Instagram is no doubt the powerful tool to reach and attract more audiences but it isn’t enough for restaurants. It may help a business get viral or get more followers but it does not ensure customers. Instagram has been widely used by owners to get more followers. However, it alone can not attract more customers. It needs to be combined with the local SEO, Google business profile, AI ads, meta ads and google reviews. It helps build a complete system from visually attracting to getting a reservation and then recommendation. Here are the reasons why an owner should not only depend upon instagram for their food businesses.

1. Diversifying the options

Restaurant owners should not depend only on one platform to reach the audience because different generations use different social media. Hence to reach all types of people, owners should use all social apps to build their food brand.

2. Local SEO helps attract immediate customers

People don’t always decide where to eat by using their social apps . Sometimes they just search “ what is the best restaurant in_” . For this, owners need to build a Google business profile and have to maintain the profile to get reviews and get recommended in top three searches.

3. Google Profile attracts customers with intent

Here is one thing that owners need to identify that followers always do not mean intent. It means that they could be following your food page for number of reasons

1. They like food content
2. They like the aesthetics of your page or place
3. They like the music or editing skills of your reel
4. They maybe saving it for future when they will visit your city(They may forget)

It means that there could be a number of reasons that you can get a follow on instagram or a like on instagram but it does not always have to be the intent to make reservations or actually order something from your place. This means that instagram followers are great for brand recognition or reach but they do not attract customers in all cases. This situation delineates the need of an actual strategy to attract customers with intent to dine, to order. Google business profile with good reviews can help restaurant owners to get those customers who are actually going to be there.

Why google profile can attract real customers

1. It will show your place in top results when someone searches for a place to dine in while mentioning the area.
2. Reviews on that profile will help a person to actually trust that place to order or dine in.
3. It will give easy access to a person to know your timings, menu and photos of your food.
4. The review with photos can help them decide how the food looks and whether they want it or not.

4. Meta ads can also help getting customers

Meta ads can help your business get recognition. It can also help with getting high reach as organic reach may not reach your desired target. However, meta ads can help you to reach nearby residents, college students, office workers, tourists etc. In this case your advertisement will directly reach in front of your potential customers. With the good design and a captivating headline you can actually get new customers.

5.AI ads also help getting more customers

AI ads are different from the AI responses but they are usually based on conversation’s context so there are higher chances to get customers from the AI ads then to get from the instagram reel. Instagram reels are not totally worthless but when it comes to getting the potential customers restaurant owners really need to invest in AI ads rather than one platform.

Final Thought

Instagram is widely used by the restaurants for their marketing strategy, but they really need to consider a combined marketing strategy. That will involve local SEO , meta ads, AI ads, Google business profile, Google reviews etc. This will help restaurants gain the actual customers and not only followers and like.

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