Now more than ever, it’s key to interact with your customers and local community on social media. If they can’t come to your business, then you need to bring your business to them! All of the below social media tips for restaurants, hotels and bars are relevant year-round, and will help you build out a name for yourself on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Social Media Tips For Restaurants, Hotels & Bars
1. Focus on High Quality Photos
First things first: social media is all about what’s ‘nice to look at’. Make sure that any photos or videos you post are clear, bright and attractive. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to take great food shots! We know it can be hard to nab some time in between serving up to snap some photos, but if you can dedicate an hour or so each week to photographing popular dishes it will stand to you.
Be sure to take photos in natural daylight, but don’t be afraid to get creative and make use of any funky design aspects your business has. Customers are keen to see more of your business, from staff team photos to interior shots.
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2. Go ‘Behind the Scenes’
You’d be surprised at how interested people are in what really goes on in a restaurant or bar! While we’re not suggesting you share updates from your staff nights out (although why not?), it’s a good idea to show some behind the scenes shots of daily life. Whether that’s a Twitter or Instagram Live Q&A with your head chef or barista, the prep that goes into a favourite dish or how you source new ideas and supplies, don’t be shy to share more than just the food.
3. Get Active on Instagram Stories/Live
Make the most of fun and engaging features on social media platforms, such as live videos or daily stories on Instagram. You can use these for Q&A sessions, recipe tutorials and ‘how to guides’, chef tips, or just casual daily updates of what’s going in your business right now.
4. Inject Some Personality into Posts
Think about hospitality brands you personally follow on social media: we’re going to guess they’re actually fun and interesting to follow. Anyone can post a simple description of a photo of a food or drink dish. But show your customers what your brand is really all about with some personality. Feature a team member of the week, funny stories from behind the scenes or ask your community for their favourite dishes, or even suggestions for a new restaurant playlist.
5. Share Your Menu & Important Contact Info
Always, always make sure that critical info such as opening/delivery hours (especially during the current coronavirus crisis) and menu items are correct and up-to-date.
What to Include on Social Media Pages eg. Facebook/Instagram:
- Opening hours
- Contact details, such as phone number or email address
- Current menu
- Location
- Allow reviews on Facebook
- Add ‘busiest hours’ on Facebook
6. Add Geotags to All Posts
This leads onto our next point of using customer-generated content. Lots of people search for food and drink inspiration on social media, and geotags are a great way to showcase your offerings. Tag all your social posts on Instagram with the correct geolocation and this will encourage customers to do the same, making it easier to find photos of your business.
It’s also a good idea to make use of local, relevant hashtags instead of broader ones. Eg. use #sohoeats instead of #food.
7. Make the Most of User-Generated Content
It’s time consuming creating new content, so this is a foolproof way of getting new images for your social profiles! Search tagged images or geolocations on Instagram to see what your customers are sharing. Reshare the best ones (making sure to properly credit the original poster!) and you’ll have new and interesting snaps to post. This is also a great way to make your customers more engaged with your business and build a real community.
