Social Media Marketing for Restaurants: What You Need to Know

Did you know that the easiest and least expensive way to promote your restaurant is on social media?
That’s right! The platforms you use to stay in touch with your friends and family can serve as a great place to promote your restaurant to new customers. Through hashtags, tagged locations, and engaging content creation, you can increase your revenue and grow awareness of your restaurant.
According to Pew research, 72 percent of Americans use at least one social media platform—and that number rises to over 80 percent for those under 50 years old. Odds are, your customers are part of that crowd, making social media a wonderful place to reach them—announcing restaurant promotions, showing off your dishes, and expressing the atmosphere of your restaurant.
We’ve gathered some excellent examples of social media marketing for restaurants to give you ideas to use for your own restaurant, bakery, food truck, or other culinary-based business.

Why should you start using social media to promote your restaurant?
The answer is simple—social media can increase your restaurant’s exposure to new customers.
When current customers come to your restaurant and post about their experience on their social media, they can tag your profile and check-in to your restaurant. These posts are essentially free promotion for you to a potential new audience.
The use of social media can also give you the opportunity to create a personality for your restaurant and brand. This can set you apart from every other restaurant in town and make you more personable.
More people are learning about new restaurants through social media. Industry reports have found that nearly half of consumers use social media to make a decision about where to eat. Through social media, they can read reviews, see photos of your restaurant and dishes, and help make their decision to eat there.

There are multiple platforms available to promote your restaurant on social media. The hardest part is determining which platform is right for you. Each platform offers a unique benefit and way to use it successfully.
Consider focusing on promoting your restaurant on one or two platforms instead of all of them. Managing a restaurant is a lot of work, you may not have time to promote it on every platform. Focusing on just one or two allows you to create the best content and effectively brand yourself.
However, note that you can always cross-post content to multiple platforms—for example, posting the same video clip on both Facebook and TikTok. This can allow you to maximize your reach with only minimal extra effort.
Always remember to fully complete your profiles with all updated information including hours, links to your website, and more.
Now, how do you choose the right social media platform to focus on?
Instagram
Instagram is a photo-based social media platform that has nearly 1.3 billion monthly users. This platform can be perfect for restaurants who want to show off their dishes and have a knack for taking a good photo.
Through posts, reels, and stories, restaurants can share immediate updates such as tonight’s specials or limited-time promotions. Facebook is one of the oldest social media sites around and is still very relevant today. When promoting your restaurant on Facebook, it’s important to know the difference between a profile and a business page. YouTube can also be a great platform for connecting with your target audience. Longer video runtimes can allow you to create content with a higher production value, showcasing your restaurant in the best possible light.