How Instagram can benefit your hospitality business

Instagram may have been around for years but are you making the most of it? Here’s how it can work for your business

What is Instagram?

Instagram is all about photo and video sharing. With more than 34 million users, it’s the second biggest social network in the UK. It offers many ways to engage with your community and potentially boost business.

Why you should try Instagram

Food and drink is the most popular category in the UK on Instagram – that means it has more followers than travel, music and fashion! It’s also the social channel where people interact with brands the most. This all makes Instagram the best place to connect with potential customers who are passionate about food.
Being on Instagram can get you noticed and bring more customers through your door. Almost 50% of diners report that they’ve visited a restaurant for the first time after seeing it on their social feeds. Customers are likely to visit your Instagram profile when considering where to eat or drink, so making sure it looks its best is essential.
As it’s so visual, Instagram is perfect for showcasing your food and drink offering and venue. You can create excitement through photos, short and longer videos and interact with customers, suppliers and your local community to help spread the buzz about your business.

Who uses Instagram?

26% of users are aged 18–24
30% of users are aged 25-34
30% of millennial diners (aged 28-42) are less likely to go to a restaurant with an unappealing or inactive Instagram account
66% of consumers found short-form video to be the most engaging type of in-feed social content
81% of people use Instagram for research on companies, products, and services

What's Instagram all about? Do you know your Stories from your Reels?

Instagram post featuring a waitress smiling

Posts

These are your standard square photo and video posts that make up the majority of posts you see on an Instagram profile ‘grid’. You can create a carousel with multiple images. Tag your venue location to get noticed by people searching in your local area.

Post idea

Introduce your team and put employees in the spotlight, or promote themed nights and special occasions.

Reels

These are full-screen vertical videos that can be up to 90 seconds long if you record them in the app or 15 minutes if you upload a pre-shot video. They can be multiple photos stitched together or videos. Reels generally reach more people and receive higher engagement compared to other types of posts as Instagram prioritises them when curating feeds.

Reel idea

Show your most popular drink being made at the bar, or offer cooking tips and tricks.

Stories

These are temporary Instagram posts that appear at the top of a newsfeed and last for 24 hours. Save your best Instagram Stories to the top of your profile, called the Highlights section, so people can view them again.

Story idea

Ask customers to vote for new menu/bar items, or give a sneak peek at new menu items.

How to do Instagram well

Quality photography Instagram is all about the images, so put the best photographer on your team in charge. Stories and Reels can be less polished but for your main grid, keep it looking slick.

Partner with influencers Foodies often turn to food bloggers and influencers for inspiration when finding somewhere to eat. Offer influencers a free or discounted meal to gain some cheap publicity.

Repost 5* reviews Show your followers what customers are saying about you by posting positive reviews and pictures in Stories. There’s nothing like a glowing review to encourage bookings.

Share promotions Advertise a competition with a fun Reel. Spread the word and get more followers by asking people to follow you and tag two friends to enter.

Stat sources: Instagram Business, Hootsuite, MGH 2019, Social Media Today, Sprout Social Index 2022

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