At the most basic of levels, your presence on social media is absolutely KEY to growing your base of loyal patrons who not only keep coming back for more but also bring their friends along to experience what you have to offer. Your current and potential customers are on social media, so you should be, too. But, it's not enough to simply be. You've got to really own it. And one of the best ways to do this is by nailing your content and claiming your unique identity amongst a sea of other restaurants trying to make their voice heard.

At Liven, we're all about connecting foodie fanatics with brilliant restaurants like yours through our dining rewards app. In this article, we share our top five social media tricks that you can use to help your restaurant stand out from the crowd.

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5 social media tips for restaurants

Having a strong social media presence is no longer an option for restaurants, it's a necessity. Consider Instagram for a moment. Did you know that up to 30% of millennial diners steer clear of restaurants that don't seem to know how to walk the IG walk? A weak Instagram presence can literally be a deterrent to visiting your restaurant. Scary, but true! With that said, here are five tips for effectively marketing your restaurant through your social media channels:

1. Use visuals that look good enough to eat

We've all been there. Scrolling through our newsfeeds, to suddenly lay our eyes upon something that makes us stop what we're doing to wipe our drool off the floor. You know, the kind of dish that looks so good that you can almost taste it through your screen? Humans are visual creatures - looks count. This means that one of the best social media strategies you can implement for your restaurant is to create visually appealing content. The photos you post, especially those of your food, need to be top-notch. Think great lighting, good angles and photographing your dishes when they're fresh out of the kitchen and looking their best.

2. Establish a unique brand voice

Your restaurant brand voice is how potential customers can recognise you. If you haven't yet developed a brand voice, develop one, and then be consistent with it. Your brand voice doesn't refer to a sound, but rather a feeling your brand evokes in people. For example, if you decide the brand voice for your restaurant should be casual and fun, this should be reflected in everything your brand posts on social platforms. For example, vibrant, brightly lit photos and images and easy-to-read captions in mellow, folksy language. Doing this can make your brand recognizable, with or without your logo present!

3. Open the lines of communication

Social media platforms are fantastic for marketing your restaurant. But, they're equally as excellent for keeping the lines of communication between your restaurant and your guests and potential guests wide open. One of the best ways to grow an engaged audience is by, well, engaging with your audience! So, how do you engage your audience? It's simple. Ask them questions, start conversations, create polls, ask them to tag their friends, and invite them to enter competitions... just to mention a few! It's also important that you respond to your audience in a timely manner. Answer their questions, reply to their comments and direct messages, and share photos they took while dining in your restaurant.

4. Show what happens behind the scenes

Apart from showing your audience impeccable quality images of your delicious menu items, it's a great idea to show them the 'behind the scenes' bits and pieces. For example, what goes on in the kitchen! It's common for restaurant-goers these days to not only want to know what yummies are on offer, but also what goes into their preparation. This shouldn't require any extra work, as technically, you're just documenting what your chef and kitchen team already do! All you have to do is snap some pictures or film them in action. You might choose to document the entire process of your signature dish being made, for example. Or, you might choose to focus on a moment that highlights your chef's mad skills, for example, filleting a fish. Want to take it next level? Consider live video!

5. Optimize your bio on each social platform you use

Picture this. You're scrolling through Facebook and you come across a photo of something edible. You don't even know what it is, but it looks so damn delicious that you simply MUST have it. In fact, you've got a dinner with the gang on Friday night, so this is perfect. You click on the restaurant's profile, scroll up to the bio and, to your disappointment, it's blank. NEXT. Right?! We can't stress the importance of having your bio up to date and complete with all the information someone would need to locate you, determine your opening hours and make a booking. As humans, we're obsessed with the path that offers the least resistance! Make it easy for them. 

Now that you’ve learnt more about social media marketing for your restaurant, how about learning more about Liven?