Pinterest is a web and mobile based social website which works solely on the basis of photo sharing. And despite being a newer entry into the long list of social websites, it is a dreamland for those looking to promote their contents, business or works. And if there is any one business which can gain most through promotion on Pinterest, it is the Restaurant business.
Why? Just because as we said, the site works by posting photos only. And what better way to promote your restaurant than providing your audience and potential customers with your restaurant pics. You can use Pinterest for small business marketing easily.
You can wow the viewer by providing marvelous pics of your restaurant, the menu, the delicious delicacies, the environment and many more things. It is really an effective marketing tactic to create an interest among the public about your restaurant or café. Using Pinterest is very easy also too; all you need to do is sign up properly and then market your restaurant strategically and beautifully. And to help you further, we are providing you with the ultimate Pinterest marketing guide to promote your restaurant.
Best ways to market your establishment on Pinterest
Set up a Pinterest Profile for your Restaurant
Here is how to add your restaurant to Yelp:
- Go to Pinterest.com
- There are options to sign up using your Facebook, Twitter or Email account. Click on Sign up with Email.
- You will be asked to fill up a form. Don’t! That form will set up a personal account for you. And you want an account for your restaurant. So, Scroll down.
- You will see “Are you a business? Click here” Click on it.
Now, you will find another form. This is the form for you to fill. Now, I hope you know how to fill up a form since you are running a business. So, am not going to detail it to you. Just keep one thing in mind; select “Local Business” option in the Business Type. That’s the one for Restaurants and café.
Voila! Your Pinterest account is ready. Now, your actual work starts. Because it takes a great strategy to build a great marketing campaign even on social media platforms.
How to use Pinterest to promote your Restaurant
You will be requiring to know about four ways to promote your restaurant in Pinterest and make the best out of it. They are:
- Creating your Boards
- Creating your Pins
- Repining other’s Pins
- Engaging with others
1. Promotion using Boards
Boards are like folders for your pins in Pinterest. A Board is a collection of some relevant pins of same category that anyone willing to can see. All the contents and images you will pin or repin have to go on at least one board. So, give your “Boards” categorical names like Menu, Fast Foods, Customers etc. and post your relevant pins in them.
You can create a board in Pinterest by going to your profile and clicking “Create a Board.” And before you know it, it is there! Easy! You can also add your location and a map. When you click on that option, you will be shown a map where you can put down your restaurant and photos of it for the users to stumble upon and know about you (restaurant).
2. Promotion using Pins
Pins are the basic tool to promote yourself on Pinterest. Just click on the “+” at the top right corner of the page and then “Upload a Pin.” Then, simply upload the images you want your target audience or customers or anyone following you to see. Keep in mind to provide a good quality and beautiful looking image to really captivate the viewers.
You can also add a Pin from website by clicking on the “+” and then providing the URL of the site from where you want to put the image from.
3. Repin your customer’s pins about your Restaurant
Repin the images uploaded by your customers on Pinterest to increase your brand image to the viewers. Also, spend some time researching and looking out for other people’s pins relevant to you and repin them. The people may come to your Board searching for those pins and get engaged to yours.
It is a widely used marketing tactic which is successful too and is known to have actually worked better sometimes that just keeping your pins only in your profiles. You can create different Boards to repin other’s pins. How to do it? Easy again! Every pin has an option coming with it named “Pin it.” Just click on that and select the Board from your profile you want to put the pin in to.
4. Engage with others
Use these small tricks to attract crowds or viewers to your profile. Engage with the other regular pinners and you may get an audience in return for yourself. This will also help you get acquaintance with others in the business and expand your community. There are many ways to do this:
- Follow other pinners: they may follow you back gaining your restaurant board a follower.
- Like other’s pins: many people keep a track on their likes and look through the profiles of those who liked them. They may find your profile and pins interesting and decide to give your restaurant a try. It is a good way to gain viewers and customers for business in any social media platforms.
- Provide comments: provide a little mark of appreciation on the pins you like. Works like a charm!
So, these are some ways to promote your restaurant using Pinterest. However, knowing about them or using them is NOT enough. You have to be strategic and creative to really captivate the interest of the viewers. You can use some of the suggestions from below to do that.
- Show off your Dishes
It’s the obvious one. Take the best pics of your cooked delicacies and post them in Pinterest to wow the viewers and make them hungry just by looking at it.
- Make Different Pin Boards
Categorize your Boards! For example, use a different board for your restaurant’s pic, a different one for your menu, a different one for the images of fast foods, another one for drinks, or another one of refreshments.
- Connect with your Audience
Socialize with your audience and customers. Make your pins interactive and try to reply on the comments put by your customers. The basic thing you can do is thank them for trying you out and liking your restaurant or your dishes.
Follow this Pinterest for business tips by heart and you will be able to create a perfect promotional campaign for your restaurant on Pinterest. It’s super simple, really!
