Building a strong social media presence is one of the most valuable and cost-effective ways to market your restaurant. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook allow you to connect directly with both existing and potential guests, especially younger audiences.

Some restaurants excel at leveraging social media better than others. Take Sweetgreen, for example. They’ve created an iconic brand by combining their physical locations with a strong, consistent social media presence, leading to significant success and expansion across the U.S. Consistency is key when implementing your social media strategy.

Here are five lessons we can learn from top restaurant social media programs:

1. Share Guest Content
A successful social media presence often involves highlighting your guests. Create a unique hashtag that your customers can use (e.g., #WINGsdays for wing night), making it easy to find and share their posts. Select your favorite content and repost it, always tagging the original poster. Not only will this prevent accusations of content theft, but your guests will also appreciate the recognition.

2. Host Social Media Contests
Boost engagement by running fun social media contests. A simple “Best Caption Wins a Gift Card” can drive interaction and bring someone to your restaurant. These contests create buzz and ensure foot traffic from those looking to redeem their prize.

Elevate your digital marketing strategy with solutions tailored
to blend guest inspiration with captivating content!

3. Use Video to Bring Your Brand to Life
Got a new menu item with a unique preparation process or a dish that looks mouth-watering? Share a video! Whether it’s your staff dressing up for a holiday or a bartender crafting an intricate cocktail, videos show off the personality of your restaurant and keep your followers entertained. The more creative you get, the more memorable your brand becomes.

4. Ask Questions to Engage Followers
Simple, opinion-based questions like “Which is the best chicken wing: Flats or Drums?” can spark engagement and friendly debate among your followers. People love sharing their preferences, especially when it comes to food. Polls are easy to run on platforms like Twitter, and Instagram’s story polls feature is another great way to boost interaction.

5. Capitalize on Trending Topics
Take advantage of viral moments. For instance, if you own a pizzeria, you could have joined the conversation when “Pizza Rat” was trending. Jumping on trending topics gives your restaurant more visibility and lets you connect with a wider audience. It’s a great way to stay relevant, just like Oreo did during the Super Bowl power outage.

These are just a few strategies to get started, but they provide a solid foundation as you build your restaurant's social media presence.