If you use Twitter or Instagram then you’re no stranger to use of hashtags #. Hashtags got their start in Twitter as a way of making it easier for people to find, follow, and contribute to a conversation. Ever since hashtags emerged on Twitter, they have been gradually evolving and are being used more and more by marketers. But do you know how to use them strategically and to your advantage?
Hashtags can be beneficial for your restaurant in a number of ways, some businesses try to attract new followers and others try to improve user experience. These social media tactics offer substantial areas for you to focus your efforts on to better develop your social media strategy.
Trending Hashtags
A trending hashtag is a hashtag topic that has become very popular and is the most talked about right now. Trending hashtags are always changing as new trends and topics emerge, so it’s always important to keep on top of the latest news and trends. When you see a trend or hashtag that could relate to your business or product, engage in it by using the most popular tag. By using a trending hashtag in your content update whether on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram you can potentially get your message seen to a massive audience.
But only use hashtags that relate to your business, the over use of unrelated hashtags is seen as poor taste. It can be seen as spamming and could get your account suspended on Twitter.
Content Hashtags
Content hashtags are tags that you use in your social media posts that are related to the content that you are posts. They don’t have to be trending or popular hashtags but related to your post whether its food or product eg #Lasagne. By hashtaging Lasagne your post is now categorized within the #Lasagne search. Content hashtags improve the SEO of your posts; they get your updates seen by your consumers who are searching for #Lasagne or eg #ChineseTakeaway.
Other popular content hashtags could be:
- Branded eg #Nike #McDonalds #Starbucks
- Product eg #OreoCheeseCake #BigMac #Coffee
- Lifestyle eg #Surfing #Rugby #Gym
- Event eg #TasteofDublin #Bloom
Use of Engaging Images
A picture is worth a thousand words, content with relevant images gets a lot more views than content without. So by posting high quality relevant images such meals that are on the menu could get people interested in what you have to offer and therefore creating potentially a larger customer base.
Consistency
Once you’ve started posting content it is important that you engage with your audience. This means interacting with your customers and answering questions that they ask. Ignoring comments can be seen as off-putting for your audience and followers’, engaging with customers is what develops your relationship and their loyalty.
Listen to your audience
Thanks to social media, you can find out exactly what people are saying about your restaurant and food at any time, from anywhere. Social media listening is an important part of developing a social media engagement plan and very insightful. This gives you the opportunity to get involved and engage with customers and prospects.
The key to successfully using hashtags is to understand the different applications for hashtags, use them precisely rather than blindly.
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