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The Do’s and Don’ts of using Social Media to Market your Restaurant
Social Media Marketing in 2026
According to a Statista survey, industry specialists suggest that social media is now the leading marketing channel as people increasingly spend time on their phones. From this form of marketing, restaurants reported an average of 9.9% increase in business as a direct result of their social media strategies (Deloitte).
However, there is more to social media marketing than simply posting-- there are factors to consider and not to, to effectively grab guests’ attention so you can successfully market your restaurant if you decide to leave the social media work to yourself. Considering this, here are some things to keep in mind when taking the lead in managing your restaurant’s page.
The Do’s
Identifying your brand voice
Your brand voice is the unique personality a business creates to communicate with its audience across mediums. It includes a strategic approach to tone, style, and messaging to help humanize your business and nurture connections with your guests (SproutSocial). It’s uniquely yours, so choose your restaurant's personality trait, whether that’s humorous, playful, or serious, depending on your type of restaurant.
A brand that effectively uses brand voice to engage its audience is Wendy’s, which uses a witty, unhinged, and hilarious tone in its captions, posts, and comments across various mediums, distinguishing it from competitors. These posts usually achieve high engagement and attract attention, sparking a conversation with their Instagram followers.
Engage with followers
Treat your social media platform(s) like a conversation, and reply to comments and direct messages when necessary so guests feel their opinions/thoughts are heard. Besides replying to regular posts, you can also invite guests for conversation by asking for feedback on dishes, service, recommendations, and other related things by putting polls and Q&As on your story.
Post with variety
Depending on your restaurant's style, your posts may differ, but the main things to keep in mind when crafting posts are to tell a story, use soft CTAs, and think outside the box. Here are some ideas to go by:
● Photo/video content of days in the life of employees, behind the scenes of a dish/the business, interviews with guests/employees, and relatable skits with your employees.
● User-generated content (USG): Ask for permission or encourage guests to take pictures of themselves at your restaurant to post on your page.
● Interactive posts: Let your guests vote on the best dish on a story post, invite them to comment, or share posts with friends.
● Infographics: can be about a particular dish, inform people of the health benefits of your dishes, or partnerships you are doing.
When making these posts, also consider your guests’ interests, attitudes, and hobbies, and how you can incorporate them into your photos/video content. Some ways to determine this are by looking at the types of people who follow you on Instagram, feedback from story polls, or paying attention to the types of guests who come into your restaurant.
According to EZY Marketing, understanding the psychology of your social media followers can help you craft posts that resonate, encourage interaction, and drive more engagement. So when determining what to post, put together some that evoke an emotion, foster a sense of relatability, and overall speak to and relate with your guests rather than at them.
Coca-Cola, a brand known for its strategic social media and overall marketing, effectively leverages this strategy by reaching people such as soccer fans, road-trip lovers, travel fanatics, and nature lovers. They never directly sell to consumers; they embed their product into people’s interests and hobbies and market it as photo and video content to foster a connection and a sense of relatability.
Overall, think of what makes sense to incorporate with your guests’ interests and the food you serve to make the perfect social media posts.
Measure impact/engagement
Look back at your posts and take note of which ones people are interacting with the most, whether that’s through comments, shares, or saves, then build on that. You don’t need to copy the same idea, but you can take what got the most engagement and approach it from a new angle. When you understand what your audience responds to, it becomes much easier to create content people will enjoy watching.
The Don’ts
Ignoring negative audience engagement
Just as you do in the restaurant setting, don’t ignore negative feedback. Letting small issues slide or pretending they don’t exist can make things worse over time. If something comes up, whether it’s a complaint, bad review, or even a rumor, address it early. A simple, genuine response or apology shows that you’re taking accountability and that you care about your customers’ experience and feelings. People notice when a brand takes responsibility, and it can go a long way in building trust.
Don’t just post promo content
While it’s fine to post at times, don’t always rely only on promotional content. When every post tries to sell something, people start tuning it out or scrolling past it. It can feel repetitive and make your brand come across as more transactional than engaging.
Post everyday
Posting every day can overcrowd people’s feeds, causing people to most likely unfollow you. It can also lower engagement over time, as audiences may tune out repetitive or excessive content rather than interact with it. Prioritizing consistent, high-quality posts over sheer volume helps maintain interest and builds a stronger connection with your audience.
Using too many fonts or inconsistent styles
This creates a cluttered, unprofessional appearance, making your content harder to read and your brand harder to recognize. Keeping a consistent set of fonts helps build a cohesive visual identity and makes your posts instantly identifiable.
Goliath Consulting Group is a restaurant consultancy group based in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn more about our services including menu development, business strategy, marketing, and restaurant operations, contact us at http://www.goliathconsulting.com or email us at getresults@goliathconsulting.com
