4 Ways to Use Hashtags for Your Restaurant
Patrick L / Foodservice Tips, Restaurant Tips / June 22
Hashtags are social media’s search engine, helping users find posts by searching for or clicking on a hashtag. If you want your post to be picked up in searches for certain topics on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and even LinkedIn, you include a hashtag. When used properly, a hashtag can increase your social presence and help market your restaurant for free. Here are four ways you should use hashtags for your restaurant.
4 Restaurant & Food Related Hashtag Tips
The main reasons you’d want to use hashtags are to get customers excited about your upcoming specials, know what community involvement you have and much more. While there are 4 main ways to use hashtags for your restaurant, there are plenty of benefits that come with them. Here are the four food-related hashtag categories you should be using:
- Food and menu options
- Location-specific information
- New upcoming specials
- Fun activities or community involvement
How Do I Use Effective Hashtags?
Using these hashtags will get more customers to take a look into eating at your restaurant. Here’s an in depth look at fun ways to use hashtags on your social media platforms as well as a few examples to help you get in the swing of things:
How to Hashtag Your Food
You should be taking photos of your food and sharing them all over your social channels. This means sharing new menu options and colorful, delicious desserts that’ll have customers running in to try them. Here are some hashtag examples:
- #foodie
- #deathbychocolate
- #foodstagram
- #burgerofthemonth
Hashtag Your Location
Now that people have seen your food, you want to ensure those close to you know that you are an option for them when choosing where to dine out. Be sure to hashtag your city as well as #localfood to proudly show your neighbors you are close by and ready to feed them. Here are some location-specific hashtag options:
- #Chicago
- #ChicagoRestaurant
- #DowntownChicagoEats
Hashtag Your Specials
It’s important to have an effective strategy to get the news out about specials your restaurant will be promoting. This means including hashtags that will target the customers searching for similar things. Here are some examples:
- #TwoForOneTuesdays
- #FreeDessertFridays
- #DeepFryFridays
With the above in mind, there are also a variety of food holidays that you can promote such as #NationalPinaColadaDay on July 10th and much more.
Hashtag Your Fun
Do you have a band lined up for the weekend? Promote it with the hashtag #livemusic. Are you playing the World Cup on your bar TVs? Hashtag #WorldCup. You can also just encourage people looking to make weekend plans with the hashtags #FridayNight and #SaturdayNight. Encourage your customers to post their photos using the same hashtags you are using with signage in your restaurant and on your tables.
Hashtags are a great way to get your restaurant noticed on social media. Include hashtags and other social media tips in all your posts, and watch your restaurant’s social presence increase as new customers come in the door.