At Access Hospitality, we frequently have conversations with customers who feel frustrated with the constantly shifting landscape of social media. That's why, as the go-to supplier of digital solutions for restaurant brands across the UK and Ireland, we decided to build a guide to social media for restaurants.
The big question is, how can you build a bulletproof plan when the goalposts are constantly moving? In this article, we’ll look at strategies that will get you the best results (both now and in the future). We’ll share some of the most common social media mistakes to avoid, and how to use technology to make the whole process a little easier. By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll hopefully feel inspired and ready to tackle your restaurant’s social media marketing head on!
What do we mean by social media marketing?
Pretty much everyone who has ever used a computer has some understanding of what the term ‘social media’ means. Over the past 5 years, the phrase has expanded to include platforms and channels which perhaps haven’t traditionally been seen as social media.
Restaurant social media marketing is simply using the right social platforms to promote your restaurant. That can include organic posting, paid ads, and influencer marketing across Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Pinterest, and more.
If a few of the platforms in that list surprised you, it could be that your social media strategy needs a little bit of an update, so let’s dive in.
Why does your restaurant need to prioritise social media marketing?
Before we get to the best strategies for boosting your social media restaurant marketing, let’s talk about why it needs to be at the top of your to-do list.
More than a quarter of internet users worldwide use social media to find inspiration for things to do and buy. That’s pretty significant. As is the fact that 82.8% of the UK population is active on social media. From this, we can infer that around 14 million people in the UK are actively using social media to research ways to spend their time and money, and that is a huge audience that you could be tapping into.
Social media is also an invaluable tool for recruitment purposes. 77% of job seekers have researched a company they are considering applying to on social media, and your content could be the difference between your next star employee choosing you or your competitor. Given how competitive recruitment is for restaurants since the pandemic and Brexit, you need to do all you can to market your business as a fantastic place to work, and social media is a great way to do that.
Top strategies for restaurant social media marketing
Make it someone’s job
This is all about how you’re going to make sure your social media marketing gets done properly.
When social media is left for whoever has time, it’s probably not going to get done, because time is a scarce resource in restaurants. And if posts are going out regularly, is it because someone is using it as an excuse to take a break from the work they should be doing? Either way it’s not ideal, and very likely isn’t being done strategically.
If you make social media management part of the job description for one or two key members of staff, you create accountability and consistency. They can take ownership of your social media marketing, and be given dedicated time to work on it.
Know your audience
Who is it you want to appeal to? Knowing that is the first step in getting your social media marketing to work. We’ve all heard the term customer avatar; you may even have created a few in your time. But have you done it lately? And have you thought about what it actually means for your marketing.
You’ll likely have more than one type of ideal customer, and you need to understand what it is about your brand that is likely to appeal to each one.
Once you know who they are, you’ll need to work out where they are. Anyone telling you that Facebook is for marketing to old people, Instagram is for Millenials, and TikTok is for kids is either behind the times, or leaning into lazy stereotypes. The demographics on each of the major platforms are far less clear cut, and they are shifting all the time; which ones you use is likely to rely more on how people use each of the platforms than which age groups tend to be on them.
Choose your platforms
Following on from the point above, it’s important to understand your options when it comes to choosing where to share your message for the best impact. Let’s have a quick look at some of the major platforms.
Facebook is still the most popular social media platform in the world, despite the many claims to the contrary. In fact, in the UK, Facebook’s audience has grown by 21.9% in the past 4 years.
44% of the UK population use Facebook daily and 43.8% of the platform’s users are aged between 18 and 34 (so it’s not all Boomers on there). So, no matter who you are trying to reach, there’s a very good chance they are logging on to Facebook at some point.
The challenge with Facebook is that it’s difficult for businesses who don’t already have an established audience to build one without paying for ads. Organic reach can be limited for business pages. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include it in your marketing plan, but be aware that you’ll probably have to do some off-platform work to build an audience from scratch.
People tend to use Facebook more as a community platform these days; you’ll often find people asking for recommendations in local groups. So, it’s a great place to share your reviews and get loyal customers tagging you into posts.
35 million people in the UK use Instagram and nearly a third of them are aged between 25 and 34, making this a prime channel to market to young professionals and young families.
54% of the platform’s users are opening the app several times a day, meaning you’ve got plenty of opportunities to reach a large captive audience.
Despite popular belief, Instagram doesn’t prioritise video content by default. The platform’s algorithms assess what type of content each individual user is more likely to interact with, and then it shows them more of that. However, given that video tends to generate better engagement than static content overall, it’s probably best to include video content in your plan. Just don’t let yourself be tricked into believing it’s the only type of content that works on Instagram.
Great content that engages people is still heavily rewarded on Instagram, and building an organic audience can be done with some strategic thinking and creativity.
TikTok
As businesses whose product can be highly visual, platforms that are all about photos and videos are the best place for restaurants to show up, and TikTok could be the perfect place to show the world what you have to offer.
It’s not just for kids any more, either. Just like Instagram, around a third of the platform’s users are aged between 25 and 34. And it could be a great place to run targeted ads; according to ByteDance, TikTok ads reached 42.2% of all adults aged 18 or over in the UK at the start of 2024.
A word of caution, though. With 34 million new videos uploaded to the platform daily, you’ll need to make sure your content offers something unique if you want to be seen.
Know yourself
Once you’ve figured out the how, who, and where, you need to know what your message should be. This comes down to understanding your brand, and what you want to achieve with your social media content.
It’s incredibly important that every piece of content reflects your brand and your values. You want every post to be instantly recognisable as yours; that’s how you build strong brand recognition even when people aren’t directly interacting with your content. This is where it helps to have one person in each venue overseeing your content plan.
Your message should be consistent with your entire digital profile, with seamless visuals, tone of voice, and messaging across every location.
Ride the carousel
Carousels on Instagram are a great way to get people engaging with your content for longer, and they often appear in the feed more than once. And despite the fact that reels generally get better reach, carousels take the crown for most engaging content type.
If you’re scratching your head and wondering what a carousel is, don’t worry. They’re literally just posts with multiple images and/ or videos and they are simple to create.
Use professional photography and videos
Candid shots taken on a phone can show a level of authenticity that encourages viewers to feel connected to your brand. But if your whole profile is filled with amateur photography, you might just be giving the wrong impression of your brand. And you’re probably not showing your food off in the best light either (literally!) Consider mixing it up by using professionally shot photos and videos for most of your content, and then adding reels and stories with the content your team captures day-to-day.
Entertain your audience
Video-led platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and (to a slightly lesser extent) Instagram are used more as entertainment platforms than social channels these days. In fact, around half of TikTok users never actually post to the platform. If you want to reach and engage a big audience on these channels, you’re going to need to think of your content in that context.
All of your marketing should be focussed around quickly answering the biggest and most persistent question in your audience’s minds - why should I care? With social media marketing, you may have less than a second to get that message across; think of how you scroll through channels like Instagram and TikTok. What kind of content gets you to stop and pay attention? How long do you give each video before you move on to the next one? The most valuable content will not only entertain someone long enough to stop and watch it, it’ll make them want to share it with others.
Don’t panic, ‘entertainment’ doesn’t have to take the form of silly dances and singing (although this type of content can certainly work for restaurants with the imagination and resources to do it). Entertainment could be funny, but it could also be educational or inspirational. Ultimately, it will depend on who you’re trying to appeal to, and what you have to say. Keep an eye on current trends for new ideas.
Get on the map
A Google Business profile is essential for restaurants. Most Google searches for restaurants will include ‘near me’ or the name of a location. The map results that appear at the top of the results page will be where most people look first, and you want to make sure you’re showing up near the top.
Once you’ve created your profile, don’t leave it and forget it. Make sure you update it regularly with current information. The reason we’ve included it here is because you should treat it as a social channel when it comes to posting updates on offers, menus, and news. Not only does this help to engage people who are actively searching for somewhere to eat, it will also help with your local rankings.
You can very likely repurpose some of the content you make for social media for your Google Business profile; try to add at least one update a week.
Use calls to action (with a little caution)
Your social media strategy should have several goals, and one of those (arguably the most important) is to get people to make a booking or order online.
With that in mind, you need to make it easy for them. So make sure you’re including calls to action in most of your posts. But don’t overdo it - sometimes you just want to show up and connect, or have a conversation. If you include a call to action in every single post, your audience will quickly come to feel that you aren’t really invested in your relationship with them, and you’re only in it for what you can get out of them.
Think about competitions and promotions
If you want to get a quick boost in engagement, reach, and followers, you might decide to run a competition on your social media platforms. These usually take the form of asking people to engage with a post in some way in order to be in with a chance of winning something. For example, you might ask your followers to tag in a friend, and give away a meal for two to one lucky winner. The prize needs to be enticing enough to get people involved, but you don’t want to offer something that costs you a great deal of money.
Social media marketing is also a great place to share promotions and events that you have running in your restaurant. As more people engage with this type of content, their friends start to see it and want to get involved too. Never underestimate the power of social proof and FOMO (fear of missing out).
Share reviews and feedback
If people are saying fabulous things about your restaurant, shout about it. Did you know that visitors are likely to spend 31% more in your restaurant if you have fantastic reviews? So make sure you’re sharing this content regularly.
Partner with influencers and other local businesses
People use social media to research restaurants, and they can be heavily influenced by the opinions of those they like and respect. That’s why influencers can give your social media marketing a huge boost. Start with local foodies, and local businesses with large followings; by partnering with them you get an opportunity to reach their audiences. Instagram collaborations make this even easier.
Be careful with influencer marketing, though. You need to be sure that your chosen influencers have the right audience for your brand, and it can become very expensive. Make sure you’re tracking your return on investment to ensure you’re getting value from this strategy.
Post your people
People love to see the people who work in a business. It makes them feel more connected to the brand, and more invested in the business. It’s a great way to boost engagement and help with that community building we mentioned earlier. It’s also a brilliant way to appeal to prospective candidates for future recruitment; by regularly posting photos and videos featuring staff, you show that they are an important and valued part of the business, and if they’re clearly happy in their jobs, it’s more likely that new team members would be too.
Capitalise on user generated content
People love to take pictures of great looking food and drinks and share it on socials. Make it easy for them to tag you in, and promote easy hashtags that they can add to their posts. Engage with this content and make sure you share it; this not only helps to amplify it to your own followers, it also makes the original poster feel valued and appreciated.
If people are frequently posting about your restaurant on a social media channel you aren’t already on, make it a priority to get your profile set up and active.
Get Snappy
Have you set up a business profile on Snapchat yet? If you are marketing to Gen Z (25 and under) and you’ve never considered building Snapchat into your restaurant’s social media marketing strategy don’t worry, you’re not alone. But it might be time to look into it.
According to research, the platform reaches 75% of the 13-34 year old population in 25+ countries, and if we’re only focussing on Gen Z, that number goes up to 90%.
Users are increasingly using the discover section on the app to find new brands, and you could be one of them. Whether you decide to create a custom filter to promote an event, or you use engaging stories to promote your company culture, Snapchat may just be the missing piece of your social media marketing plan.
Keep an eye on your competitors
Competitor research is completely necessary, but try to avoid the two Cs - Copying and Comparing.
While it’s clearly important to know what others in your industry are doing, you need to stay authentic to your own brand and values. And try to avoid comparing follower numbers and likes. These can be very useful metrics in the right context, but they can also be misleading.
Track the right analytics
Avoid vanity metrics - look at trends and growth rather than stand alone numbers
Use these to continuously improve.
Run paid ads
Paid ads can be a fantastic way to boost brand awareness, followers, and revenue. But beware - if the person in charge of the ad account doesn’t know what they’re doing, this could become a huge money pit.
The first thing you need to know is that boosting organic content is a huge mistake; that content was created for your existing audience, who already know you and what you’re about. If you’re paying to be seen by a new audience, you’re going to want to make sure you’ve created content specifically intended for them.
A really powerful strategy when you’re running ads on social media is to create lookalike audiences. This allows you to leverage existing data to find more people like your existing customers.
You should also spend time testing different types of content with different audiences to find what works best for your brand.
Whatever else you do, make sure you set targets from the outset. Think about what you want to achieve and what success looks like. If ROI is your priority, track your CPA (cost per acquisition) and balance this against customer value to decide if it’s working.
Research those hashtags
Some people can get way too hung up on hashtags, and others become fixated on using the ones with the biggest following. But the most important thing to remember when you’re looking at your hashtag strategy is that they need to be relevant.
First of all, they need to be relevant to your brand and your offering. For example #KidsEatFree might be used by your competitors, and might have a huge following, but do you actually have a Kids Eat Free offer? And #LiveFootball might help you get a greater reach, but if you’re not showing the match and people show up to your restaurant with that expectation, it’s not going to go well for you.
The hashtags you use also need to be relevant to the content of your post. When your post shows up in someone’s feed because the algorithms have decided that this hashtag is something they might be interested in, you want it to appeal to them instantly. If people scroll right past, it sends negative signals to the social media algorithms, so it’s better to be seen by a smaller audience of people actively interested in your content, than competing for a huge audience of people with no interest in what you have to say.
Common mistakes to avoid
We’ve already touched on some of the key mistakes that often crop up in restaurant social media marketing, like getting too caught up on vanity metrics, comparing yourself to competitors, and boosting organic posts.
The last thing we want to do is to make this process more stressful by giving you a long list of what not to do. The truth is that some of the most successful social media accounts have probably done all of these things at one time or another, and they still got to where they are now.
But that doesn’t mean they didn’t do a lot of things right as well. If you’re thinking that success on social media is all about luck, think again. A strategic approach, with a heavy pinch of creativity, a touch of patience, and a positive mindset are all the ingredients you need to boost your social media restaurant marketing.
If you want to get the most of your social channels, here are a few other mistakes to try to avoid:
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Running the same ad for weeks without assessing and updating the content, based on the analytics.
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Relying on paid ads, without investing in your organic (AKA free) content. Apart from the fact that your organic content is going out to people who actively want to hear from you, and you can get it seen without paying Meta a penny, it looks really bad if a new visitor clicks to your profile from an ad and sees that you haven’t posted anything new in a month.
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Posting inconsistently. You don’t have to post daily, but if you make sure the algorithms can identify a reliable and consistent posting schedule, they’ll reward you by expanding your reach.
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Spamming your audience’s feed. You can post as often as you have something interesting to say. If you have enough good content to post twice daily, you absolutely should. But if trying to keep up with that schedule has you repeating yourself and throwing out half-hearted content, then it’s time to reduce down to a more manageable schedule (3-4 times a week is plenty for most restaurants).
The role of technology in a successful social media strategy
If all of this sounds like a lot to manage, the truth is it can be. But as with most things in life, technology can make it a lot easier.
First off, it’s worth looking into a social media scheduling platform. This will allow you to plan and schedule content in advance so that there’s no last minute scramble to ‘get something out’ in the run up to the weekend. For larger businesses, look into solutions that offer social listening, to help you monitor competitors and stay ahead of trends.
You may also want to consider using a video editing app to help you make professional looking reels in seconds.
If your social media is a success, your customers are going to want an easy way to book a table, or order their food online. Make sure you’ve got the right solutions in place to make this seamless.
Ultimately, creating the right message and getting it in front of the right people relies on good data. Make sure you’re using a good hospitality CRM to help manage your data, ideally one that integrates with your booking and loyalty systems.
What next?
In this article, we’ve shared our insights into why you should be focussing on social media marketing for your restaurant, and how to go about it successfully. We’ve shared in depth advice on how to get it right, and looked at some of the most common pitfalls to avoid.
Hopefully, you feel ready to get stuck into creating a social media plan that will have your restaurant fully booked night after night. If you would like to find out how Access Hospitality’s market leading digital solutions could make all the difference, get in touch with our team now.
