5 Social Media hacks for your eatery

1. Invest in mouth-watering imagery!
   It can be tempting to fall into the trap of ‘I’ve got to post something, it’s been a while”, and whilst consistency is key with social media, I firmly believe it’s quality over quantity. Investing in some professional photography for your business will take your socials to the next level instantly. The world is full of #foodies looking for places to go where the food is equally as impressive on the camera as it is on the taste buds! Post pictures that make you hungry.
   
   
2. Promote and encourage user generated content
   UGC is huge! If you can get your food looking as good as it no doubt tastes, it’ll be easy to encourage people to take a snap and post it on their socials. This could be done with a competition, simply asking people to take pics and tag you, working with local influencers or in any other creative way you can think of! And please remember to always reshare any UGC to your community!
   
   
3. Don’t be salesy!
   This might be up there with my top social media hack for hospitality. And probably one we struggle with the most at Treat NZ as our content is primarily there to promote and boost deals & specials. But!! (And it’s a big ‘but’), do not, under any circumstances, post solely posters of deals or stock imagery! People want to see real content, images/videos of your restaurant! Yes, you can tell them about the quiz night on Tuesday, but why not share a picture of last week’s winning team and let them know about it in the caption. We’re saturated with ads these days, don’t become part of the sea of unseen advertising!
    
4. Engage with your audience!
   Social media should be social. Try and engage with 5 accounts every day. Always reply to every comment on your posts! Leave a genuine comment that isn’t just ‘wow, looks amazing’, put a bit of thought and real life into it! Not only will you be building relationships with your followers and customers, you’ll be mastering the algorithm! Instagram loves to see users using its platform in the way it should be used!
   
   
5. Show behind the scenes
   Part of being real is being human! Showcase your amazing team by dedicating a post to each team member. Let your audience get to know their story a little more as well as the story behind your restaurant. Who you are, how you got there, why you love it! Encourage people to come and say ‘hi’! People are much more likely to support you and your business when they know who you are!

So there we have it! 5 top tips for social media for small businesses! Of course, there are a huge number more, it really doesn’t stop there! If you’re keen to learn more about social media for hospitality, give us a message at Treat NZ. We’d be happy to help!