Influencer marketing has become an essential strategy for restaurants aiming to boost brand visibility and attract more customers. However, navigating the complexities of influencer marketing—such as determining its value, ensuring audience alignment, setting fair compensation, and measuring effectiveness—can be challenging.

With a wealth of experience in restaurant marketing spanning over a decade, we've delved into the intriguing realm of influencers. If you're considering leveraging influencer marketing to elevate your restaurant's online presence, look no further. We've crafted a comprehensive guide on our approach to collaborating with influencers and gauging the impact of their content for First Table. Read on to discover more.

Before you reach out to influencers, it’s crucial to define what you want to achieve with influencer marketing. Common goals include:

• Increasing brand awareness
• Increasing social media followers
• Boosting reservations and foot traffic
• Enhancing online engagement
• Generating user-generated content
• Driving website traffic

Identify the right influencers: Begin by identifying influencers who align with your restaurant's brand, values, and target audience. Look for influencers who frequently post about food, dining experiences, and things to do in your city or town.

Evaluate their fit: Ask for a media kit to review their audience demographics, engagement rates, and previous collaborations. This will help you determine if their audience aligns with your target market.

Craft a personalised pitch: When reaching out, personalise your pitch. Mention specific posts or aspects of their content that you like. Explain why you think they would be a great fit for your restaurant and what unique value your collaboration would bring to both parties.

Offer clear collaboration ideas: Propose clear collaboration ideas, such as a sponsored post or a dining experience review. Be open to their suggestions as well, as they know what resonates best with their audience.

Evaluate their fit: When influencers contact you, evaluate their fit with your brand by asking for a media kit. 

Set clear expectations: If you decide to move forward, set clear expectations from the start. Discuss the type of content you’re looking for, the timeline for the posts, remuneration and any specific requirements you may have. 

Ensure both parties understand the deliverables and the compensation involved, you can make this clear by providing a contract and a brief. 

It's a good idea to create a contract if your business is paying a fee to the influencer. There are plenty of downloadable contract templates online, such as this one from Meltwater:

https://www.meltwater.com/en/resources/social-influencer-contract-template-free-download

The brief is where you would include the key messages you would like to get across to their audience and some references to other campaigns that may have worked well in the past for your venue. It's also worth including guidelines such as avoiding mentions of competitors around the same time your content is being shared and ensuring content includes the outside of your venue, hero dishes and the ambience of the restaurant, for example.

Track engagement metrics

Engagement metrics are essential indicators of how well the influencer's content resonates with their audience. Key engagement metrics include:

• Collaborator posts: If you ask to be added as a collaborator on the post, you will have access to the engagement metrics of the particular post
• Likes and shares: The number of likes and shares on influencer posts featuring your restaurant.
• Comments: The quality and quantity of comments can provide insights into customer interest and sentiment.
• Mentions: Track how often your restaurant is mentioned in posts and stories.

Monitor website traffic

Use tools like Google Analytics to track the referral traffic from influencer posts to your restaurant’s website. Key metrics to monitor include:

• Referral sources: Identify which influencer’s posts are driving traffic this can be done via a link in the influencer’s bio on Instagram, for example.
• Session duration: Measure how long visitors stay on your website after clicking a link from an influencer post.
• Conversions: Track the number of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a reservation or signing up for a newsletter.

Measure sales and reservations

Directly linking influencer campaigns to sales and reservations is crucial if your objective is boosting reservations. Use these methods:

• Discount Codes: Provide influencers with unique discount codes to share with their followers. Track the usage of these codes to measure the direct impact on sales.
• Tracking Links: Use UTM parameters in the links shared by influencers to monitor traffic and conversions from specific campaigns.

Analyse social media growth

Influencer content can significantly boost your social media presence. Monitor your restaurant’s social media growth by tracking:

Follower growth: Measure the increase in followers after an influencer campaign.

Engagement rate: Compare the engagement rate of your content before and after the campaign to assess its impact.

Make sure you ask for your venue to be added as a collaborator on an Instagram post. This means the post is also displayed on your feed, and you have access to the insights of that content.

Gather customer feedback

Customer feedback is invaluable in understanding the impact of influencer marketing. Use the following methods:

• Surveys: Conduct surveys asking customers how they heard about your restaurant.
• Reviews: Monitor online reviews for mentions of influencers.
• Direct feedback: Encourage staff to ask customers how they found out about your restaurant.

Consider both direct and indirect benefits, such as increased brand awareness and long-term customer loyalty.

By defining clear goals and carefully selecting influencers who align with your brand, restaurants can effectively leverage influencer marketing to boost visibility and drive engagement. With thorough measurement of key metrics, businesses can assess the success of their campaigns, ensuring a worthwhile return on investment and fostering long-term customer loyalty.

Want targeted and specific advice on working with social media influencers? Feel free to reach out to your First Table business development manager.