What:
Bloggers and Instagram influencers are very influential in the social media space and can really help show off your food and restaurant to the world. Invite these influencers to dine at your restaurant to enjoy, take photos and learn more about your local presence.
Why is this important?
Many people like to know a reputable source had visited a restaurant and liked it before going there themselves (similar to reviews). Others may follow someone for pretty pictures and newly get exposed to your restaurant. Reaching thousands of new people online through these influencers can build your reputation and sales.
Execution:
- First thing to do is to Google and do research on Instagram
to find the correct people to invite in. This can take a bit of time and work.
Be sure to only contact people that would be relevant to your restaurant.
- A search for Jacksonville Food Bloggers comes up with these results:
Visit their websites, see if it’s relevant, and then contact the bloggers to invite them to the restaurant. This can also direct you to their Instagram page to follow them.
On Instagram, it’s a bit more difficult, but think of different hashtags that could be relevant, click on the blogger and see how many followers they have.
- If over 1000
followers, they are a good target.
- Be sure to use your local city name to do searches
- Some examples are:
- #foodiejax
- #JacksonvilleFood
- #JaxRestaurants
- #FloridaFoodies
- #JaxReviews
- In this example, I looked up Foodie Jacksonville to see some hashtags.
Here are the results that popped up. From here, you can click on the photo to see who posted it.
Clicking on the first photo shows Kaitlyn.Reiser. With 283 likes, she’s likely to be influential.
This would be a good person to reach out to with 2700 followers.
Example email or message about what to say:
Hi Kaitlyn,
I was looking through Jacksonville food photos on Instagram and came across your profile. Looks like you enjoy going to restaurants in the area! I’d love to invite you and a guest in to Carmine’s to have a meal on us. We offer a selection of unique pizzas, Italian fare, desserts and more with a fun and funky décor that we think would look great on your Instagram. Plus, I see you’re a soon to be bride- congrats! We offer catering and it’d be a delicious midnight snack at the reception! Please let me know if you’d be interested in joining us. We hope if you enjoy your food you could tag us on any photos you may post.
Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!
-Kathryn Broderick
Marketing Manager
- If you don’t hear back, be sure to follow up in a few weeks.
- If they do accept your invitation, be sure a manager is on
the shift to ensure an excellent experience.
- It’s recommended to ask about any dietary restrictions before the visit
- Bring them what they order, but also be sure to throw in a few other selections so they can try a few things
- Always bring dessert!
- Be sure to follow them so you can thank them if any photos or blog articles are posted. These are great to share on Facebook.
- If they do not accept your invitation, thank them and make
a note not to follow up.
- *Some bloggers may ask for payment. Depending on how large their audience is, this may be something to discuss with the Marketing Manager.