Ties with customers through social media: restaurant marketing on Facebook and Instagram

Social media platforms have long ceased to be free for businesses, attracting an increasing number of companies and users. Previously, the emphasis was on organic promotion of business accounts, but with regular changes to Instagram and Facebook algorithms, businesses are increasingly relying on paid advertising. Organic promotion, on the other hand, requires a significant amount of effort or the hiring of expensive specialists. Is it so?

How can you best use Facebook and Instagram to promote restaurants? What actions can benefit or harm your social media presence?

What To Avoid in Restaurant Marketing on Facebook and Instagram

Improperly Set Up Profile of restaurant

Make sure all details, such as the description, name, address, and contact information, are filled out. Unless you are a secret location for a select few, this is required.

Purchase Followers

Purchased followers lower your engagement rate (ER), which is calculated as the ratio of interactions (likes, shares, and comments) to total followers. Social media algorithms recognize that if you have a large number of followers but low engagement, your content is not interesting, reducing organic reach.

Low-Quality Content

Posts should be high-quality and informative. Blurry photos and posts without descriptions can turn off even loyal followers, reducing their activity.

Be cautious with giveaways

Such promotions can temporarily increase your follower count, but if a large number of them unfollow quickly, social media algorithms will perceive your account negatively.

Facebook and Instagram strategy for restaurant

The following recommendations will help you effectively promote your restaurant on social platforms:

Regularly Create Quality Content

Don’t limit yourself to just photos of dishes. Share stories about the restaurant, dishes, staff, and unique features. This helps create an emotional connection with your audience. Additionally, focus on video content, which currently plays a crucial role.

Utilize Advertising

Take advantage of targeted advertising opportunities on Facebook and Instagram. Configure ads to attract new customers or retain existing ones. Effective use of advertising can significantly increase the reach of your content.

Organize Contests and Promotions

Conduct various contests, promotions, and offer discounts or gifts to your audience. This will help attract user attention and stimulate activity on your restaurant’s pages.

Engage with Followers

Be active in the comments, answer questions, and express gratitude for reviews. Create a community around your brand to attract and maintain audience interest.

Analyze Results

Carefully monitor the metrics of your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Study the data to understand what works best and make adjustments to your promotion strategy.

In today’s world, social media accounts have become almost a necessity for the restaurant business. You can either actively manage these accounts or simply set them up as an online business card. If you want to use social media to advertise your business, consider using WiFi marketing as a tool to achieve this goal.

How WiFi Marketing Helps Improve Facebook and Instagram Strategies for restaurant

WiFi marketing is an excellent tool for enhancing the effectiveness of offline business promotion on social media. Here are several ways it can help:

Attracting Followers through WiFi

Ask guests to follow your social accounts when they connect to your WiFi.

Results:

• steady increase in followers
• followers are real guests of your establishment

Example:

Add a Facebook like box or Instagram page to the post-login page of your WiFi. Offer a discount or gift for following and regularly post offers for your followers.

Redirecting to Posts with Calls to Action (CTA)

Redirect guests connecting to WiFi to posts with surveys or contests.

Results:

• increased engagement
• guests interacting with your content are more likely to see your posts
• social media algorithms start showing your content to more users

Example:

Regularly update the content to which you direct your guests, such as survey posts or contest announcements.

Email and SMS Campaigns with Links to Social Media Posts

Send messages with links to your social media posts.

Results:

• increased engagement.
• growth in real followers.
• increased loyalty and return visits from guests.

Example:

Send messages offering a discount or gift for commenting on a post. This stimulates activity and interest in your content.

Improving Paid Advertising Campaigns

Install a Facebook Pixel on your WiFi login page.

Results:

• reduced social media advertising costs
• increased profits and attraction of real customers
• growth in real followers

Example:

When launching ads, choose an audience collected by the Facebook Pixel on your WiFi page. To attract new guests, offer discounts or gifts, targeting an audience similar to your regular customers.

Remark:

The Advantage+ feature from Facebook promises improved results, but our clients in the hospitality industry have reported only an increase in their advertising budget.

Creating Audiences from Contact Lists

If installing codes sounds daunting, use the Ads Manager to create audiences from contact lists. Simply export a CSV file from our platform and upload it to Ads Manager. Your customer audience is ready.

Requesting Reviews on Facebook and Instagram

Send messages requesting reviews.

Results:

• increased engagement
• word-of-mouth effect
• improved online reputation

Example:

Send messages inviting guests to leave a review. On Facebook, they can leave a review in the relevant section; on Instagram, ask them to leave a review in their stories, tagging your account. Don’t forget to offer something in return for their time.

By using these strategies, you can effectively promote your restaurant on Facebook and Instagram, attracting real and active followers. The SmartWiFi platform can help automate most of your marketing efforts. Tools for sending messages based on triggers, with delays, and in real-time allow you to communicate with your guests wisely and unobtrusively. Behavior analysis and message personalization will enhance loyalty and build long-term relationships, ensuring stable growth for your restaurant business.