Did you know. Instagram can be a powerful tool to showcase your restaurant. After all, with over 1 billion active users, this platform is the undisputed star for connecting with your target audience. In fact, Instagram users are 84 times more likely to engage with brands than on other platforms like Twitter? How crazy is that?
So, if you're not yet part of the big Instagram family, it's high time you got on board! This platform is just as powerful as its big sister, Facebook, and can help you raise your restaurant's profile and build an even closer relationship with your customers.
The proof is in the pudding with this list of 10 types of inspiring restaurant Instagram posts to spruce up your page!
When to post on Instagram and what type of content?
The ideal time to post on Instagram depends mostly on your target audience. So it's important to know your audience well.
- To determine the best time to post, analyze when you got the most engagement (in the morning, during off-peak hours, after work, etc.), as well as which posting formats worked best. What was the topic of these posts?
- Use your Instagram business account stats to find out what's trending and adjust your content accordingly.
- If you're just starting out on Instagram, look at your competitors' posts or accounts similar to yours for inspiration. If you notice a regularity in posting days and times, try posting your content at similar times.
- Finally, don't hesitate to re-share a post that didn't work so well at another time to test its effectiveness again.
The benefits of having a presence on Instagram
There are many benefits to having a presence on Instagram for your restaurant!
- Visibility: Instagram is one of the hottest social media platforms in the world with over 1 billion monthly active users. By choosing to showcase your restaurant there, you can reach a large and passionate audience.
- Free Marketing: You can promote your restaurant on Instagram without spending a dime. This platform is free to use, which is ideal if you're a small restaurant that doesn't have a large marketing budget.
- Customer Engagement: Instagram offers great flexibility to interact with your current and potential customers. You can respond to their comments and even send them direct messages, creating a personal connection.
- Showcasing Dishes: Instagram is a visual platform where photos and videos take precedence. You can use this feature to show your potential customers your tastiest dishes. This can stimulate their appetite and encourage them to come and discover your restaurant.
- Promotion of events: Are you hosting themed parties or wine tastings? Promote them on Instagram to reach more potential customers. This platform is a great way to communicate about your events and create a buzz around your restaurant.
- Community Building: Instagram allows you to create a community around your restaurant by sharing photos and stories of your team, your food and your customers. This builds loyalty among your customers and encourages positive word-of-mouth.
👉 To go further: How to advertise on Facebook for your restaurant?
The different post formats
Check out 10 inspiring Instagram post formats for your establishment!
1. A picture of your dishes
Classic, yet this kind of Instagram post is always a success! The keys to its success?
- Take pictures of your dishes well framed and always with a good light (don't hesitate to use filters and photo retouching)
- Focus on your most enticing and Instagrammable dishes
- Change regularly the dishes to be photographed in order to vary the publications
- Don't hesitate to take a picture of your dish of the day if you offer one!
- Finally, think about changing the angles and shots (photo of a dish up close, from a distance, with accessories around, etc.)
In short, no need to make tons, your photos must be of course qualitative, but they must also respect the theme and the soul of your restaurant!
2. The table
Just like your dishes, your beautiful table deserves to be immortalized and published! It's a great way to make your potential customers want to come and eat at your place. For example, you can take a picture of the carefully set table, the warm atmosphere in your room, or the delicious food served. By posting this type of photo on your Instagram page, you will make your followers' mouths water and make them want to discover your kitchen (and therefore come and sit at your table!).
3. The products
Behind every dish is fresh produce that every guest wants to know about! Why not take pictures of the ingredients used in your restaurant to promote your establishment on Instagram? This is a great way to showcase the quality of the ingredients you use to concoct your delicious dishes. For example, you can take a picture of the fresh vegetables you use for your salads, or the exotic spices that give your dishes a unique flavor.
By posting this type of photo on your Instagram account, you're going to show your community that you're picky about the quality of your ingredients and that you make it a point to work with premium products.
Plus, it will build trust with your potential guests who know that at your place, they're only eating fresh and tasty food. So, don't hesitate to share with your Instagram community the culinary secrets that make your restaurant so successful! Why not also post photos of some of your recipes.
4. The tasting
Nothing makes you want to eat more than a picture of a dish being eaten! After all, seeing a picture of a guest or a member of your team eating humanizes the photo. Your potential customers can then imagine themselves doing the same! You don't necessarily have to take photos where you can see the faces of the people. These can be taken from the photographer's point of view. Or, linger on a detail like a spoon and a nice piece of dessert inside... Or a hand delicately pouring parmesan cheese on a succulent plate of pasta. In short: feel free to be creative!
5. The team photo
Looking for another idea to promote your restaurant on Instagram? How about a team photo? It's a great way to show your customers who the faces are behind the delicious food they're enjoying at your place.
Plus, it creates a bond of trust and closeness with your guests, who see that you have a great, motivated and professional team going all out to provide them with an unforgettable dining experience. And the icing on the cake, your employees will be proud to share the photo on their own Instagram account, reaching an even wider audience. So, why not make a fun and original team photo that reflects the spirit of your restaurant? It's sure to get people talking about you on Insta and set you apart from the competition!
6. In the kitchen
If you're looking for an effective way to promote your restaurant on Instagram, taking pictures of your kitchen can be the key to success! By posting photos of your kitchen, you're showing people online that your restaurant is a place of quality and craftsmanship.
Photos can also show the variety of dishes you offer and give an idea of the freshness of the ingredients used. With appealing images, you can make people want to come and taste your food in person and boost your sales.
Finally, photos of your kitchen can also help you stand out from the competition and showcase your own culinary style. So, don't hesitate, take out your camera and showcase your delicious and tasty cuisine!
7. The map
Taking a picture of your restaurant's menu and sharing it on Insta is a great way to promote your restaurant. Indeed, thanks to this publication on social networks, you offer your future customers the possibility to discover the dishes you offer and to get an idea of the atmosphere of your restaurant.
👉 To go further: How to set menu prices in your restaurant?
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8. The decoration
Hi to all of you curious about beautiful atmospheres! Looking for an idea to showcase your restaurant on Instagram? How about taking pictures of your restaurant's decor? With these photos, you can show the unique atmosphere and style of your restaurant, which will surely entice visitors to come and taste your food.
In addition, these shots can show your attention to detail and the comfort of your customers, providing them with a pleasant and well-kept environment. And the little extra? The photos of the decoration can serve as a backdrop for other types of content, such as photos of your delicious food or the special events you organize. So, let's take our camera and immortalize this beautiful atmosphere?
👉 To go further: How to arrange and design your restaurant
9. The restaurant
Have you ever thought about taking a picture of your restaurant's front yard for your Instagram account? It's a great idea to draw people's attention to your establishment! By posting photos of your storefront, you can show off your personality and style, which can make potential customers want to come check out your culinary world. In addition, your restaurant's storefront photos can also be used to easily identify your establishment on Instagram, which can help customers find you more easily.
And if you really want to show off, why not take your photos at different times of the day? That way, you can show your restaurant from different angles and give Internet users an idea of the atmosphere you offer during the day and at night. So, let's take out our phone and immortalize our beautiful storefront?
10. Share your special moments and be fun!
Feel free to be creative and original and share your restaurant's unique moments! Here are some examples:
- An emotional moment: this could be the restaurant's anniversary for example
- A new recruit: a new person joins your restaurant? Share a photo of your team with them for example!
- A specific holiday/celebration
- The development of a new menu or a change of decoration in the restaurant
- Or any other unique moment you want to share with your followers!
Finally, the last rule is... That there is none! After all, what will allow you to attract more guests is simply your authenticity. Be original, be real, use storytelling and show your values, your story, follow your desires!
11. Organize commercial offers and contests
To boost your engagement rate, there is nothing better than organizing contests. This allows you to reward your loyal customers but also to gain new subscribers.
How to organize a contest?
It's very simple:
- Simply post a photo with the prize to be won: a dish or a menu for example.
- Establish the rules to win the contest: tag people in comments of your publication, share in story...
- Finally make the draw manually or use online draw tools like Osortoo, Instagram Random Picker, App sorteos, Woobox...
If you organize and share these kinds of commercial offers, you reinforce your positive and generous image of your restaurant.
Hopefully our guide will inspire you for your future Insta posts!
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Do you want to build customer loyalty? Contact an Innovorder expert to learn more about our solutions!
