Introduction
Instagram is one of the top social media platforms, and Instagram marketing has become a growing trend worldwide. Having a social media presence is no longer a choice for a food place but a necessity.
A social media marketing strategy, even if it’s something as simple as posting photos of your burgers on Instagram. If you choose the right strategy, you’ll be able to spread brand awareness, and your restaurant is bound to get more bookings. One research suggested that millennials and Gen-Z are 99% likely to rely on social media when picking a restaurant.
So, if you want to boost online engagement and attract more customers through Instagram, here are six effective marketing strategies.
Six Instagram marketing strategies
-
Post high-quality content regularly
The most important part of Instagram marketing is that you post good content regularly. Instagram offers photographs, reels, stories, videos, etc., and you should utilize them all.
Post mouth-watering images of your food as regularly as possible. Make sure that the lighting is perfect in your photographs. If required, edit the images to make the colors pop out more.
To make things easier for yourself, bulk-prepare content, as it will help you get weeks’ worth of posts. To do so, you can use different Instagram post templates that you can change and reuse.
Another great tool at your disposal is the story feature. Post stories where you interview your staff or stories where you just give general updates.
Posting all kinds of content and adding variety ensures that your Instagram feed stays fresh and customers stay engaged.
-
Create ad campaigns ahead of promotions
Instagram can be a great medium for advertising upcoming events and promotions. Whether launching a new menu or offering amazing discounts, use Instagram to create a buzz around it.
You can start by teasing a big reveal in your stories and posting a month before the event. Later you can reveal a food flyer featuring the new menu or the offers.
You can post reels featuring some dishes from the new menu and behind-the-scenes clips of your staff working on promotional material. You can increase the weekly posts about this event as it gets closer.
You can even pay for an Instagram ad campaign and create a proper campaign that reaches beyond just your followers.
-
Interact with your followers
The best way to drive engagement is by responding to comments and messages. Whether it’s a positive or negative comment, replying to it will show that everyone is valued in your community. You can assign some staff to reply to the messages in your inbox.
Host Q&A sessions on your stories to answer potential customers’ queries every now and then. Do polls on different topics to get an idea of what your audience likes.
You can even host live streams using the Instagram live feature and talk to followers, asking them for feedback on what they think of the food. You can even play fun mini-games with the people connected to your life. Just make the live stream as entertaining as possible.
Keep an eye out for other users’ posts you’ve been tagged in, and leave a comment letting them know that you appreciate them.
-
Use the right hashtags
Hashtags will allow your content to be found more easily and help you get more traction. You’ll have to be strategic with your hashtags, as Instagram only allows a maximum of 30 per post.
Research and find out which hashtags are trending in your local area. You can also experiment with hashtags you don’t often see, as they can help you stand out. Once you figure out which ones work for you, make a list so you can always go back to them.
Some brands even use branded hashtags. These are hashtags that are specific to your food place. If you want to track user-generated content your customers have posted, try out branded hashtags.
If you want your content to have more of the spotlight, put the hashtags in the comments rather than the caption.
-
Partner with food bloggers and Influencers
Partnering with Influencers and food bloggers on Instagram is a great way to create a buzz around your burger joint. If you collaborate with someone with a large following and they post about your food, you’ll reach many new potential customers.
Reach out to food bloggers and get them to try multiple things on your menu, so the audience sees the variety you offer. Even shoutouts from micro-influencers can be very useful.
Do remember to choose credible people to collaborate with; otherwise, your credibility might take a hit.
-
Organize fun competitions
Hosting fun and enticing competitions is another great way of promotion. You’ll not only be marketing yourself, but you’ll also be building a connection with your audience.
The competitions should be simple and well-planned from start to finish. Make a post of your food and include the sign-up instructions in the caption. You can then use free Instagram story templates to create posters you post as reminders. You can make ‘tag a friend’ a requirement for entry.
Be fair with the winner selection process. Offer the winners a generous reward to ensure more people participate each time.
Conclusion
High engagement is the key to success on Instagram. You must utilize all the features Instagram provides and create diverse and interesting content to get that. These tips and tricks can be a great way to get this result.
By staying active online, you will stay in touch with your followers and create a sense of community, turning them into loyal customers. Not only this, but you will also build relationships and reach more people.
