In recent years, Manchester has been leading the way in the UK restaurant scene, with plenty of new dining options becoming available across the city. And while they’re ‘bossing’ the food side of things, some of Manchester’s best and most loved restaurants are also pulling in brilliant results on social media.
Sure, restaurants might have it easy compared to ‘less photogenic‘ businesses or brands, but it’s still worth noting that you have to have an effective strategy in place for your social media to be successful and engaging. So we’ve picked some of our favourite places to dine in Manchester, and studied what lessons can be learned from their social media platforms.
Moose Coffee
We’ll start with Moose Coffee, who showcase the importance of product posts. These are posts that promote specific products, offers and discounts, and are crucial for any brand, not just restaurants. Moose are great for this, as they know exactly what eye-catching and attractive imagery to use and they also encourage user engagement by asking opinions on the products.
As a result, Moose’s likes and engagement levels are solid. This isn’t too surprising though, as who can’t resist looking at pictures of indulgent pancakes?! If you want your own restaurant to replicate some of Moose’s success, be sure to have some high-quality product posts at the ready!
Sunset
Sunset may be the sister restaurant of Australasia, but their social media is a force to be reckoned with in its own right, and this is partly due to their clever use of a colour palette. Integrating brand colours into your posts is ultimately the easiest way to build a consistent-looking Instagram theme.
Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to look at, but it also means that when Sunset decide what to post next, they can rely on this consistent colour palette to guide them. If you run or manage a brand and are struggling to identify your dominant feed colour, there are a few online tools out there to give you a helping hand. My Insta Palette, will analyze your feed and fetch a few colours that you’ve been using the most, but don’t be afraid to experiment a little until you find a colour that suits.
Dimitri’s
Dimitri’s is a Manchester institution that has been serving delicious Greek tapas and mezes for over 25 years, and their social media is pretty legendary too! Like Moose above, they are great at shouting about their yummy food but they’re also brilliant in utilising user-generated content (UGC). The great thing about UGC is that allows brands to show off their products in a real-life setting, helping to add some life to their feeds.
UGC can be a great way to increase in social media engagement rates on your page as fans appreciate being recognised by their favourites brands. Reposting UGC is a great way to strengthen your community and include customers in the conversation. Just look at Dimitri’s social media pages as an example!
Menagerie
Menagerie are a great example of using social media to post relevant and current content to boost their engagement. They tap into trending topics, events and national holidays to get users engaging and joining in on the conversation. Other brands can learn from their fun and informative social pages. Plus, you don’t have to wait until conventional holidays like Valentine’s Day or Christmas to get involved. Pop culture holidays like Star Wars Day or National Pizza Day provide so much more potential for fun, shareable content!
Menagerie are also great at shouting about any offers and deals they have running, and they even combine them with current events like the post above. This is a fantastic way to get your customers excited and engaged in your brand. Consider running a special offer for social media users only, or tie it in with a pop concert like Menagerie did. The possibilities are endless!
Crazy Pedro’s
It would be hard not to include Crazy Pedro’s in this blog, and not just because they’re a firm favourite in the DMT office. Pizza aside, their online presence is brilliant for their use of humour and for not taking themselves too seriously. Customers will make judgements on brands based on the way they interact with them on social media, so it’s always important to know your brand voice and to be authentic.
Don’t give your customers something to talk about, give them someone to talk about, and in the case of Crazy Pedros, users love the witty and relatable captions used in their posts. Having a personality can make your audience more keen to engage because they’ll be looking forward to your future content and responses.
Our final thoughts…
Nicole: It’s always worth taking some time to study other brands’ social media strategies, and to see what you can learn from them. Any restaurant, cafe or bar has the potential to be very successful in marketing themselves online, so give yourself some time to research and test what works best for you.
Kirsty: When it comes to marketing a bar or restaurant, I think the key is to keep it simple and let your content do the talking. If you use crisp, attractive photos and videos, you’ll entice users to your channels, and ultimately to your venue. User-generated content is the secret here – share the great photos that people have taken in your restaurant (with permission!) and watch your engagement rocket.
Are you a restaurant or bar looking for help with your social media strategy? Get in touch for an audit! You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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