Even if you own one small location, a great social media visual marketing strategy can do wonders for your bar or restaurant’s online presence. Visual marketing is thought to only apply to Instagram, but it doesn’t have to. Facebook is the currently the social network with access to the biggest audience and the greatest variety of engagement opportunities, with a high level of success for visual content.
Why it Matters
On Facebook, posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without images. With just a little bit of creativity and time, it is easy to begin implementing visual strategies on your restaurant or business’ social media.
There seems to be a widespread aversion to using visuals on social networks. Some may think it’s too hard, others think visual posts are less valuable than text posts and some believe it doesn’t increase engagement from their desired target. In 2018, 32% of marketers said that next to blogging, visual marketing was the best performing and most important content for their business. One doesn’t have to be an expert in graphic design to post interesting, engaging visuals for the public to enjoy.
Where to Start?
It is easy to find quality visual content for your establishment’s social media from inside your bar or restaurant. The golden rule of visual marketing is: show, don’t tell. You can post content that is easily digested (pun intended) at any point of the day. Have some downtime in the afternoon? Take a quick snap of the entree on special for the day. Did someone win big on one of your VGTs? Share a picture of the happy player (with their consent). Busy Friday night? Capture a great shot of friends laughing at your bar. It will show—not tell—that you’re the place to be on the weekend.
Another quick easy way to create visual content for your establishment is by spotlighting your chef, bartender, or server in a social media post. This is a good way to give your brand a human face, and a nice way to encourage your employees. Providing them with positive content about themselves would mean a good chance they would share that content and engage, increasing your reach across platforms.
[Pro Tip: Showing smiling faces related to your business will humanize your content and make you relatable to your audience, just make sure that you receive permission to post first.]
One Step at a Time
Trying something new on social media can seem overwhelming. The power of utilizing visual marketing on social networks is the strongest it has ever been. Restaurants and bars have a unique advantage on social media of having access to unlimited content, all you need to do is tap in.
