How to Use Instagram for Restaurant Marketing

There will be 4.41 billion social network users in 2025. can you imagine that half of the worldwide population uses social networks? we can use these networks for business opportunities. from large organizations to local businesses that are using these platforms. Let’s take restaurants as an example, using social media for restaurants helps to build a brand, trust, sales, and also customer loyalty.

“86% of Millennials will try a new restaurant after seeing food-related content online”

Social media has the influential power in users to make decisions. you can interact and encourage them to take action. but before that, you need a strategy. a proper strategy can bring more sales. you cannot increase sales just by posting images on social media. It makes no sense.

We have some tips to share with you about restaurant marketing on Instagram, keep reading…

Instagram for your restaurants

The Instagram app has more than 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. the user spends an average of 29 minutes a day on this platform. it is one of the largest photo and video-sharing social networks.

This platform can be used for business purposes. there are 200 million business profiles on Instagram. it is a great place to find your customers.

Instagram is a great platform for promoting your restaurant. it helps them build brands and trust, reach new customers, build relationships with existing customers, and also increase sales.

Tips for Improving Instagram Restaurant Marketing

Without the right strategy, your Instagram marketing efforts will fail. It all depends on how you influence your customers. Let’s discuss some restaurant marketing on Instagram tips.

1. Complete your bio

Add something special about the restaurant to your Instagram bio. it could be your business achievements, uniqueness, and more. The bio tells all about your restaurant.

Take an example sweetgreen. their bio is more eye-catchy.

Include these in your restaurant Instagram bio

• Name and user name
• Highlight your brand voice
• Include relevant hashtags
• Use emojis
• call to action
• website
• WhatsApp link

2. Take advantage of analytics

On Instagram, there is an insight feature. it will help you analyze your performance, account reach, interactions, and followers based on specific dates. you can also see each post’s performance.

Analyzing your performance will give you better insights. It’s useful to know when and what kind of posts and hashtags are working. analyzing has a vital role in restaurant marketing

3. Regular posting

Consistency is a high priority for your Instagram growth. schedule your daily posts(recommended). it helps you gain brand awareness, customer satisfaction, and also conversions.

4. No compromise in quality

Quality content is always king. use high-quality images and videos. post content like creative food photos, user-generated content, and engaging content.

Visit Classic Foods UK where they are using user-generated content. it builds their credibility and trust.

5. Test test test

Post different types of content and find out what works and what does not. also, test various time posts and it will help you find the most engaging time.

For example, you can post a delicious food photo or video with a call to action at lunchtime(12 pm to 1 pm). there is a possibility of getting a conversion.

because 12 pm to 1 pm is mostly starving time. users are more likely to convert when they see your post.

Keep testing and find opportunities.

6. Collaborating with food bloggers

Collaborating with food bloggers is a great way to maximize your reach on Instagram. influencer marketing is highly recommended. not only for brand awareness but also to help build trust. many are using this tactic in their restaurant marketing on Instagram.

Labbaik_pune shared a reel collaborating with marathifoodblogger. this helps them get more engagement and sales.

7. Use the Facebook ad library for competitor analysis

Running Instagram ads helps you get more reach and conversions. for getting better ROI you need a proper strategy. building a winning strategy is very simple. find your industry-leading competitors and study them.

Use the Facebook ad library, you can find all your competitor ads from there. analyze what kind of ads they are running, their call to action, offerings, landing pages, etc.

Find long-running active ads. that will be their most effective ad. build a strategy that beats your competitors.

8. Use more Instagram Reels

The Instagram reel is more effective at reaching out and engaging. It has 22% more engagement compared to a normal video. make more reels, that are engaging and informational.

Crafians on Instagram share so many types of reels. They are properly utilizing it. They’re getting thousands of views from reels. take them as an example.

Some Instagram Reel ideas for your restaurant

• Follow your employees and show their work-life and efforts
• Tour of your kitchen
• Timelaps for your kitchen
• Mistakes to avoid in the Restaurant Industry
• Before starting your business and after
• Motivational videos
• User-generated content
• Give cooking tips
• Show your online ordering platforms. how to use it and new updates
• Promote special offers
• Introduce and describe all your menu items

9. Use stories

Instagram stories are highly powerful. use various polls to engage your followers. give them two options and let them choose. understand their behavior and preferences and create content based on that.

Here is an example of using stories as you can see in the above picture. Subway asks a question and their followers can select their answers.

10. Let them speak

Let your customer speak. studies show that content like the user speaks is more powerful. it has more engagement and reaches. ask them their thoughts and experiences based on a specific subject.

For example, ask your followers to comment, “What is the most delicious meal you have ever eaten?”

This is a great way to bring more engagement to your page. It helps to build a strong relationship with followers.

11. Tag them for your post

Loyalty is everything. customer interaction helps to build strong loyalty. capture memorable experiences with your customers on camera. upload it on Instagram and tag your customers.

It will also help to connect with customers from outside of business as well. this will build a strong relationship with your customers.

12. Followed by celebrities

People always like recommendations. not only from friends and family but also from celebrities and influencers. Celebrities and influencers help build trust in businesses. on Instagram you can collaborate with them.

But more than that, you can ask them to follow your page. when a user reaches your page they feel something they trust and will likely convert.

For example, Hard Rock Cafe has a paid partnership with Lionel Messi. He also follows them. It enhances the brand identity of Hard Rock Cafe.

13. Use Facebook ad lookalike audience

You can run Instagram ads using the Facebook ads manager. Lookalike audiences are a golden feature of Facebook ads. You can create similar audiences for your existing customers and run ads targeting them.

Collect customer data such as names, mobile numbers, and emails. Upload it to Facebook Ads and run targeted ads. You can also create a Lookalike audience from that customer list.

It also enables you to run low-cost ads and reach the right targeted audience.

Conclusion

Nowadays, it is very important to use Instagram for restaurant marketing. It helps to build a brand, conversion, and also customer retention. reaching customers with Instagram has no limits and you can always stay in touch with them. Instagram has become the number one part of your online presence.