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
Everyone knows YouTube but were you aware that it’s the second most popular social platform behind Facebook? It’s huge but is often not thought about in the same way as the other channels as it works a bit differently. YouTube is basically a big search engine, but for videos. If you currently create videos or would like to, then it offers an exciting opportunity to gain more exposure.
What makes YouTube unique is its mass appeal. More than 50% of all internet users watch YouTube videos, whether they’re 16 or 60. That’s quite a few of your customer base! It can be tricky to get your videos seen by potential new customers but it’s good for general exposure. Save uploading time by just using YouTube. Once you’ve added your videos, you can link to them or embed them into your website, or your Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) profiles. Simply copy the video link from YouTube and paste it into your social post or website and the video will appear.
GEN Z
Age 12-27
Gen Y (Millennial)
Age 28-42
Gen X
Age 43-62
Baby Boomer
Age 63+
74% of internet users aged 45-64 use YouTube
52% of internet users aged 65+ use YouTube
“There are more than 42m unique visitors to YouTube in the UK”
Tutorials
How-to videos are very popular – the most trending content watched by over-35s is tip and tutorial videos. 57% of 35 to 54-years-olds watch these videos as do 62% of those aged 55 and over. Your chef could do a series of simple how-tos. Think about what skills people would like to learn: knife skills, plating up or how to create a tasty sauce would all work. If you get enough subscribers and views, you could gain a second income from adverts on the videos.
Tours
Give customers tours around your venue. If you have rooms you rent out – bedrooms or private dining areas – this is the perfect way to showcase them. You can then upload the videos to YouTube and share them on your Facebook or X channels. Plump up pillows, mix up your best-selling cocktail and get your team talking about their favourite dish.
Shorts
If you already use Reels on Instagram or Facebook, then you’ll easily turn your hand to Shorts. They’re vertical videos which can be up to 60 seconds in length. Quick cocktail tutorials or new dish reveals are ideal.
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