight upcoming events.
Update customers about your daily specials
If you are running a restaurant, you will most likely have a number of daily specials or chef’s favourite dishes on offer. Make sure that you are sharing them with your audience. Post about your special menu items on your social media accounts to tempt the taste buds and remind your customers that there’s something new every day. Use hashtags to expand the reach of your posts, and be sure to incorporate good quality photos.
Ask for feedback from customers
An important social media strategy is to solicit feedback and questions from your customers. You may be surprised by some of their requests and observations, and they’ll love knowing you value their opinions enough to ask. Some social accounts like Twitter feature polls that can be easily generated to ask questions and allow your followers to select from multiple choice answers. The results may be surprising but this is valuable information that you can use to change your menu or improve your service.
Post favourite recipes
If you run a restaurant, a great social media marketing tactic is to provide people with new or favourite recipes. Post photos of your most popular dishes on social media channels with a brief explanation of how to prepare them. As well as showcasing your offerings this gives your audience the opportunity to try some of your best dishes at home. Posting your recipes regularly can keep your audience engaged and make sure they come back for more foodie ideas
Post on a schedule
As you post to your different social channels you will most likely notice differences in the frequency of likes and comments. Post regularly to your social accounts to maintain engagement but be careful of posting too often. Too much and people will grow tired of your posts, but too little means they may forget about you. Monitor your social account activity and responses to determine how often and at what times posts get the most engagement, then structure your schedule around that to get maximum visibility and reach.
Post a weekly offer
Everyone loves something for free. Social media can be great for alerting your followers to special offers and discount coupons. If it’s an attractive deal you also increase the chance of your existing followers sharing your posts on their own channels, helping you reach a wider audience. Giveaways, and promotional offers are all powerful ways to engage your audience and build interest in your restaurant. Encourage those that use your offer or deal to share their own social media posts documenting their experience, and ask them to mention or tag your restaurant.
Invite guest posters regularly to update fans on their lives
This is a great way to interact with your customers and create conversation. It makes you feel more human than just another restaurant, and it also allows you to establish partnerships with other businesses that are owned by people who may be your target market. Not only can guest posters help you show your social media fans that their local restaurant cares about them, but they can bring in new leads for your business as well. Guest posters can be other restaurateurs, chefs, or customers.
Update about charity events regularly
The restaurant industry is known for being competitive, but charity events can help foster a sense of community among businesses in your area. Posting about charitable events regularly on social media, can demonstrate your restaurants commitment to volunteer or social causes. Something that is close to the hearts of the Millennial generation. Make a series of posts or stream your involvement live to show that your restaurant supports the local community or worthwhile organizations.
Host regular contests
Running a regular contest on your social media accounts is a fun way to engage with customers, build customer loyalty, and spark interest in your brand. Hosting contests can also help you gain visibility. There are a couple of things to be aware of when running competitions. Make sure that it is simple for people to enter with clear instructions and a definite date that the winner will be announced. Photos of your restaurant staff with contest winners are great marketing images and can increase your number of followers.
Final words
If these social media post ideas are still not enough to help you maintain a good social media presence for your restaurant then you may need to consider outsourcing. Consider hiring a social media marketing expert to generate your posts and graphics on your behalf, making your social channels as engaging as possible. Smarcomms offers social media management services for businesses of all sizes and budgets, so you can get on with running your business.
Learn more by sending us a message or scheduling a free consultation call here.