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So, you’re ready to dive into (or ramp up) Instagram for your restaurant. But where to start? We’ve broken this into two posts—What to Do and How to Do It—to give you some ideas.
1. Create a Foursquare location
First things first—make sure your restaurant has a location registered on Foursquare. Check out http://business.foursquare.com/claim to make sure you’ve got ownership of your listing, because you can make changes to it once you’re the owner. This location will be used when you tag your photos at your restaurant on Instagram!
2. Behind-the-Scenes Posts
Photos of kitchen prep, setting up for special events, or an interesting stack of your vegetable supply all make for great behind-the-scenes photos. Your customers will feel much more connected to your restaurant by seeing some things most people don’t get to see.
3. Photos of Special Guests / Regulars
We’re not saying you should take a turn for the paparazzi, but if your guests are amenable, sharing a photo of your notable friends can be a great move. Whether they’re famous in the food industry or just a great regular who’s at the end of the bar every night, your Instagram followers will love knowing that you acknowledge your customers on a personal basis.
Our President is a huge Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles fan! He even has a menu item named after him. #roscoeschickenandwaffles #roscoes #chickenandwaffles A photo posted by Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles (@roscoeschickenandwaffles) on Jun 6, 2013 at 9:36am PDT
4. Photos of Daily Specials
There’s no better way to move today’s special than to let the public get a glimpse of it. This also works well for happy hours—particularly if you time your post right.
This is the Wiscosmopolitan! Milk washed Dripping Springs vodka with house curaçao, lime juice & house raspberry liqueur. Created specifically for our new late night menu available TONIGHT at 10:15! There is also pozolé, Italian beef sandwich au jus, chicharrón, broccoli in a shallot vinaigrette! #seeyalater A photo posted by Forequarter Restaurant (@forequarter) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:02pm PST
5. Action Shots
Happy National Coffee Day! Chemex action shot in our W. 8th Brew Bar by @jshinster. A photo posted by Stumptown Coffee (@stumptowncoffee) on Sep 9, 2014 at 6:07pm PDT
6. Contests
Most people think of contests when they think of engaging with businesses on social media, and Instagram is a great format to hosts these contests. Examples include asking your followers to like/comment on a photo to win. “Like this photo and we’ll choose one lucky person to win a free bottle of wine at their next visit!” “What should we name our latest burrito? Tell us in the comments below. One lucky winner will win a free entrée!”
Announcing our Instagram Earth Month Photo Contest! #WFMearth details in the pic: A photo posted by Whole Foods Market (@wholefoodsmarket) on Apr 4, 2012 at 7:46am PDT
Stayed tuned for part two of this series, The Ultimate Guide to Instagram for Your Restaurant: How to Do It.
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