Businesses have made more money through social media marketing. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have become the best platforms to exhibit varied products.
Just this week, I’ve met several F&B business owners and I believe that restaurants should be of no exception when it comes to marketing using Instagram. Just in case you have not known, restaurants have the advantage over most businesses when it comes to Instagram, why? Because you don’t need to speak a word or to write an entire paragraph to convince someone to buy—the picture sells the dish!
If you have never thought about Instagram marketing for your restaurant, you should look into what you are missing and the benefits you will
gain should you change your mind. Here are the reasons why you need an Instagram account for your restaurant:
1. Consistency
Instagram, just like other social media marketing platforms, thrives on consistency. You must have the opportunity to post quality photos as regularly as possible. Restaurants prepare a lot of different dishes EVERY DAY and these dishes provide you with more than enough content to gain a significant following on Instagram.
The more the followers you have on Instagram, the better the reputation of the restaurants, and that simply translates into more customers for you! When it comes to posting frequently, look at it as having fun with your followers, not as a duty.
Post a picture in the morning of your breakfast set, then follow with a picture of snacks and then lunch. When you continue like this for a week, you followers will already be anticipating your images, and once you win them on Instagram, you have won them to walk into the restaurant for a bite physically.
2. Appetizing Retouched Photos
The images that people share are often retouched to remove flaws and add more beauty. While it is true that retouched photos send hyped-up versions of the real pictures, they get people talking. They get shared, and that is enough traffic for your restaurant.
When you share high-quality photos, your food will be regarded as delicious. Such inspirations will bring you more walk-in customers.
3. Daily Specials
With virtual transactions taking the business scene by storm, restaurants can upload images of daily specials and take orders online. The popularity of Instagram will work for any restaurateur who knows how to package his meals well for prospective customers on the internet.
If you can do deliveries for every meal you post, then you will be receiving more orders daily from a simple image. Who knows, you might even double your sales without spending a dime on advertisement.
4. Foodie Influencers
If you can afford it, there are a number of foodie influencers who have garnered a huge following for their food images. When they share your content on their site, you tap into their crowd. You can sell more than you think by scaling on their popularity.
Also, such endorsements build the image of your restaurant— such trust makes you more money.
This is also a more appropriate way of marketing since the crowd is already interested in food content, and most probably will place an order when an image of a delicacy reaches their Instagram feeds.
5. Sharing is Caring
Instagram is still one of the most influential platforms, thanks to its community appeal. While it is a huge platform, people with similar interests often find themselves together.
When one member of the community shares your photo, chances are other members will do the same. If one person places an order for today’s specials’, another will do the same just to belong!
Such practices of sharing are common when you have a vast following, or when an influential person shares your content on his profile.
6. Cost-Saving and Effective
While most restaurants still print out fliers and leaflets to market their food, Instagram can yield the best results with little expenditure.
How much does it cost to take a picture of your meals? Nothing.
Even if you have an in-house photographer, the cost of taking the photos and sharing them on Instagram will be lesser than placing an ad on a food magazine. Instagram is also more effective because it yields instant results. You can post a picture and get an order almost immediately.
With Instagram, you can also tag your location which makes it easier for walk-in customers to locate your restaurant.
If you are running a restaurant, or in fact, any food business, market yourself on Instagram.
The author, Hanafi Mohd Sam, also blogs at https://www.hanafimohdsam.com/.
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