Social Media Marketing for Restaurants- Tips + Examples

Whether you’re a newly opened restaurant startup or a mature one with less customer traffic than before.

What will be the next step for you now?

According to A case study of restaurants based in the Oulu region:

Social media is what might be a powerful tool for marketing purposes.

From staying connected with friends and family to discovering new trends and businesses, it plays a crucial role in shaping our choices and decisions. Social media for restaurants is a solid base for seeing an increase in business and relationships with customers.

This is what restaurants need to understand for successful social media marketing.

According to Jun (Justin) Li’s research paper:

What is the importance of Restaurant social media marketing?

All specified businesses are on social media, so why not restaurants?

It might be full of dilemmas about social media marketing for restaurants.

Yes, it’ll be!

Social media marketing strategy for restaurants have revolutionised the way restaurants approach marketing and customer engagement.

Social media, where every scroll and swipe has potential.

According to Statista; in 2017, Facebook reigned supreme as the undisputed king of social media, boasting a staggering 1.87 billion users worldwide. WhatsApp followed closely behind with 1 billion users, while Instagram and Twitter trailed in seventh and ninth place, respectively, with around 600 million and 317 million monthly active users, respectively.

Today, restaurants are roaming between the points of interaction of culinary artistry and online presence; it now resonates through the screens of smartphones and the feeds of social media.

According to a 2010 report from The Nielsen Company, 57% of consumers engage in online research, specifically by perusing reviews, before making a buying decision for a product or service.

Social media marketing is crucial for restaurants to not just survive but thrive digitally. It offers a golden opportunity to showcase offerings, build brand awareness, and retain customers.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, with their vast user bases, are ideal for reaching a broad audience.

8 Tips to Use Social Media as a Restaurant and Grow

What if you hear that in the kitchen, social media is also an important area for restaurant marketing?

Doubtful?

With the ultimate focus on managing your existence, it will be easy to understand social media marketing for restaurants.

Stand out from your competitors, and success is all yours.

The use of Facebook in Brazil has increased by more than 173% per year. Facebook is the most used social network in Brazil, with 71.1% of users.

Create Complete Social Media Profiles for Your Restaurants

It is very common to make your profiles on different social media platforms.

Social media marketing for restaurants requires a good online presence for restaurants to be reputed online too.

It is a very basic task and a tip to start with—you probably start making your proper profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in most cases.

Social media marketing is crucial for restaurants to not just survive but thrive digitally. Proper profiles on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, including engaging bios, are key. Your social media presence is often the first impression, so consistency is vital. It's a powerful tool to showcase your brand, personality, and unique offerings.

According to Manoj Timilsina's study, Facebook is a marketing powerhouse for small restaurants, with over 8 out of 10 relying on its 1.86 billion active users and 80%+ market penetration for reaching new customers and building their brand.

Use Social Media Analytics for Restaurant Marketing

Social media marketing for restaurants could be improved with social media analytics.

Use social media analytics tools to gain insights into what content works best and when your audience is most active.

In social media restaurant marketing, analytics are the metrics used to track key performance indicators (KPIs), like:

• Engagement rate
• Follower growth
• Website traffic from social media
• Conversion rates for promotions

According to Jun (Justin) Li:- the average conversation rate across all platforms is 4.54. YouTube has the highest conversation rate (5.81), followed by Facebook (3.96) and Instagram (3.86). Announcing restaurant events has the highest conversation rate (9.83), followed by encouraging customers to join contests (7.75).

As far as restaurant marketing is concerned, these points of analysis are more than enough for social media strategy for restaurants.

Create a Social Media Presence for Restaurant Marketing

When talking about social media marketing strategy for food businesses. Firstly, we think about posting good visual content for your restaurant.

Posting is not enough!

Take the help of food photography for your social media posts for restaurant marketing.

The more your visual content is tempting, the more you can gather social media reach and audience engagement for your marketing for the restaurant.

Greater than 280 million monthly active holders send more than 500 million comments every day, and 80% of those lively users send tweets from mobile.

For stunning visual designs for your social media marketing strategy, here is Creatosaurus’s Muse app (a graphic design and photo editor) to enhance the visual quality of your delicacies.

The Marketing company MDG Advertising states that 94% of people are attracted to social media posts.

The product of the business should be showcased in a unique storytelling manner.

The survey by the Degree Program in Tourism and Service Business also showed that users most often check Instagram in the morning and in the evening (58% and 30%).

Engage Your Audience on Social Media for Restaurant Marketing

Your restaurant is a part of the local community.

The Degree Program in Tourism and Service Business survey found that readers are primarily drawn to long-form content due to personal interest in the subject and a strong connection to the author or organisation. Visuals play a lesser role (9%), while a small minority (4%) avoid long reads.

In social media marketing for restaurants, fostering one-on-one relationships is key. Events like weekend movie nights with discounted pizza or collaborating with race organisers for refreshments can be announced directly on social media for increased engagement.

Know your audience on Social Media for your restaurant marketing

Before diving into social media marketing for restaurants, it's crucial to understand your target audience.

Knowing your audience is the centre of a successful social media marketing strategy for restaurants.

Are they food enthusiasts seeking culinary adventures, busy professionals looking for quick and convenient dining options, or families in search of a kid-friendly environment?

1. Know your audience: Understand the demographics and behaviors of your target customers.
2. Tailor content: Create posts that cater to the preferences of your audience, whether they are food enthusiasts, busy professionals, or families.
3. Engaging posts: Develop content that resonates with your audience to boost your online presence and drive foot traffic.
4. Connect with the right people: Use your knowledge of your audience to connect with the most relevant individuals online.
5. Real-world success: Invest time in understanding your audience for effective restaurant marketing.

Use Facebook Ads- Social Media Marketing for Restaurant Businesses

Facebook ads can be a valuable tool for promoting restaurant businesses in social media marketing.

Facebook targets the ads for the nearby audience; this is called Geo-targeting.

Access detailed insights into ad performance, allowing you to adjust your social media strategy for restaurants based on data regarding clicks, impressions, and conversions. Use Facebook ads as a channel for gathering customer feedback and engaging in direct communication to address concerns and build relationships.

Social networks boast billions of active users, many of whom spend significant time on the platforms. This provides advertisers with a vast potential audience for their messages. As social networking services become the main platform for social activities, more than 20% of online advertisements appear on social networking sites.

Use Instagram Hashtags as a tool for restaurant marketing on social media

Hashtags are a hidden but prominent tool for social media marketing for food businesses.

It helps to show your restaurants to the world that you do exist.

Hashtags are responsible for visibility. They are not essential for success, but they can be an effective tool for businesses to use.

The Honours Research Report shows that Apple has slightly higher brand awareness, recognition, and recall than Coca-Cola. However, Coca-Cola has a much larger social media following and spends a much higher percentage of its revenue on marketing. This is likely because Coca-Cola sells a mass-market product, while Apple sells a premium product.

Use appropriate hashtags for social media marketing for restaurants:

• Words that reflect your restaurant ambiance
• High focus on using trending hashtags
• Never forget to use your city name in your hashtag
• Also, Instagram gives access to hashtags on Instagram Stories.

According to Stamatios Giannoulakis’s report:- the percentage of Instagram hashtags relevant to the actual content of the images is 66%. The percentage of the owner's Instagram image hashtags relevant to the images is 30%. The percentage of Instagram hashtags related to the visual content of Instagram images is 19.8%.

Give Exposure to posts with Promoted Tweets and social media Marketing for restaurants

Twitter is a valuable marketing tool for restaurants due to its real-time nature. Restaurants can share instant updates on specials, promotions, and changes, attracting nearby customers. Direct engagement with the audience through replies, likes, and retweets enhances the restaurant's online presence.

You can also put your hands into paid Twitter paid ads for better results in social media marketing for restaurants.

According to the University of Western Sydney, Australia, 46% of Twitter users visit daily, which is indeed higher than Facebook's reported daily visit rates. Studies often find that 20–30% of Facebook users access the platform daily. 29% of Twitter users visiting multiple times a day further supports the notion of Twitter being a platform for quick, bite-sized updates and frequent checks.

This aligns with Twitter's design of short-form content like tweets.

Similar to Facebook ads, Twitter ads can be useful for promoting special events and promotions or reaching a larger local audience with social media marketing for restaurants.

Recommended Social Media Planning for Restaurants

Social media is a powerful tool that restaurants can use to connect with customers, promote their businesses, and drive sales.

However, with so many different platforms and content types to choose from, it can take time to figure out where to start.

1. Interactive Food Challenges

• Create unique pizza topping combinations.
• Name a new dish or menu item.
• Guess the secret ingredient.
• Offer prizes or discounts to winners.
• Encourage participants to share entries with a specific hashtag.

2. Virtual Kitchen Tours

• Live stream or record videos showcasing signature dishes.
• Introduce the chef and kitchen staff.
• Explain cooking processes.
• Build trust through transparency.
• Host live Q&A sessions with the chef.

3. Influencer Collaborations

• Partner with local food influencers.
• Have them taste and review the dishes.
• Collaborate on exclusive menu items.
• Host giveaways with influencers.
• Expand reach and add authenticity.

4. Storytelling through Mini Web Series

• Craft a series on social media.
• Share the restaurant's story from inception.
• Highlight people, traditions, and memorable moments.
• Feature staff interviews and customer testimonials.
• Showcase the journey of sourcing local ingredients.

This goes with the example of the Netflix series Mama Mia Trattoria: Chef’s Table.

And Remember!

Monitor and analyse the performance of these strategies to adjust your social media marketing approach as needed and ensure that you're effectively reaching your target audience.

An example of a social media marketing calendar for restaurant marketing recommended by Bachelor of Tourism and Event Management Thesis, 2023:

Conclusion

In the fast-paced world of the food business, embracing social media marketing for restaurants is no longer an option but a necessity.

By understanding your audience, selecting the right platforms, creating compelling content, engaging with your customers, and leveraging data-driven insights, you can harness social media strategies for restaurants as businesses grow rapidly.

Stay adaptable, experiment, and always prioritise the customer experience, and you'll find that social media marketing for restaurants can be your secret sauce for success in the digital age.

FAQs for Restaurant Social Media Marketing

1. Can I perform social media marketing for restaurant promotion?

Yes, it is possible to promote a restaurant with little or no money through any social media marketing strategy for restaurants, like the use of correct hashtags in your related posts or videos.

2. Which social media is best for food business marketing?

The best platforms for social media marketing for restaurants are the three main ones: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

3. How frequently should restaurants post on social media?

The ideal posting frequency for restaurants on social media can vary depending on the platform and your specific goals.

• For Facebook, posting 3–7 times per week is a good starting point.
• Instagram posts 5-7 times per week to keep your feed fresh and engaging.
• You can tweet multiple times a day, especially for real-time updates, promotions, and engagement with followers.