2022 marketing for restaurants – should your plan include social media?

When we thought about sharing marketing for restaurants tips, we quickly realised that there are so many different yet important parts to this, we have to split it into a few subjects. So starting with one of the most current ones… social media. Any restaurant can use social media marketing to improve its brand and attract new customers. It’s no secret that social media is a powerful marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. But what about luxury hotels with fine dining restaurants? Are they taking advantage of all that social media has to offer? In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most effective social media marketing strategies for luxury hotels with fine dining restaurants.

What are typical channels for marketing for restaurants?

There are many different ways to market a restaurant. Some common methods include print advertising, online advertising, direct mail, word-of-mouth marketing, email campaigns and for quite some time now there’s social media marketing. Each method has its own unique benefits and drawbacks.

Print design for menus, brochures, and advertising can be a very effective way to reach potential customers. It allows businesses to target a specific audience and create a lasting impression. However, it can be expensive and it can be difficult to track the results. Elements such as QR codes can be used to create interactivity with printed materials, and if the pandemic has shown us one thing, it’s that restaurants can use QR codes in lots of ingenious ways to take customers from a printed menu to online for ordering, payment and customer feedback. 

Online advertising is also a popular way to reach potential customers. It is less expensive than print advertising and with the right setup, businesses can track, target and retarget – in other words, it’s made for analytics. Obviously, that’s only valuable if you actually do the analysis and react accordingly.

And what about social media for advertising?

Many businesses are turning to social media as a way to get their brand in front of new customers. But is social media the cheapest way to do this? The answer is yes and no. It depends on the social media platform you are using and the type of campaign you are running. For example, Facebook Ads can be very affordable, but Twitter Ads can be a bit more expensive. However, the cost of social media advertising is still much cheaper than traditional advertising methods, such as TV commercials or print ads. So if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to advertise, it’s worth investigating. 

Can social media be just a time investment?

Yes, social media for restaurants can be just a time investment. If you are not sure how to use social media or do not have the time to use it, there are many online resources that can help you. There are also many social media experts who can help you with your restaurant’s social media campaign.

Once you are set up with the right content strategy for your fine dining venue, it’s time to put it into action. This means creating and publishing content on a regular basis, using the right mix of channels to reach your target audience. You’ll also need to make sure that your content is high quality and engaging so that customers will want to keep coming back for more. 

Why does social media present an opportunity for fine dining marketing for restaurants? 

Most social platforms are extremely visual. As a fine dining restaurant, you are not just selling high-quality food – you are selling an experience. I mention this to clients time and time again because I believe the key to a luxury brand is the fulfillment of the promise of an unforgettable experience. And whilst on-site attention to detail will help create those memories, one of the most straightforward ways to share the ambiance and provoke a sense of ‘I want to go there, eat that, be seated there…’ is of course good photography. Fine dining and food photography go hand in hand. As do photography and social media. 

Both are powerful tools that can be used to capture and share moments with others. Photography captures a moment in time, and if directed and planned correctly, it brings your brand values to life while social media can be used to share that moment with others. Together, they allow your venue to create genuine connections with others and to build relationships. So if you asked me what to prioritise when planning a marketing campaign on social media, I would say invest in amazing photography to make people imagine themselves dining in your restaurant already. 

There is no one-size-fits-all answer for social media strategies for fine dining, as the approach that works for a high-end steakhouse may not be the same as what works for a sushi restaurant. However, some tips to keep in mind apart from obviously using high-quality images are to be targeting the right audience, using appropriate hashtags to reach a wider audience and to have a consistent recognisable brand identity that shines through. Additionally, it’s important to be responsive to comments and questions from diners and to keep content fresh and engaging.

Why marketing for restaurants on social media should focus on customer experience

Fine dining marketing is all about creating an experience for the customer. It’s about making them feel special and pampered, and providing an unforgettable evening or lunch. This type of marketing is all about the details, from the food and wine to the service and ambiance. It’s a luxurious experience, and it can be very expensive. But for those who can afford it, fine dining is a special treat that they won’t forget.

Similarly, fine dining social medial strategies should focus on providing quality content that showcases the unique aspects of the business. This could include highlighting the restaurant’s history, the chefs’ backgrounds, or the quality ingredients used in the dishes. Again, images and videos are especially powerful tools for fine dining social media marketing, as they can help customers visualise what they could enjoy at the restaurant. 

Posts should also be timed to coincide with special events or holidays and could offer exclusive VIP treats. Depending on your audience, you could be quite cheeky and run a ‘name the price of the dish’ competition. Or share details from the prep work in the kitchen, the chef’s philosophy, the venue’s surrounding gardens, the local markets, the fresh produce… you could do ‘a meal in the life of’ with someone following a guest around your restaurant and followers have to guess who it is?

In any case, it’s a great opportunity to create a branded hashtag for customers to use when sharing photos of their experiences at your restaurant. You could also post recipes or cooking tips related to the dishes you serve, or highlight notable customers who have eaten at your establishment.

If you have any known slower periods in the year, you could run contests or giveaways on social media, or offer exclusive discounts to followers. Whatever approach you take, make sure that your content is engaging and relevant to your target audience.

10 quick social media campaign ideas:

1. Run a social media contest.

2. Introduce your team of chefs

3. Share user-generated content.

4. Name the dish

5. Share recipes

6. Q & A with the head chef 

7. Which drinks go with the food

8. The interior design of your restaurant

9. Plates and glasses and how you select what goes with which dish

10. Sustainability and how you minimise food waste

As you can see, there are a variety of social media marketing strategies that luxury hotels with fine dining restaurants can use to reach their target audience. Which strategies will work best for your business will depend on your unique situation and goals. But no matter what, make sure you are using social media