Fast Casual: Seven Rules For Putting Instagram to Work for Your Brand

There are more than 100 million #food posts on Instagram, more than three million people claiming the handle #foodie, more than eight million #foodporn posts and more than a million declarations from #foodgasms. And that is just a handful of the endless number of ways that Instagram followers express their love for food on the 6-year-old social media platform.

Restaurateurs should smell the sweet scent of opportunity that these numbers bring to your door. The platform offers you not only a venue for cost-effective advertising, but also a way to connect and engage with current and potential customers.

In short, restaurateurs simply have to be on this photo and video-sharing social media platform. That's why I want to help you learn how to use it effectively. Here are the top seven recommendations for making Instagram work for you.

Flaunt your chef: Chefs are not only artists, they're cool. Your customers and followers love seeing a pro work his or her kitchen magic to create those food-gasmic dishes you serve. So, by all means, share behind-the-scenes photos of your kitchen staff in action. It's the kind of authentic, slice-of-life stuff Instagrammers love.

Seek guests' input: Instagrammers also love brands that love their opinions, so think about maybe creating a weekly Instagram marketing plan. Consider things like asking quirky questions one day of the week, then ask customers to post old photos another day, or ask for pictures of customers having fun on Fridays.

Tantalize with special-of-the-day photos: We can't over-emphasize the importance of this one enough. It's simple, but you'd be surprised how many customers end up ordering strictly off of that picture. Likewise, this kind of effort allows you to obtain direct measurements of how well your social media effort paid off. Consider even posting photos of your specials with a call to action, like a coupon code for the special of the day. That way you have direct, quantifiable proof of your success or failure.

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