Social media, whether it is a restaurant, bar or café, enables us to know about many establishments. Especially thanks to Instagram, we know everything about a venue- its decoration, menu and food-beverage presentations- before we even step into the establishment.
Visual: Instagrammable Food
Usually these shares are done by people who don’t want anything in return; only to get likes on Instagram, create a trend or become a part of a trend. Since this is the case, many small venue owners are competing against each other in the food-beverage sector to create spaces that are worth sharing on Instagram.
You should check out our tips that will make your venue Instagram friendly to get ahead in the competition in the food-beverage sector.
Why is it important to be Instagrammable?
About 5-6 years ago there were over 178 million pictures posted on Instagram with the’ #food hashtag and this makes it impossible to think of the food-beverage sector independent from Instagram. But the answer really lies in the inclinations of the Y generation or also known as Millennials. According to a survey in 2017 by a chain restaurant called Zizi, Millennials spend 5 days a year looking at pictures in the food category of Instagram. 30% of them say that they avoid going to a restaurant if the visibility of that restaurant is low on Instagram.
In this era when the masses mostly base their purchase decisions on Instagram and make sure they take pictures worthy of Instagram the wisest thing to do is to take your fair share from the pie for your venue.
Use your walls
You can use interesting wallpaper or neon panels to make a difference in your venue. You can maintain integrity in your venue by using wallpaper that completes the color scale you have chosen or you can decorate your walls with attractive murals. You might also want to use a film, book or poem quote that reflects the culture of your establishment with neon lights.
Flooring is one of the aspects that is often overlooked. Maybe you can differentiate your venue by using different tiles or authentic flooring.
Finally in the topic of decoration, you can increase pedestrian traffic with an attractive application on the outer walls and attract attention on social media with geo-tagged Instagram posts or stories.
Pay attention to the details
Another thing you need to pay attention to in your decoration is you must make sure that your decoration is in harmony with the culture of your venue. If you have an establishment where vegan and vegetarian dishes are highlighted make sure your decoration elements are environmentally friendly and made from recyclable materials.
This way you can solidify your brand identity by using non-plastic straws and simple wooden furniture and lighting made by a local artist.
Visual: Well Lit Coffeshop
Don’t forget the importance of lighting
You don’t need a special theme to make your establishment Instagrammable. But especially for photographs that will be shot indoors you must make sure that your venue receives enough daylight. If you keep in mind that your customers don’t carry a light set with them they will need daylight to take Instagram worthy photos.
If you have a big space and you think you’re not getting enough daylight, you can increase the quality of lighting by using spot lights on the ceiling.
Create a Reason for Sharing
Nobody wants to share a regular cup of coffee on their Instagram account. If you want your dishes and drinks to be shared on Instagram you must give your customers reason to do so.
In order to do that, you could use a different unique cup or plate or create different presentations with ordinary materials. Don’t forget that the goal here is to surprise your customers. For example let’s say you own a café; you can impress your customers with different presentations by working with a barista who is an expert on latte art.
You can also attract the attention of customers by including unique dishes and drinks on your menu. These dishes or drinks could be made by using a special ingredient and could be fixed items on the menu or they could change seasonally. Don’t forget that everything that differentiates you from your competitors is an attraction point for your customers.
Enable the Creation of Concept Visuals
Even though Instagram users share a particular product or brand the important thing is the lifestyle they acquire when they use that product or brand. The main message behind most shares is ‘I want you to want what I have’.
Because of this, users, rather than shooting a product- whether it’s a cup of coffee or a lunch menu- prefer to take photos within a concept. You too can carry various materials that will enable this and increase share potential.
You can do this with a rustic vase that has fresh flowers or by displaying visually enriching newspapers, magazines and even old books.
We must point out that some restaurants have prepared Instagram kits for their customers that include a tripod and LED lights.
Visual: Concept Food Table
Share your Story
It’s not easy to own a venue. You too have been inspired by a lot of things when adding the final touches to your café, restaurant or bar. So have you ever thought of sharing your story with your customers?
Consumers love knowing the story behind the products they use, the venues they go to and the dishes they try. As long as you give them this, they will keep sharing it with others. So what are you waiting for to share the story behind the most extraordinary dish on your menu or why you chose the color scheme for your venue?
While you can share these personal stories on your menu design, you can also integrate your stories into your presentations.
Finally
The change and impact of social media on our lives makes it impossible to remember how our lives were before social media. Assuming that the same effect and persistence will also be applied to the food and beverage sector, you cannot resist the change in how you do business.
Even though there are countless strategies on social media you can use to reach potential customers, the most valuable one is the content created by your customers. We hope this article will help you create an Instagrammable difference.
Don’t be shy to share your experiences during this process; let’s meet at the comments section!
Comments