Influencer marketing and commercial catering: gain visibility with food influencers
April 12 2022
Food influencers are very popular on social media for their beautiful photos, food reviews or even recipes. These types of influencers generate a personal engagement with their audience, a guarantee of authenticity.
Adoria explains how to increase your restaurant's visibility by developing your influencer marketing strategy.
Why partner with food influencers for your restaurant?
Did you know? According to a study by the Digital Marketing Institute, 49 he consumers will condition their purchases on influencer recommendations in 2022. A survey that includes the food and restaurant industry.
Influencers on networks can help you increase brand awareness and sales. In fact, they usually do wonders in terms of marketing strategy for the restaurants they work with. After all, cooking is booming on the networks, and the public enjoys posting recipes or photos of original dishes, especially on Instagram and TikTok.
So collaborating with culinary influencers can allow you to:
- improve your restaurant's brand image, showcase it and keep up with trends,
- have a positive and direct impact on your potential clientele, and attract them to the restaurant,
increase sales in an original, effective and fast way,
- promote events related to the restaurant's marketing plan.
The recommendation of a culinary influencer can have a definitive effect. For example, your Instagram account can dramatically increase its followers with the help of a high-engagement influencer. If the account's content strategy is effective, your new followers will come to your restaurant to eat, likely within a short period of time.
Getting influencers to come to your restaurant
Once you've selected influencers through hashtags or stats on the various platforms, there are a number of methods available to you to allow them to create content related to your brand.
Offer a meal to local micro-influencers
Contact local influencers and invite them to a free meal at your restaurant. This type of contact, if successful, sets the stage for long-term collaborations between your restaurant and certain local micro-influencers. Depending on the size of their community, you'll probably have to offer some financial compensation. Indeed, and especially in 2022, it's not a good idea to ask for a positive review or post simply in exchange for a free meal.
Pay for sponsored posts or articles
Engage a social media influencer to write a blog post about your restaurant. These types of collaborations work best when used to promote specific events, such as the launch of a new seasonal menu or a cocktail party.
Have a collaborative contest
For example, the influencer could create an Instagram post asking followers to subscribe to your restaurant's account, in exchange for a chance to win a meal for two.
Create an "Influencers"
Host an exclusive event with local influencers and encourage them to post about your business on their social channels. Make sure to offer a true VIP experience. The more your guests feel pampered, the more they will be encouraged to share on social media.
Make a long-term partnership
You can start a long-term partnership with one or more influencers. Repeated posts about your restaurant will generate more interest than a one-time post. Think of a monthly blog post or a social media post in which the influencer highlights new menus or dishes, events,... Pricing for this type of ongoing engagement varies by influencer, and you'll need to measure the impact to see if your investment is worthwhile.
How to select influencers to collaborate with?
It can be tempting to "go for it" by contacting France's top food influencers. However, to take advantage of a successful influencer marketing strategy, you'll first need to consider certain factors to ensure it's right for you and your restaurant. Here are some important things to consider before partnering with a culinary influencer.
What budget for the partnership?
Before you contact an influencer, you need to determine your budget and how you're going to pay them. The size of your budget will help you choose the right influencer.
Generally, the more followers an influencer has, the more it will cost you to work with them. While some of the numbers may seem huge, you will have room to negotiate, and you may be able to offer free meals as part of the fee if the influencer is already a fan of your restaurant.
If you work with a micro-influencer, you can expect to pay less for an Instagram post, YouTube video or blog post. While their community may be smaller, it may be more engaged, which can be an interesting strategic focus for your restaurant.
Which platform to turn to?
Your marketing strategy needs to be specific to fit your budget as well as your brand image. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on one or even two social media channels to start. Decide which channel you want to use before reaching out to influencers. YouTube, Tiktok or Instagram are reliable choices for the food industry.
If your dishes offer great aesthetic appeal, consider focusing on Instagram influencer marketing. If your restaurant sparkles with personality, consider partnering with a YouTube influencer, who can make a more detailed tasting video. Finally, if you're in the street food business, or your restaurant targets a younger audience, Tiktok may be the best avenue.
If your restaurant(s) is/are locally based
Unless your restaurant is a chain with a nationwide presence, it's best to opt for a local micro-influencer. This will likely be more affordable than a large influencer, and will also be more relevant. This is because a local influencer covers a certain area and focuses on a local audience, who will be more likely to visit your establishment.
You'll also be able to build a long-lasting relationship with the influencer if he or she is located in the same city as you. Just make sure you choose someone who has a strong following in your area, and a good engagement rate.
