How to Promote Your Restaurant on Social Media

The internet has changed the game over the past decade, and it has been even more pronounced during the pandemic. Right now, many people around the world are on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Will there be new social media in the future? Probably yes. But this does not mean that you will need to be on every single platform. You just have to figure out which works best for you.

Clients have asked me, "After the branding and website for our restaurant are done, could you handle our social media too?" My answer to them is simple:

"Do you have a relatively large budget set aside for social media? If yes, get the best that money can buy a.k.a. hire a social media agency who can take care of everything and deliver results. Otherwise, teach yourself or your staff how to take pictures and videos from the daily operations, and edit them yourself. Don’t settle for anything in the middle."

Social Media Agency

Agencies that focus on social media are experts at what they do. They keep themselves updated on new features and trends, constantly study the algorithms, and have tons of insights from the experience and research they gathered. Not to mention, they are well-versed in taking drool-worthy pictures and attention-grabbing videos.

Of course, they aren’t exactly affordable. But they take extra care to keep your restaurant alive on social media by formulating and executing a social media strategy. Plus, you are hiring an entire team of professionals, from a photographer/videographer to a social account manager.

The real kicker for me is that agencies do a ton of testing to find the best formula for your restaurant business. They may experiment with lots of social media platforms, try out different marketing strategies such as affiliate marketing and paid ads, and even test out different styles of posts to see what performs best.

If you want a fully-taken-care-of experience and great results, social media agencies are your best bet if you have the budget. But if your restaurant is relatively new, my recommendation is to reinvest your funds in your restaurant and continue reading the rest of this article.

Do It In-house

Handling social media in-house is always the way to go if your restaurant is relatively new. Not only that, it is probably the best solution for social media even if the restaurant is super successful because you are able to communicate what your brand is about so much better than any agency can. Plus, the content you create in-house will showcase personality and connect well with your audience.

“But, Agnes, I don’t know how create content for social media.”

I get it. Let me simplify it as much as possible for you so that you can get started with just your smartphone.

1. When you are getting your branding done for your restaurant, let the designer know that you would like a particular social media platform to be a part of the deliverables. What this means is you will be getting a set of design guidelines on how you should design your posts to ensure a consistent style throughout your social media account. This is a very good start since you essentially have a “template” for your posts. (Tip: It doesn’t hurt to ask your brand designer for social media advice, too.)‍
2. Go to YouTube, search “How to take photos and videos of food and drinks”, and watch some of the videos. (Tip: You are just trying to get some presentable shots, not trying to be a professional photographer.)‍
3. You should make time to visit your restaurant at least once a week not only to snap some amazing content, but to also check in with your team and speak to your customers. How else will your restaurant grow?
4. Outsource the image and video editing to a freelancer. This way, you save so much money because you are supplying the raw files. (Tip: Ask your brand designer if they are up for this. They are really the best person for the job since they know how to design your touchpoints to be consistent with your brand. But note that they are not obligated to provide you this service.)
5. Use social media schedulers to schedule your posts for the next week or month. (Tip: Facebook has a scheduler for Instagram and Facebook page that you can use for free.)
6. Let your kitchen crew know to take some videos of themselves, or each other, showing off their impressive cooking skills. (Tip: If they’re camera-shy, let them know that you will crop their faces out.)
7. Let your service staff know to take pictures or videos of happy customers, especially during memorable events such as a birthday dinner or a wedding proposal. (Tip: Faces of unknowing customers can be cropped out or edited. But have you considered adding a notice somewhere to let customers know that they may be included in your restaurant’s promotional material?)

(Psst, check out this article for social media content ideas.)

Long-Term Game

Social media is an infinite game.

At the start, forget about the strategies and algorithms. Learning about each social media platform is a full-time job, so avoid diving in too deep in case it wears you out. The most important thing is to be consistent.

If you’re looking to hire someone for social media, ask yourself if you have the budget to sustain them for a very long time. And as the famous saying goes, “Cheap things ain’t good. Good things ain’t cheap.” Get the best agency you can find to take care of your social media growth for you.

If you would like to do it yourself, make sure that you have the discipline to set a side some time to periodically get content and post them. There really is no magic here.

At the end of the day, you should be feeling warm and fuzzy when you look back at your social media posts, just like flipping through your old family photo albums. It’s about the people, the memories, and the dining experience; not sales.