Is your restaurant using social media? And if you are, are you using it effectively? How many platforms are you using? Are you on the best ones for your target audience?

In this article, we look at the best social media platforms for restaurants. You don’t have to be on all of them. Pick a few that work for your market, and make sure that you are consistently active on the ones you choose.

Social media is a great way to cater to your current customers while also getting new ones. Your goal is engagement and valuable content.

Your customers are definitely using social media platforms and generally multiple ones. In fact, the average social media user can be found on six to seven platforms each month.

You want to make sure you leverage the power of this free (except for paid ads) tool. So, let’s look at the best platforms.

Facebook

This social media platform still sits atop the leaderboard. Facebook is often the best for restaurants that want to reach their target audience and build engagement and relationships.

If you pick just one platform, you definitely need it to be Facebook. As a general rule, Facebook is the right choice for each and every restaurant.

This platform will help you in nearly all age groups, and you can even expand your reach with digital ads. Placing ads on Facebook is easy, and it is definitely cost-effective.

Here is a list of best practices when creating and using your Facebook page.

• Complete all of the information as you set up your page.
• Make sure that all of your content reflects your restaurant’s brand voice. This means all imagery, text, and videos. In addition, make sure your website and social media brand voice are all consistent.
• Be creative and engaging with your content.
• Post on a consistent basis.
• Create a social media calendar to make posting easier.
• Engage with all comments posted on your page.
• Respond to all comments about your restaurant on the pages of your followers.
• Use Facebook ads and target current and new customers.

Finally, be careful with self-promotion. While it is okay, you want to limit it. For example, you might post two self-promoting posts a week, while the rest are purely for engagement.

Instagram

Our next choice for the best social media platform for restaurants is Instagram. This very visual platform is great for posts, stories, and reels.

With Instagram, your best bet is always interesting and beautiful content in the form of images and videos. This is the perfect place to highlight menu items, staff, recipes, insider content, and more.

Here are some best practices for your restaurant’s Instagram page:

• Always stick to the right size images and videos for this platform.
• Use a good camera and make sure your lighting is good. A good photographer is a must.
• Make sure your brand voice is consistent across all digital platforms.
• Use stories and reels.
• Use hashtags to drive content.

Finally, Facebook and Instagram integrate well together. You can run the same digital ads on Instagram as you can on Facebook, so be sure to leverage their power.

TikTok

A relative newcomer to the social media arena, TikTok is the perfect place to market to younger customers, including GenZ and GenX.

Since this platform is for video only, you’ll want to make sure you have someone in charge of creating great content for you.

For example, this is the place to show off your dishes, your team in action, live events, customers (with permission), and behind-the-scenes activity.

You can add songs and sounds to your videos as well as hashtags. Be sure and leverage these to increase engagement.

Finally, always hashtag your location so people in your area see your videos.

YouTube

This platform sits right under Facebook as the most used social media platform.

Using YouTube is a great way to build more brand awareness for your restaurant. You can even run ads here.

The first thing you want to do is create a YouTube channel. Make sure your brand voice is consistent on YouTube as well.

Here are some video ideas for this platform:

• Provide cooking tips.
• Interview your customers and staff members.
• Have a mini cooking show and showcase recipes.
• Use event videos.
• Chat sessions with your chef.

Get creative with your videos, and you’ll soon have a large following. Don’t forget to share these videos on your website.

Final Thoughts on the Best Social Media Platforms

The most popular social media platforms for your restaurant include Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. But don’t forget YouTube, as it’s the second most popular platform worldwide after Facebook.

Which ones should you choose? You want to take a look at your target audience and your demographics. Does your restaurant skew older, does it serve more families, or is it more well-suited to the 20-30 demographic?

This will tell you where your best platforms are. Just because it’s a popular platform doesn’t mean you should be there. You want to go where the majority of your audience is, so choose wisely.

In addition, don’t take on more platforms than you can handle. Best practices often mean at least one post per day, and you will want to vary them slightly for each platform.

Our last piece of advice is to create a social media strategy and a content calendar. Try to schedule a month at a time. You’ll find this helps you create the best content that resonates with your audience.

Source: Justine Nightingale, Restaurant Engine