Social media is a great way to market your restaurant or bar and attract more business. Because people turn to social media with fun in mind, it’s the perfect place to promote a business that’s all about bringing people together to enjoy a good meal or a good drink. Social media is also an affordable method of marketing, and has the ability to reach a wide audience because almost everyone uses it. If you’re interested in using social media for your restaurant or bar, use the tips below to get started.

1. Use as Many Photos as Possible

Photos are very important for successful social media posts, no matter the platform. One of the benefits of restaurants and bars is that they lend themselves very well to photos. Take photos lots of photos of delicious looking meals and specialty cocktails. Be sure to take lots of photos of events you host and customers enjoying your restaurant. When possible, you can also post pictures of your employees enjoying the workplace. Any photo that shares the culture of your business will help brand your restaurant or bar as a fun, welcoming place to be.

2. Fully Activate Your Facebook Business Page

Facebook is one of the most important social media outlets for businesses, so it’s important to make sure your business page is complete and fully activated. Your page should include all important information about your restaurant such as your address, contact information, hours, and other relevant information. You should also make sure your page is fully activated to allow users to “check in” on Facebook. When users check in, it will lead to more referrals for your business.

3. Use Hashtags

Hashtags are especially important on Instagram and Twitter, but can be utilized on Facebook as well. You should always use hashtags on your posts, especially those related to food, drink, live music, or other relevant ideas. It’s also important to use local hashtags such as #ConnecticutBeer to connect to as many local businesses and local users as possible. When you use hashtags, you connect your post to other relevant posts, which will lead to higher visibility and more referrals.

4. Retweet All Mentions of Your Business

This tip is specific to Twitter. When someone mentions your business, whether they tag you or not, you should retweet them. Retweeting these mentions will show users that people love your restaurant or bar. It will also show those who choose to talk about you on Twitter that you appreciate them, improving your customer relationships and encouraging other customers to mention you. Retweeting your mentions is a simple task that will show your customers you appreciate them while simultaneously promoting your business.

5. Create Facebook Events

Any time your business is hosting an event, you should create an event on Facebook for it. Live music, poetry readings, trivia night, or guest bartenders are all great opportunities to create Facebook events. When you use the Events feature on Facebook, your business will be visible to everyone in your area. Users can scroll through the Events tag to find events of interest to them that they might want to attend. For this reason, utilizing Facebook Events can help more people discover your business on Facebook, leading to more customers.

6. Consider Paid Social

Paid social media is a quick, efficient way to get results for your business on social media. When you create sponsored content, especially on Facebook, you can target very specific demographics such as age, location, gender, and more. You can make sure that everyone likely to eat at your restaurant sees your ad. The great thing about social media ads is that they can be successful even on small budgets and guarantee that your ads are seen by the right people.

ImageWorks, LLC | CT Social Media Marketing

Implementing a social media strategy is not always a simple task, and can take more time than you have on your hands. When properly executed, a social media campaign can generate website traffic to your website, while bringing in new leads for your business, allowing you to connect with prospective buyers. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, or would like to begin a social media campaign of your own!

Whether you are just getting started or have an engine in place that needs fine tuning, ImageWorks can help you join the Social Media wave to get yourself recognized and generate more business. Market yourself and your brand to the 100’s of millions of online interactive users.

We understand that social media can be overwhelming, and it's not always easy to change with each update or refresh. If you are looking to boost your social media marketing then you may want to take a step back and reevaluate the online presence you already have.