Scrolling through social media, it is almost impossible not to come across a picture of a friend’s lunch. Whether it is a deliciously, enticing slice of pepperoni pizza or a mountainous dessert, the gluttonous pictures are everywhere, teasing the masses and enticing everyone to eat the same food they’re seeing on the screen.
Instagram is specifically a mecca for envious meals. However, Instagram does not have to be exclusively used as a personal platform to connect with friends and family. A range of businesses have capitalized on the site – from utilizing it to spread news about their businesses and to target new markets.
With about 500 million users, Instagram has become the go-to social platform for the visually-savvy mobile world. Teenagers are especially active as one survey showed that 23 percent of teens prefer it as their favorite social network. The other standout demographic of Instagram users are women – reportedly 68 percent are female. Also, an estimated 90 percent of all users are under 35 years of age.
Pizzerias have implemented Instagram as an effective, yet simple way to notify users of promotions, new menu items, and upcoming events at their restaurants. It is an exceptional tool for reaching consumers without having to pay for advertising.
People love to post pictures of delectable meals on Instagram to flaunt culinary beauty to all of their followers. Most of the time, diners also tag the restaurant within the caption for the picture. Their followers will then become interested in where their friend bought the food at and thus check out the pizzerias page for themselves.
Pizzerias can take advantage of Instagram by constructing an appealing profile page that best represents their business:
- Straightforward Bio: A pizzeria has to lay out a clear biography at the top of their page so potential customers can easily locate them. The profile should include the establishment’s phone number, location(s) address or addresses, link to their website, and operating hours. The pizzeria should also include a creative, one-to-two sentence tagline in order to attract Instagram users.
- Aesthetically Pleasing Pictures: Pizzerias do not want to have a boring Instagram page with recycled stock photos. Reposting pictures that customers have posted inside their restaurant is the best way to have an original and mouth-watering page. Customers can tag the restaurant in the picture or check-in to the location in order for the pizzeria to find the pictures. It’s important to include photos of staff and cooks, special restaurant events, as well as highlighting any community involvement.
- Amass Followers: This can be a little tricky, especially for local pizzerias, but it can be done similarly to procuring more pictures to repost: Set up a weekly promotion where anyone who shows he or she is following the pizzeria on Instagram can receive a discount on a meal.
There are also a few simple tips to make sure your pizzeria is taking full advantage of Instagram:
First, it’s important to always showcase the restaurant’s hashtag in every post. Second, the photo sharing platform allows you to simultaneously upload the photograph to other social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It’s also tied to location-based sites such as Foursquare, so leverage every asset to allow customers to “check-in” when they post a photo. Finally, stay active. Update the site with new photos on a regular basis, update your profile, and make sure to acknowledge new users by following them back.
Instagram can prove to be a vital tool in this age of social media marketing. Pizzerias should use the opportunities to brag about their delicious meals and highlight all their menu items to attract new customers and maintain loyal ones.