28 Jan How to Hire an Influencer for Your Restaurant 101
Influencers for Restaurants can come in numerous forms; From people with sizeable social media following, to influential local celebrities, well networked business owners and maybe even a ‘social butterfly’ of sorts in your circle. Such a partnership is excellent for both influencer and restaurant when executed properly. Collaborations are a great way to tap new audiences and reach prospective diners.
“71% of Instagram users are under the age of 35”
However, there are some key factors that will teach you How to Hire an Influencer for Your Restaurant.
Here are some key factors which you should consider while hiring an influencer for your restaurant.
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Ideal Audience
Figure out your ideal customer and then look for a food influencer who also targets the same audience with their content. These could be bloggers, food critics, health influencers, recipe creators and even photographers.
- Look at the Feed
Evaluate their content and see if it’s a good fit to promote the theme of your restaurant.
- Reach Out!
A customised message or proposal for an activity or partnership help speed things up. If you’re convinced that the influencer will be beneficial for your business, draft an initial message (or few) and start reaching out.
“46% of guests look towards social media when making a purchase or dining choice, you must have meaningful, locally relevant social content and engagement campaigns that turn guests into regulars”
- Choose the influencers:
There are no doubts that choosing an influencer for your restaurant business can be very complicated, specifically when you don’t work with an agency. While it may seem daunting, restaurant owners ought to research influencers on their own at least the first time (or once).
Start with a basic online search to find the best influencer for your restaurant based on your City or area. Platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook can be a great help when looking for a fruitful collaboration.
Here are some examples of Searches which are best when searching for a food Influencer. Look at the results on Google and on Youtube, and see what’s being posted by websites/ Blogs, Companies, and Individuals too:
- My favourite food in (city name)
- (city name) + Restaurant
- (city name) + Food
- What to do in (city name)
- Best places to eat in (city name)
- (Mention any Food type) in (city name)
Start by making notes on the average followers and subscribers of the influencer and where they’re located. Hiring an influencer from your city can be most beneficial because chances are that they already know what strategy can help to boost or create hype for your Restaurant or food business.
On the other hand, if you don’t want to research on your own, connect with us, and we’ll help getting you an Influencer for your Restaurant or Food Business.
- Negotiation:
There are times when you cannot afford to hire big influencers because of budget constraints. A common occurance with Startups. Have you tried going about it without spending a penny?
First, find an influencer and contact him or her and invite them for a meal. There are high chances that they will accept the invitation and come to your restaurant and then post about it in exchange.
In case things don’t go this way, look in to your own network and those of colleagues and friends. Chances are you may already have an influencer in your circle. In this way, you can get easily featured on an influencer’s post without having any contract.
- When is a contract needed?
Let’s say you have approached an influencer who has 200k+ followers, and you think your budget allows you to hire him or her; you’ll invariably find they are represented by an agency, and that’s where a contract is needed.
There are agencies that deal with ‘micro influencers’ who will have a standard NDA and Contract format that may be just what you’re looking for.
- How to make a contract?
After choosing an influencer, the first thing you have to is to send an email, and briefly describe your business, say positive things about them about how their posts appealed to you, or something about their aesthetic. Also, if you are a startup, then make that clear, and show the intention of building a long-term working relationship and keep some room for negotiation in rates.
After settling the terms of the deal with your chosen influencer, you must draft a proper agreement with terms and conditions in place. Make sure to mention every minor detail into agreement. For example, promised deliverables, contract validity, which includes the time duration (as per year or months) of your restaurant to feature the influencer’s post. Moreover, payments structure, cancellation reasons, and brand guidelines must be mentioned in the agreement to avoid any future inconvenience.
- Measuring the Results:
This piece on How to Hire an Influencer for Your Restaurant would be incomplete without advice on checking the statistics of the number of customers coming to your restaurant. See the increase of traffic on your restaurant website as well as followers on your Instagram. If you see an uptick in visits or walk ins, then it means your collaboration and investment were worth it.
Moreover, make sure to have a tracking link, if your influencer has posted your restaurant link in his Bio or description, a tracking link will allow you to track the results if you are running any special promo or discount campaign.
If you’re new, you may be measuring return on investment by building brand awareness and credibility- in this case, of course, identify the metrics you’re looking to build up; and invest in longer term returns!
Influencer marketing is a fundamental step to get into social media for your restaurant or food business. You need to think long-term and make sure you are not going to rely on any 1 influencer for a lifetime. Therefore, use all the platforms where you’re present on social media and spread your brand message and build a strong client-chain.
If you’re an owner or marketer who has some suggestions or ideas to add, please do share your influencer marketing for restaurant experience with us.
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