Restaurant Toolkit
Top 5 Instagram Features That Can Increase Sales For Your Restaurant
Did you know that more than 45% of diners said they’ve tried a restaurant for the first time after finding them on social media?
That means the question for restaurant owners today is no longer if they should be on social media or not, but rather, how they should be leveraging the power of social media to boost restaurant sales. Instagram’s highly visual and brand-driven nature makes it the place for restaurants, cafes and even food truck vendors to start when it comes to bringing in more customers. After all, we live in a time when 69% of us have the habit of photographing our food before we eat.
In Australia, the total Instagram audience reach makes up 51.6% of the country’s population — that’s 11 million people. Plus, 30.6% of these would use social media when looking up on a certain brand. So if your restaurant is not already on Instagram, you may be missing out on a huge opportunity to reach more people and improve restaurant sales. Not to mention the various features on Instagram which can be a stepping stone for marketing your restaurant.
If you’re new to the Instagram scene, we’ve come up with a list of Instagram features that you can use to promote your restaurant and some tips to help improve your search on Instagram.
What this blog post covers:
- Can Instagram help your restaurant increase sales?
- Top Instagram features that can help increase restaurant revenue
- Tips on more ways to get your business started on Instagram
Keep reading to find out more about Instagram features that can increase sales for your business.
Can Instagram help your restaurant increase sales?
So can Instagram really boost your bottom line? Yes, and here’s why. The visual nature of the platform makes it a great place to showcase your new menu items, restaurant interior and to create buzz for promotions happening in your restaurant.
Instagram is among the popular platforms people use to explore new places, cuisines, which creates opportunities for your business to be discovered by new customers. In fact, nearly 40% of today’s gen Z is already using Instagram for internet searches instead of Google. Instagram also has the highest engagement compared to other social media platforms.
Ready to get your Instagram going? We’ve gathered these top 5 Instagram features that your restaurant should be using to increase online orders and more.
Top Instagram features that can help increase restaurant revenue
1. Link in Bio
The “Link in Bio” feature is a column in your profile bio for you to add an external link on your Instagram profile. Brands use this to lead people to their website, promotional pages or latest updates. For restaurants, adding links to a digital menu and your delivery platforms can drive customers on Instagram to order online and improve delivery sales. Here are some other ideas on what you can include in your “Link in Bio”.
- Online menu link
- Online ordering link
- Link for reservations
- Link to promotion details
- Link to latest updates (new menu, festive promotions etc.)
- Link to review page on your website or social media platform
Like most businesses, your restaurant is probably listed on multiple delivery platforms which makes it a hassle when you need to update menu items. We understand that time is money in the hospitality industry. With Menu Management, you can easily manage your menus — edit, remove or update items — across multiple platforms in one place.
How to use Instagram's Link in Bio feature
- Go to your Instagram profile and hit the “Edit Profile” button
- Add your preferred link into the “Website” section
- Tap “Done” to save your changes and you’re all set!
2. Order Now
The perfect tool for restaurants looking to expand their online delivery business, “Order Now” is available on both your Instagram profile and Instagram Stories. This allows customers to order from your restaurant through delivery platforms that you’ve set up. That way, followers can instantly order the dishes they crave when they see your Instagram posts. Having the button in sight minimises their consideration time, which will result in more sales for your restaurant.
If you’re an Otter partner, you can use Analytics for customer data to drive your decisions. For example, which delivery partner brings in the most sales and what are the menu items that do well on a specific platform.
How to get started with Instagram’s Order Now feature
Instagram Profile
1. First, check here to see if your preferred partner is available for this feature.
2. On your Instagram business profile, tap “Edit Profile”.
3. Under "Public business information", tap Action buttons and select the “Order Food” button.
4. Select a delivery partner for your business’s food orders and add the website your business uses to link to the partner of your choice and hit the “Done” button.
Instagram Stories
1. Upload or take an Instagram Story and select the “Food Orders” sticker.
2. If you don’t already have a delivery partner linked, select your preferred partner and add the link to your business on that particular delivery platform and hit “Done”.
3. Instagram Shop
130 million people tap on a shopping post on Instagram every month and up to 72% of users admit that Instagram influences their purchase decision. With that, businesses are using Instagram Shop to make more sales and you won’t want to be left behind. The simplified shopping experience transforms posts and stories into shoppable items on your profile.
With Instagram Shop, you can sell things beyond your menu items — think merchandise like cookbooks, cutleries, kitchenware and more. Since Instagram is all about discovering new experiences, your restaurant could also sell at-home experiences or holiday-themed food boxes to attract customers.
How to use Instagram Shop for your restaurant
1. To start selling on Instagram Shop, you first need to make sure that you’ve switched your account into a business profile and check if your business is eligible for the feature.
2. The easiest way to set up your Instagram Shop is through Commerce Manager but you could also get started directly within the Instagram app.
3. Next, fill out your shop details. Here, you’ll have to decide on your checkout method, sales channel (Instagram, Facebook or both).
4. Then, start adding products to your shop! You can do this by either connecting to your existing product catalogue or creating a new one.
5. Once that’s completed, review your shop and submit it to Instagram for review. You’ll be notified when it has been approved.
4. Instagram Reels
With Instagram engagement rates at an all-time high thanks to Instagram Reels, this is the time to hop on the bandwagon! Up to 68% of marketers revealed that they are planning to leverage on Reels for their market plans in 2023. Not only that, videos on Instagram generally get 21.2% more engagement compared to normal image posts. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you’ll have to go all out with professional videography equipment or hire a team to create these short clips.
Reels is all about mobile friendly and easy to digest videos that are typically 15-90 seconds long, just the right length for the short attention span that most of us have today. The editing shouldn’t be too complicated as well, tools available on the Reels feature that allows you to do some simple editing, add music, effects, record voiceover and more should be sufficient.
How to use Instagram Reels
1. There are two ways to create a Reel: You can either go to your restaurant’s Instagram account and hit the “+” sign on the top right corner or swipe right on your Instagram homepage and you’ll see the “Reel” option at the bottom of your screen.
2. From here, set the length of your Reel (15, 30, 60 or 90 seconds) and apply other settings such as the audio, length, speed, layout and timer of your Reel.
3. When you’re ready, click the “Reels” button in the middle of the screen to record a video or select videos from your camera roll.
4. Once you’re done recording your clips, hit the “next” button to edit and reorder your clips. Here, you can also edit your audio, add filters, stickers or text to your Reel.
5. Hit the “next” button again when you’re happy with the edits and you’ll be able to edit the cover of your Reel and adjust how it appears on your profile grid. You have the option to select a frame from your video or add an image from your camera roll for your Reel cover. You can also tag other accounts or add a location tag to reach more audience.
6. After that, all you have to do is hit the “Share” button and your Reel is ready for your followers’ eyes.
5. Instagram Business Profile
If you haven’t already converted your restaurant’s Instagram to a business profile, you’ll want to quickly set it up. That way, you’ll have access to more free tools and features that can help your restaurant get the most out of Instagram marketing such as:
- Instagram Insights
- Instagram Shop
- Ad tools
- Action buttons
These features will come in handy for your business when strategising your marketing plans in a bid to increase your restaurant sales.
How to Get Started With Instagram Business Profile
1. To switch your restaurant’s Instagram to a business profile, click the “hamburger” button on the top right corner of your profile and go to “Settings”
2. For some accounts, the option to switch into a business profile is listed directly under “Settings”. But if you don’t see it there, head to “Account” and select “Switch to professional account”.
3. Hit “Continue” and you will be prompted to choose your business category. Once that’s done, tap “OK” to confirm and you’re all set!
More Ways To Improve Your Restaurant’s Instagram Game
Now that you’ve learned a thing or two about using helpful Instagram features, what are some other ways to make the most out of it? Here are some that could help you elevate you Instagram marketing game:
Find ways to get featured on the Explore page
It’s important to know how the Instagram algorithm works in order to get featured on the Explore page. Just know this, no two Explore pages are the same, they are based on the type of accounts an individual follows and posts that they engage the most with.
To be featured on the Explore page of your potential customer, get to know your target audience and create content based on their interests. Posting during hours when your followers are active and using relevant hashtags can also increase your possibility of being featured on the Explore page.
Build customer loyalty by engaging with your customers on Instagram
One of the easiest ways to engage with your followers is by interacting with them organically. Reply to their direct messages, comments and reshare stories that they’ve tagged you. You can also use Instagram Stories and the “Question” sticker to help customers get to know your restaurant better — ask them what’s their favourite dishes at your restaurant or run a mini trivia about your joint!
Run Instagram campaigns to drive delivery sales
Promotions and giveaways are some of the easiest ways to gain engagement and increase your following. Take advantage of festive seasons and celebrations to create engagement campaigns that will motivate your followers to interact with your brand or drop by for a meal.
If you made it this far, you're already halfway to getting your Instagram ready to rev up sales! Just remember, social media marketing is all about consistency. Make sure your team is aligned when posting on social media with:
- Posting frequency: Consider having a content calendar and scheduling posts beforehand to help save up time.
- Branding: From your tone of voice to how your visual elements (colours, logo etc), make sure they don't go too far from one another so that your followers would gain familiarity with your brand.
