INFLUENCER MARKETING
In the age of social media, influencer marketing for restaurants has become the fastest way to spread the word about your business. Consumers of social media rely on influencers to tell them what’s trending, where to go, & what to buy.
Influencer Marketing Strategy
But what is an “influencer”? Well, that depends on who you ask. Influencers generally come in 4 categories, Mega, Macro, Micro, & Nano depending on the amount of ‘influence’. This is generally based on the number of followers, but it is also pertinent to pay attention to the level of engagement each of their posts gets. Before the major crackdown on Instagram, a lot of influencers ‘purchased’ followers, essentially artificially inflating their audience to gain more prestige. This red flag is pretty obvious when an influencer has 30k followers but only 10 or so likes on a post. While there are plenty of legitimate influencers who grew their following organically, it is always a good idea to vet any influencer you plan on partnering with before commiting.
Benefits of Influencer Marketing
Partnering with an influencer is one of the easiest ways to generate a quick buzz about your new venture. But how do you find the right influencer? Larger influencers tend to charge quite a bit for a single post on their social media but can bring a ton of foot traffic quickly. Smaller or “micro” influencers may ask for only a meal in exchange for posting, but of course, their reach will be smaller overall.
We partner with food specific influencers & have developed relationships with each of them over the past several years in the food & beverage business. We can find the perfect person with the right audience to partner with your organization. Our relationships ensure you get the most bang for your buck (or food exchange). The effectiveness of these types of marketing partnerships can produce quantifiable results & a marked uptick in sales, foot traffic, & online activity.
Want to see what partnering with the right influencer can do for your business? Check out our case study for Kaffeinated Crepes & Coffee and the impact taking the time to find the right partner can have on your success.
Giveaways
One of the best ways to quickly raise your audience and online presence is to partner with an influencer & run a giveaway for a giftcard to your business. One of the usual requirements for giveaways is to follow whoever is running it. This ensures that every person who enters the giveaway will be exposed to your brand, & will continue to be with each subsequent post.
It is also a great opportunity to get ‘on the good side’ of the Instagram algorithm, as popular posts are pushed to non followers which in term leads to more organic traffic, followers, & general buzz about your restaurant or bar.
These can also be a great way to introduce a new menu item, concept, or attraction to an already thriving eatery, reinvigorating an older brand with a younger generation.
While influencer marketing for restaurants has only been around for a little over a decade, its impact on this generation is unmatched. Many times we have seen the benefits of influencer marketing outweigh those of traditional marketing methods.
