Instagram is right now the hottest social media platform for businesses that attract people using images. Restaurants and hotels are perfect examples of such businesses. I mean, look at Instagram for restaurants. There are over a thousand hashtags that are being actively used by people sitting and eating their food in restaurants. These people happily clicks pics of the food and the interiors of the place they are at and share with their family and friends. This means that you, as a restaurant owner already have an audience that would happily be mini-influencers for your outlet and help you gain authority and followers on Instagram.
The ball is practically IN YOUR COURT.
Here are things that you can use to grow a loyal and big following on Instagram for restaurants.
Do These For Your Instagram for Restaurants
We consume food first with the eyes
A budget professional camera has the ability to clicks pictures that can talk to the people. Let your Instagram for restaurants be the place where people fall in love with food. If you are good with lights and angle, buy a camera yourself, if you are not that good, hire a professional do it for you. Food photography is not hard, you just need the right cutlery, some bright colors and a good angle.
Now, plating is important. Why? It decides how the content turns out to be. Thanks to Photoshop, you can worry a little less about the colors and stuff but if even a piece of meatball is not on the right place, the content is not going to be HIGH quality.
Content is the king
Now that you have the right plating and equipment, its show time. Click photos from different angles. Focus on your USP and stick to it. Use post-production software to focus on the right spots. Make your content delicious and as we were talking earlier, make it ‘adorable’ for your Instagram for restaurants.
Set the mood
If you have been on Instagram for a while, you already know people want to see things that look and feel exotic. A bone china plate is not Insta-worthy but a bone china plate with some exotic pattern or a wall-print with some quirky message – that stuff is Insta-worthy. Fill your interiors with things that would make people click pics.
Consider the lights
Most restaurant keep the lights dim. While I totally get that it makes the mood cozier but keeping a few bright spots, like on the table where the food is served, is going to win you a lot of cool content. With high-end phones and cheap internet, everyone is clicking food pics and uploading them on Instagram. Don’t be a restaurant that loses because it had dim lights. Call in your interior designers and ask him for advice.
Do These For Your Guests
Give them what they see
If you keep your Instagram active, trust me, the young crowd that visits you knows ‘what’ and ‘how’ you serve things; and they want the exact same thing on their table. But, since that is not always possible, consider selecting a plating style that can be clicked easily and looks good on the camera. Experiment is the key here. Keep on changing unless you are able to hit the sweet spot.
Offer discounts when people check in
I have been to restaurants that offer a sweet discount if a visitor puts a check in. How does it help? I always check in since it takes just a minute and saves me some money. I bet a lot of people do it. But, wait! There is no ‘check in’ option on Instagram! No problem, have them post a food pic, their own pic or a pic of the place and put your outlet in the location or tag your restaurant account.
Promote a hashtag
A few local restaurants that I visit regularly, combine their name and location to create a hashtag that they promote. They have these little placards on every table that mention the hashtag and a sweet call-to-action which definitely gets them a lot of posts. Overtime, these hashtags have grown and people now use them a lot without being told. It is like using #paris when you are in Paris. It comes naturally.
Hint: Come up with something quirky and your audience would love it.
Bottom Line
The best way to grow on Instagram is by giving a reason to people to click and post pics of your cuisines and interiors. Regular stuff does not sell. People need to see something different and something unusual. Find your USP (unique selling point) and focus your social media marketing around it.
