Social Media Marketing for Restaurants

Social media marketing can play a key role in helping your restaurant attract new customers and stand out as the best place to eat. According to one survey, 73% of Millennial and Gen Z diners chose to visit a restaurant after seeing information about it on social media and 55% said social media was the most important factor they considered in deciding where to eat.

That means if your restaurant isn’t on social media—or is using social media with little impact—you could be missing out on a lot of business.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about social media marketing for restaurants in five easy steps, from choosing the right platforms to converting followers into customers. Keep reading to transform your business’s social media presence today.

How To Market Your Restaurant on Social Media

We’ll walk you through how to market your restaurant on social media in five steps.

1. Choose the right platforms

The first step to upping your restaurant’s social media game is to make sure you’re putting your content on the right platforms. There are two key factors to consider: what platforms your target customers are using and what platforms your content is best-suited for.

Here’s a breakdown of what the most popular social media platforms are best for:

• Facebook: Ideal for reaching older customers and sharing content, such as events and menus.
• Instagram: Ideal for reaching Millennial customers and sharing visual content, such as photos and videos.
• TikTok: Best for reaching Gen Z customers and sharing short-form videos.

Other social media channels to consider include YouTube, WhatsApp and Snapchat. However, these platforms aren’t as well-suited to most restaurants’ content, and they’re not where most customers will be looking for information about where to dine.

Ideally, your restaurant should be present on all three of the major social media platforms listed above, allowing you to reach a wide range of potential customers with tailored content.

While that sounds like a lot of work, you can repurpose content across platforms. For example, a short-form video posted to TikTok can also be used as a Reel on Instagram and a Story on Facebook.

However, if managing multiple social media platforms still feels out of reach, start with one platform and focus on optimizing content for that channel.

It’s also worth mentioning that your business should have a Google Business Profile. This isn’t social media but it makes your business much more visible in Google Search results and is a core element of SEO for restaurants.

2. Share content that works

Once you’ve chosen which platforms to use, you may be wondering what kind of social media content you should share. Here are a few types of engaging content that any restaurant can create to build brand awareness.

Menu highlights

Highlighting dishes from your menu is one of the most effective ways to promote your restaurant. You can announce new dishes, specials, and seasonal menus, as well as share high-quality photos and videos of your menu staples. That way, when a potential customer visits your social media page, they’re greeted with mouth-watering images of your food.

Salad chain Sweetgreen does a great job of this. The restaurant’s Instagram is packed with attractive images of salads.

Events and partnerships

If your restaurant hosts special events, such as pop-up tastings or discount days, you can share them on social media as well. It’s also a great idea to share information about collaborations with other local restaurants or suppliers. You can tag each other in your posts, helping attract your partners’ customers to your profile.

Behind-the-scenes content

Behind-the-scenes content provides diners with an inside look at your restaurant, putting a human face on your business and creating an emotional attachment that encourages customers to visit.

Ideas for engaging behind-the-scenes content include:

• Videos of food preparation or dishes coming together.
• Interviews with chefs sharing their journey or inspiration for a dish.
• Introductions to your team.
• Details about how you source specific ingredients.

For inspiration, check out Japanese restaurant Uchi. The business posts short videos of food prep and stories from staff on Instagram that emphasize the quality of its dining experience.

User-generated content and reviews

Encouraging your customers to post about their experience at your restaurant is a great way to generate buzz and re-share their posts on your own social media profile. For instance, you can share customers’ positive online reviews, photos diners took of your food and more.

Taco Bell is a great example of how powerful user-generated content can be. The company shares photos and stories from its customers on Instagram to drive engagement.

Even if a post isn’t a good fit for re-sharing on your business’s profile, be sure to like and comment on it. Such interactions show your restaurant is monitoring what customers say and makes them feel more connected.

3. Build a posting schedule

It’s essential to post on social media regularly so your followers know when to expect updates and can be sure your profile details are current. Additionally, scheduled posting is crucial for performing well with many social media platform algorithms. If you only post sporadically, your content is less likely to appear in followers’ feeds.

The ideal frequency for posting to your main feed is three to five times per week. You can post to secondary feeds, such as Facebook Stories and Instagram Stories, as frequently as you like. This content doesn’t need to be as refined since it disappears after 24 hours.

It’s a good idea to use social media marketing tools like Buffer, Hootsuite or Kontentino to schedule your posts. These save time by allowing you to prepare all your posts for the week at once. Social media scheduling tools also support multiple users, so you can empower several staff members to create and share content instead of doing it all yourself.

Another great feature of social media tools is that they include post analytics, allowing you to see which types of content are generating the most engagement. Understanding what posts your followers like best can help you refine your content and ensure your social media strategy is effective.

4. Run paid social media ads

Paid social media ads can be a cost-effective way to reach a larger audience. You can advertise to people in your local area and target your ads to individuals who like the type of food you serve or who follow competing restaurants. You can also target those who have expressed interest in “eating out” or who have viewed your restaurant’s menu on your website or profile.

When running paid ads, consider what will be most effective in encouraging people to visit. For instance, offering a time-limited discount—“get 20% off brunch this weekend only”—or highlighting a special that’s only available for a few days. Events like pop-up tastings can also work well as the subject of a paid ad.

It’s also a good idea to test several different ads with various creative styles, such as videos and image carousels. These can appeal to different audiences within your customer base, helping you expand your restaurant’s reach.

Regardless of the form your ads take, ensure they link to a coupon, online reservation form or online order form. That way, you can track how effective each ad is at converting customers and ensure you’re getting a strong return on investment.

5. Boost engagement with campaigns and influencers

After establishing a solid base of content, you can begin experimenting with social media campaigns to increase engagement and attract more customers to your restaurant. A campaign is a coordinated, goal-oriented marketing effort that typically spans multiple posts and multiple marketing channels.

A good example is a contest or giveaway. For example, you can ask followers to tag three friends in a post about your restaurant to be entered into a contest to win a free meal. You can also offer a discount coupon to anyone who shares an image of a dish from your restaurant or posts a review.

Sharing these user-generated posts on your profile, along with the discount details, helps build momentum for your campaign.

Campaigns can also incorporate custom hashtags to increase your restaurant’s visibility. You can create a hashtag, such as #RestaurantNight with your restaurant’s name, and encourage customers to use it when they post about your establishment.

It’s also worth considering partnerships with local food influencers. These are individuals in your area who have large social media followings and frequently spotlight restaurants and dishes they like. Influencers are typically paid per post but you may be able to trade a free meal for positive social media coverage from some micro-influencers with smaller followings.

Tips and Best Practices

Keep these social media best practices in mind as you navigate the steps above.

Post authentic content

Only post original content generated at your restaurant on social media. Take real photos of your dishes and dining area instead of using stock photos. Work on building a unique brand voice for your restaurant and stick to that voice across all your posts.

Put quality above quantity

A smaller number of high-quality social media posts is much more impactful than a large number of low-quality posts. While you should aim for at least three posts per week, it’s okay to post just once or twice per week if that means you can create more engaging content.

Avoid posting more than seven times per week to your main feed since this can feel spammy to followers.

Stay engaged with followers

Actively engage with your followers by liking posts your restaurant is tagged in and replying to comments and messages quickly. Be sure to thank customers who leave reviews. If you receive negative comments or reviews, handle them respectfully and remember that your reply will be publicly visible.

Use calls-to-action

Including clear calls-to-action (CTAs) in your posts can give viewers the nudge they need to make a reservation or text a friend about visiting your restaurant. Effective CTAs are short and sweet. For example, “make a reservation” or “order now”.

Track your performance

Utilize the built-in analytics tools of social media platforms to monitor the performance of each post. This enables you to determine the type of content that is most engaging to your followers, refine your posting schedule and eliminate ineffective post formats.

Tracking performance is especially important for social media ads, so you can ensure you’re getting a return on investment.

Consider a social media marketing firm

While social media is important for your restaurant’s success, that doesn’t mean you need to be in charge of it. Social media marketing companies can take on the burden of creating content, posting regular updates and running ads.

You’ll still need to be involved in the process, but using a social media management firm can free up a lot of time so you can focus on other aspects of running your restaurant.