Is your restaurant running a Tik Tok marketing campaign? If not, you should add this key platform to your list of restaurant marketing ideas. The platform has nearly 100 million monthly active users in the United States alone, and there's a lot of untapped potentials to begin promoting your restaurant
If you're not already promoting your restaurant on Tik Tok, you should be because 36% of users visit restaurants that have a Tik Tok marketing strategy.
3 Reasons to Invest in Social Media Marketing for Restaurants
Social media platforms like TikTok should be a part of your restaurant marketing strategy. Here's why:
1. You'll Expand Your Customer Base
Social media platforms have millions of users across the globe. There's a good chance that your customers are using TikTok and other types of social media on a daily basis.
When you post content on social media, you put your restaurant and brand in front of a huge audience. That level of exposure can help locals discover your establishment and, hopefully, encourage them to stop in for a meal or drink.
Expanding your customer base means increasing your sales, which is always beneficial for restaurants.
2. You'll Connect with Locals
Did you know that TikTok uses an algorithm that prioritizes content based on location? What this means is that local users, your target audience, are more likely to see your videos.
Make sure that your content is relevant and appealing to your customers so that they watch your videos and stop in to give your restaurant a try.
3. You'll Engage with Customers
TikTok has a high engagement rate, and it's relatively easy for content to go viral. Of course, other social media platforms have high levels of engagement as well, but TikTok is unique in this department.
X TikTok Marketing Ideas for Restaurant Owners
Restaurant social media marketing doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, TikTok makes it easy to create and share content that people love.
But if you're at a loss about what to create, here are X restaurant promotion ideas for TikTok.
1. Create a Hashtag Challenge
Hashtag challenges are wildly popular on TikTok, and that's partly because they create a sense of community. Why not create a hashtag challenge of your own? Not only will you engage your local community, but you'll also help more people discover your content.
Choose challenges related to the food you serve. For example, pizza restaurants can have a #pizzatosschallenge.
These fun restaurant promotion ideas will help you draw in more customers and engage with your local target audience in unique ways.
2. Partner with Influencers
If you want to get your restaurant in front of more faces, try partnering with micro-influencers. These influencers have a major sway on their followers, and they're more affordable to partner with compared to celebrities and big influencers.
When partnering with influencers, it's essential to let their personalities come through in the content. After all, their personalities are why people follow them. Work together to create challenges or content that their audience will enjoy and expect from them.
3. Share Recipes
If you're not into the idea of hashtag challenges or connecting with influencers, why not do something simple like sharing recipes? TikTok is the perfect platform for sharing recipes because you can show your followers how to make some of their favorite menu items.
You can also share different cooking tips and tricks. Cooking hacks are another great idea, and this type of content has the potential to go viral.
4. Offer a Behind the Scenes Look at Your Restaurant
Take your followers on a behind-the-scenes tour of your restaurant. Introduce them to your staff and let them see how your kitchen works. For example, let them see your chef preparing a meal or your servers organizing orders.
Give people a look and feel of your restaurant, so they can decide whether it's a good fit for them. The ambiance of your restaurant or the friendly smiling faces of your staff may be all your followers need to drop in for a meal.
5. TikTok Ads
A simple way to use TikTok in your marketing strategy is to buy ads. Ads on this platform are a little pricey, but they're worth the cost due to the high level of users and engagement. There are a few types of ads to choose from:
- In-feed: These ads appear between videos in users' feeds.
- Branded hashtag challenges: Essentially, this type of ad is a promoted hashtag challenge that can boost engagement.
- Brand takeovers: With this ad, you take over the entire platform by showing an ad when people open the app. Link to your website or your online ordering page.
- Branded effects: Create effects that people can use in their photos and videos that are branded with your restaurant's name and logo.
- Topview: Displays your videos in the user's "For You" page at the top of the app.
The right type of ad for you will primarily depend on your budget. Many restaurants find that in-feed and top view ads work well. However, if you want to be more aggressive and have a bigger budget, the other ad types may allow for higher overall engagement.
6. Show Off Special Customer Moments
Restaurants are where people go to celebrate life moments and enjoy time with friends and family. Showcase these special moments on your TikTok (with permission, of course). Whether it's a proposal, birthday party or just some friends having a laugh, showing people enjoying themselves at your restaurant will entice viewers to stop in.
7. Show Off New Menu Items
Another way you can use TikTok in your marketing strategy is to show off new menu items or specials.
Forget written descriptions of new menu items and specials. With TikTok, you can show off these new additions with video content. Mouthwatering videos of your new menu items and specials can encourage people to stop by.
The Takeaway
TikTok can be a great way to promote your restaurant and expand your customer base. Use the tips above to help create content that your target audience will love and get more people through your door.