The All-in-One Guide to Restaurant Instagram Marketing

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms when it comes to advertising for restaurants. It provides the perfect combination of multi-media elements in bite-size pieces, making it easy to reach a wide audience without overloading customers. For restaurant owners, the relatively small size of Instagram posts makes it one of the easier platforms to develop content for.  

In terms of performance, the Instagram app is the third-most popular social media platform. According to SocialPilot, Instagram has more than 2 billion users per month, standing behind YouTube at 2.5 billion and Facebook with 3 billion users. It is also a platform with a strong reach around the world. India, the United States, and Brazil are the top three countries with the most Instagram users, with significant usage among other countries around the world.  

But how do restaurant owners in these countries leverage Instagram for promotions and sustainable growth? Continue reading the remainder of this article to find out!

Why Instagram Matters for Restaurants 

What does all of this mean for restaurant owners? It means restaurant Instagram marketing makes it possible to reach customers within strict geographic parameters. This idea is especially true in markets where the foodservice industry flourishes, and food bloggers have the power to make a restaurant successful overnight. You can use Instagram as a relatively easy tool to implement restaurant advertising ideas and build a loyal follower base.  

Other companies in the food service industry use Instagram to promote their companies. Starbucks, for example, is popular on Instagram because it builds a stronger brand identity by posting things people have asked for, such as showing customers how to make the drinks they sell. Starbucks also advertises new sales and products through social media. Your restaurant could see similar results by embracing Instagram to reach a wider audience.  

Setting Up Your Restaurant's Instagram Profile 

Instagram offers business-specific accounts with benefits that personal alternatives do not provide. For your restaurant, the best option is to set up an Instagram business account.  

There are three types of Instagram accounts: business, professional creators, and personal. While you want to create a business profile, all accounts start in the personal category. You can change it to a different type or switch it back later. So, start by setting up a personal Instagram account.  

Once your account is set up, make it a business profile. Go into the profile settings and look for the option which says, “Switch to Professional Account”. From here, you will assign your account a business category and add contact information if you want to—it's optional. Confirm all of the edits and leave the profile menu. Congratulations, if everything went the way it should, you now have an Instagram account for your business.  

You can further edit your restaurant’s Instagram profile to make it a better fit for your business. Go back into settings and update the information. Three good places to start are: 

1. Adding contact information. 
2. Writing a bio for your business. 
3. Adding the right profile picture. 

These three changes can have a substantial impact on how effective your new Instagram account is for your business. And look at how easy it is! 

How you set up your bio is a matter of personal and professional taste. Here are five conventions you should stick to: 

1. Select an easy name to remember that describes your business. 
2. Make the Instagram bio short and focused on the value your company provides.  
3. Include call-to-action buttons to get viewers to take their next steps.  
4. Link to your website at the end of the bio. 
5. Match your branding practices for your other assets to your Instagram account. 

Content Strategy for Restaurant Instagram Marketing 

Now that you have your restaurant’s Instagram account, you need an effective content strategy to help you create content that will grow your audience. There are three types of content that are most effective at this:

1. High-quality food photos get a lot of attention on Instagram since it’s a platform that thrives on visual content. Hire someone who specializes in food photography and advertise what you have to offer. Plan to use their content for about 60% of your posts. Moreover, use a strategy for creating food photos on a regular basis so the images can be posted with a similar aesthetic. 
2. Another portion of your content should be made up of behind-the-scenes videos that show what it is like to work in your restaurant. The goal is to show customers how your restaurant operates in interesting ways.  
3. Finally, the remaining content should consist of user generated content created by loyal customers. For example, people like to post pictures of delicious dishes they got through online ordering. Make sure they tag the restaurant when they do, so that your social media presence expands over time.

Your feed should be a mix of these types of content and post up to two times per week. If you post more than that, you may start to see negative returns.  

Harness These 3 Instagram Features for Real Growth 

Instagram has several other tools that can help you increase the reach of your social media growth efforts. Each of these tools has a unique purpose:  

1. Instagram Stories 

Instagram stories are curated collections of posts designed to highlight important aspects of your business. For example, the number of stories posted often increases during important real-world events. Stories are great at giving you the chance to quickly get attention for something important to your restaurant.  

2. Story Highlights 

Highlights work in a similar way by keeping selected stories in designated collections right below your bio. Highlights also let you categorize various types of content. For example, you can separate highlights for reviews, dishes, and behind-the-scenes content.  

3. Reels 

Your Instagram feed can also benefit from sharing reels. The algorithm can find the right people to put content in front of and generate views. You can also access sponsored posts to increase the visibility of your work.  

3 Musts When Engaging with Your Audience 

The overall goal of your Instagram strategy is to increase engagement with your audience. The more engaged they are, the more you can convert individual audience members into customers, and little by little, increase each guest's customer lifetime value (CLV). To do this, there are three things you must always do to engage your audience: 

1. Ask Questions 

Give your audience a chance to engage by using tools like polls, quizzes, and other forms of communication. Comments are a common way of fostering interactions, but it is difficult to control the sentiments of the comment section. Plus, it can easily turn negative with a single comment. Instead rely on things you can do to foster interactions directly between you and your audience.  

2. Be Responsive 

When you receive comments, react and reply to them. Doing so proves you’re present on social media, and it is a viable means of interacting with patrons. It makes customers feel like their input is valued, and they can have an actual relationship with your brand.  

3. Give Back 

Another strategy you can use is to run contests and giveaways on social media. Customers like the chance of winning something simply by interacting with you. However, there are legal requirements to follow, and they can vary widely based on your location. Consult with a business advisor or legal representative to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. 

Instagram Analytics and Performance Tracking 

Any strategy you implement on Instagram must be tracked for specific performance metrics. Those metrics are the only ways of knowing if your strategy works and how you can improve it. Luckily, Instagram has a performance tracking system to make it easier to manage performance metrics.  

The three main metrics you should monitor are: 

1. Engagement: The percentage of your viewers who interact with your posts.  
2. Audience Size: The total number of followers or subscribers.  
3. Content Effectiveness: The result of implementing CTAs throughout your content. 

These three metrics show you the size of your audience, how much they engage with you, and if engagement leads to the desired results. There are many other metrics you can follow.

Choose ones based on your needs so you get an accurate picture of how people engage with your brand. Regularly monitor these metrics to evaluate whether your strategy is effective.  

Collaborations and Influencer Partnerships 

If you want to increase the size of your audience quickly, consider collaborations and influencer partnerships with those who have a larger audience. When executed properly, partnerships can help expand your audience by offering unique value they can't find elsewhere.  

A couple of ideas about a successful partnership include making sure you are a good fit for each other’s brands and that anything you offer provides value to your audience. Then, plan a campaign that gives your audience several chances to engage with partnership-related content.

Then, choose specific performance metrics to track and start measuring results. Finally, launch the campaign and attract your audience so they get to experience the benefits of your new partnership firsthand.  

Addressing A Common Instagram Marketing Challenge 

Social media marketing on Instagram comes with its challenges. One of the biggest problems you will face is content fatigue.

If your content is always the same, then your audience will tire of it quickly. Look for ways to vary your content in terms of style and intent so it always feels fresh and new over the long term.  

Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant Instagram Marketing

Now, continue reading to learn more about Instagram marketing tactics suitable for restaurant businesses. We've got all the details covered in the FAQ section below for extra details! 

Is Instagram good for restaurants? 

Instagram can be good for restaurants because each post is visual and condensed into a manageable size. Viewers can enjoy high-quality content without becoming bored, and Instagram posts often generate excitement about their interests. When used well, you can have people pumped about your restaurant without having to step foot inside the building.  

How often should restaurants post on Instagram? 

The best rate for restaurants to post on Instagram is two times per week. Any more times than that raises the risk of making viewers tired of the same content. Plus, posting less than two times per week can significantly limit your ability to build an audience.  

How do I grow my restaurant's Instagram? 

The most effective way to grow your restaurant’s Instagram is to post high-quality content. The more they enjoy the content, the more they will come back for more and share it with others. Through help from the algorithm, complementary mobile app marketing, broader digital marketing, and word-of-mouth marketing, you can build a successful Instagram brand for your business.  

How do I get my Instagram followers to interact with my brand? 

You can promote interactions by creating events on Instagram. Surveys, quizzes, and other options make for easy communication. Being active in the comment section is another way to show your audience you're interested in interacting with them, encouraging others to be involved.  

How do I convert followers to customers? 

Converting followers into customers focuses on promoting interactions outside of social media. You can do this by providing value, such as discounts or giveaways, that get people to visit your restaurant.  

Taking the Next Step 

Building an Instagram presence for your restaurant is just the first step in leveraging social media. There are many more ways to grow an online presence to make an eatery successful. Where most restaurant owners slip up is figuring out which assets to build and how to create content that converts followers into customers. That’s where Paytronix comes in.  

At Paytronix, we specialize in helping companies like yours turn an online presence into a valuable asset. We accomplish this by providing customer engagement solutions that will keep diners coming back for more. Therefore, a lot of a restaurant’s social media content can revolve around freebies and rewards. Schedule a demo now to learn how Paytronix makes it easier than ever to maintain a loyal audience.