Updated on Tuesday, 15ᵗʰ November, 2022
A great looking food shot is like nectar to Instagrammers. As a café owner, you shouldn’t be surprised. How many times have you seen your customers pull out their phones and start clicking? The real question is, are you taking advantage of it?
How to get started
Download the app onto your smartphone and open an account. If you already have a personal account, create a separate one for your café. Don’t worry, you can easily switch between your accounts. Just be careful not to post that pic of your kid goofing around, on the wrong one.
Decide on a style for your images. Instagram has a ton of filters and it’s easy to get carried away. While a steaming cup of coffee would look fabulous in black & white, a juicy burger won’t look that juicy. You can maintain one style, even when you use different filters. That way, your posts will have a distinctive look.
Inspire and be regular. It is best to keep a schedule, posting exciting images of that new breakfast menu, light hearted moments and coffee art. Accompany each image with a fun description and a hashtag.
Encourage customers to post what they are eating and follow you. You could reward them for it or just ask them nicely for their Instagram handle. The best way to gain a following is to search for great food posts, like, comment and follow them.
Assign a staff member to your Instagram account. This way, you can ensure that someone is responsible for keeping the conversation alive and responding to feedback.
Some ideas to make your Instagram account shine
Keep your posts relevant. For instance, post coffee and breakfast pics in the morning and cold drinks when it’s scorching outside.
Use a better camera app like Camera+, Camera FV-5 or a professional camera to take fantastic shots. You can import the images into instagram and tweak them with filters, before you post them.
Add stylish text to your images with an overlay app like Over. Keep it short and impactful.
You could create an Instagram event by asking your customers to post something particular, like the best breakfast they ever had or how they like their eggs done. Make sure your staff are clued in, so they can respond to customers.
Highlight what goes into the dishes, like where your ingredients come from or what goes into your signature dishes.
The more local and relevant your community is, the more effective and active your Instagram account will be. Don’t worry if there aren’t many followers to start with. As with any social media, it takes time. Before you know it, your café will have its very own loyal and buzzing community.
