With social media as your virtual shopfront, the content you put out there matters.
When it comes to finding out more about your business, research has even shown that customers tend to gravitate towards your social media instead of your website. As such, content is king.
Here are some creative post ideas to get the ball rolling:
1. New Dishes
A social media post is the quickest way to communicate your new offerings to your customers. High-quality photos and a mouthwatering description are a must, as well as a direct call-to-action. For example, you could say:
- “Come try the newest addition to our menu – our delicious mac and cheese croquettes.”
- “Want to try our cold brew coffee? Tag a friend who’s overdue for a coffee date!”
2. Current or Upcoming Specials
This is perfect for customers who are proactive about finding limited offers at their favourite dining spots. By alerting your audience to your special deals, you’re giving them even more of an incentive to pay your restaurant a visit. This includes happy hour drink specials, senior discounts, weekday dinner specials, and so forth.
3. Seasonal Menus
Humans are inherently attracted to things that are new – and having seasonal menus can truly add interest. In using online menu makers like Menuzen, you can create, design and share your seasonal menus with the click of a button. Not only does this menu creator software include creative and elegant templates, but it also streamlines menu management with live updates. (Sign up here – it’s totally free!)
4. Dietary Options
With different dietary requirements recognised today – such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free – customers are always on the lookout for restaurants that cater to these needs. Visibly promoting these dietary labels on your social media and menu may just be the drawcard that helps customers make a snap decision about dining in your restaurant.
5. Holiday Opening Hours
Some businesses tend to close over the festive season or on public holidays – leaving customers scrambling for places to get their coffee fix or a piping hot meal. By posting your holiday opening hours, new and old customers will know you’re ready and open for business.
6. Competitions & Giveaways
It’s no surprise that everyone loves free stuff. Competitions and giveaways don’t just let you give back to your loyal customers – they are also effective for attracting new business. In fact, an average of over 34% of new customers are acquired through contests. So if you’re running your next competition or giveaway, we suggest include the following terms:
- Must like your Facebook page and/or follow your Instagram
- Must share your post on Facebook and/or Instagram Stories
- Must tag a friend (each new comment can be considered an entry)
7. Meet The Team
Dedicating an entire post to each team member instantly humanizes your brand and shows customers how much you value your entire team. Be sure to include each staff member’s role at your restaurant and a fun fact about themselves!
8. Staff Recommendations
Once you’ve introduced your team, why not introduce their favourites from your menu? Here, you can include a photo of a staff member holding their most-loved dish, accompanied by a quote explaining why they love it.
9. Behind The Scenes
As a customer, it can be easy to overlook the amount of work that goes into the final product. As such, it’s insightful to give customers a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of your restaurant – from sourcing fresh, local produce to the chefs at work in the kitchen.
10. Decor & Features
In the visual age we live in, restaurants aren’t just attracting new business through their food – but also through their standout decor. Whether it’s plenty of greenery, a 90s themed fitout or a pristine modern interior, the way your restaurant looks is always a huge talking point. If you’ve got some stunning decor, people are bound to visit your restaurant and post photos of their own.
11. History & Origins
Want to strengthen brand loyalty? Let your customers get to know your brand better by telling the story and origins of your restaurant, and the moments that made it into what it is today.
12. Industry Awards
Industry recognition is always a great feat. So if you’ve amassed any awards or notable titles, why not let your audience know? It’s also an opportunity to thank your community for their continuous support.
13. Customer Reviews
Don’t just let your customers take your word for it – show them the hard evidence! Never underestimate the power of positive reviews left on your Google My Business, TripAdvisor, Zomato or Facebook page; they are valuable real estate. By reposting reviews, you’re also expressing gratitude for customers taking the time to leave kind words about your restaurant.
14. User-Generated Content
User-generated content is a powerful tool to leverage in your content marketing strategy. According to a report from Stackla, consumers are 2.4 times more likely to perceive user-generated content as being more authentic than brand-created content. Hence, encouraging your audience to post about your restaurant using your brand-specific hashtag is a clever idea. Thereon, you can also repost your customers’ photos if you’re ever running low on content!
15. Humour
A good dose of jokes, memes and quotes on your social media is welcome – as long as it’s done sparingly! The secret is to make them industry-specific or relevant to your customers’ pain points. Not only can humour increase brand recognition, but it can also positively influence customers’ perceptions. After all, we love brands that don’t take themselves too seriously.
