More than 70% of people use social media to research restaurants and about 74% of people use social media to decide where to eat.
Now more than ever, it's crucial to focus on social media marketing for restaurants. Instagram's visual nature makes it especially appealing for restaurant owners who want to boost their sales.
But how do you make your restaurant more Instagram-worthy? Here are seven strategies to try.
1. Invest in an Instagram-Worthy Environment
If you really want to boost your restaurant social media strategy, create an Instagram-worthy environment inside your eatery.
First, focus on lighting.
Natural sunlight or bright overhead lights can set the stage for the perfect photo. If your lighting is too dim, food photos will be grainy. Instagrammers will be less likely to take any photos at all.
Just be mindful of overhead lighting. It can distort the color of your food, so choose the right color temperature. Natural light is best.
Along with lighting, consider:
- Adding hanging plants and other greenery to make the space more aesthetically pleasing.
- Implementing unique fixtures, like new flooring, that create an Instagrammable space.
- Exterior or interior murals that encourage people to take and share photos.
Make your space one that appeals to Instagrammers, and they'll be flocking to share photos with friends.
2. Get Creative with Your Offerings
One of the best restaurant social media ideas out there is to get creative with your offerings. Many modern restaurants are creating one trendy or very unique menu item every few months to generate some buzz.
What kind of unique dishes?
Think:
- Mochi donuts
- Unicorn floats
- Cookie shots
- Frozen s'mores
- Souffle pancakes
The more creative the dish, the more interest you can draw on social media. These types of dishes photograph well and get people to your door.
3. Take a Leap and Brand Your Food
Here's a unique strategy to try for your restaurant Instagram marketing: brand your food. Many restaurants are hopping on this bandwagon and branding their food with words.
Take 28 North Gastropub, for example. Their burger buns and taco shells are singed with an iron brand in the shape of their 28N logo.
Branding your food will make your dishes instantly recognizable on social media when people are scrolling through posts and looking for somewhere to eat.
Just make sure that you do this tastefully. Singed logos could be a great option for sandwiches and burgers, but try to think outside of the box. Unique brandings can set your restaurant apart from the crowd and even help your eatery go viral.
4. Make Your Presentation Stand Out
The best restaurant social media campaigns feature stunning, mouthwatering photos. Presentation is everything, both in your restaurant and in your marketing materials.
So, how can you make your presentation stand out?
- Contrast your food from your plates. Serve colorless dishes on patterned plates. Do the opposite for colorful dishes and serve them on gleaming white plates to create a clean contrast.
- Add color and volume to your dishes with fresh herbs and green leaves. These little elements add visual texture to the top of dishes that may otherwise be flat and colorless.
- Find a theme for your restaurant's Instagram photos and stick to it. For example, maybe you want to highlight how awesome your eatery is for friends to gather. Your photos could feature colorful, half-eaten dishes and smiling faces.
- Keep it natural. When taking photos for your Instagram, allow your food's natural beauty to shine. A piece of hand-torn bread will be more rustic and attractive than a perfect slice.
Capture your restaurant's natural charm and Instagrammers will take notice. Make your space worthy of taking photos, and your guests will be more than happy to promote your restaurant naturally.
5. Take Photos When Food is Fresh
The best Instagram restaurant marketing campaigns feature dishes that are fresh from the kitchen. Hot melting cheese or a steaming pasta dish will make your photos stand out - and appeal to people's appetites.
Aim to take your photos when your food is fresh and even consider coating bread or meat with oil to give these dishes an attractive shine.
Waiting too long will mean that your dish looks less appealing to potential diners.
6. Play with Textures
What makes some food photos on Instagram stand out more than others? More often than not, it's color and texture.
Combining different textures and colors, like crusty artisan bread with a creamy soup, can create a visually appealing photo that drives more customers to your doorstep.
Texture adds a tactile dimension to your images to make your food look just as delicious as it tastes.
How can you use texture to make your photos more appealing?
- Take close-ups to capture details. Focus on the fine textures that make the dish unique, like the gills of a mushroom cap or the petals of an artichoke.
- Add garnishes thoughtfully. Fresh herbs and crunchy seeds can add visual texture, but make sure that you coordinate with your chef first. You want the dish in your photos to match the one that guests will receive.
Showcase a variety of textures and let them tell a story to potential diners.
7. Add a Unique Touch
Some of the top restaurant Instagram post ideas are ones that incorporate unique elements into the photos or videos, like:
- Writing a message with a condiment
- Using food to create words or shapes
Consider ways to add fun touches like these to your dishes and photos. This type of unique content is fun to create and appealing to your audience.
Make your photos stand out without being over-the-top to attract more customers and build your brand.
Final Thoughts
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet. People use it to find new restaurants to try and to review eateries before stopping in.
Every restaurant's social media marketing strategy should include a solid content plan for Instagram. To pique interest and generate buzz about your restaurant, use the strategies we shared.