Food brings people together, which is now also true for the digital world! Whether it’s a picture of what someone had for dinner or a hands-and-pans video that shows us how to whip up a delicious dish, it’s almost inevitable that you will run across some type of food-related post when scrolling through your Instagram feed. The rising popularity of food-focused posts on social media has generated large followings for food accounts and hashtags, allowing viewers to stay up-to-date with food trends, restaurants, and of course a daily dose of mouth-watering content.
Hashtags, which are a key word or phrase preceded by a hash sign, are included in social media copy to allow users to search content within the theme of the word or phrase used. On Instagram, users have the option to not only use hashtags, but follow them as well. For example, if someone loves pugs, they can follow #pugs to see all posts in their homepage feed relating to the dog breed because they contain the same hashtag.
Food hashtags have become extremely popular and are a simple yet effective way for restaurants to attract food-loving crowds both online and in the door as customers. Here are some popular Instagram food hashtag ideas that are sure to attract #foodies to your social page.
Dress up your post for any occasion. Whether it’s an actual holiday, time of day, or time of year, use hashtags that are timely. Check out how The Cheesecake Factory made use of National Cheesecake Day to promote their franchise through a single hashtag:
Popular timely food hashtags include:
#brunch | #NationalPastaDay | #pumpkinpie
Stay local! Restaurants can easily target locals who have yet to discover their next go-to eatery by using hashtags that include their location. Check out the Broadway Market in Baltimore as an example:
Here are some examples of interchangeable location-based food hashtags:
#DCfoodies | #ATLeats | #Marylandfood
Hashtags that make your restaurant special. If your restaurant offers dietary options such as vegan and gluten free, hashtag it! Finding a place to eat that caters to specific dietary needs can be tricky, so let your audience know that you have what they need. Hashtags like these are sure to get your restaurant noticed by users searching these tags:
#vegan | #dairyfree | #cleaneating | #paleo
Strut your stuff through hashtags. Include hashtags that are relevant to your restaurant and showcase what you offer. Starbucks creates a hashtag for the name of every drink they post. These hashtags are purely relevant to their brand and do a great job at cultivating a following of Instagram users who add to the hashtag:
Dominos follows the same strategy, but goes for a simpler approach:
Check out some examples of similar keyword food hashtags:
#Asianbistro | #margaritas |#Mexicanfood | #icecream
Join the bigger conversation. When your goal is to draw in food fanatics who will take awesome Intsa-worthy pictures of your dishes, it’s best to use hashtags that they would typically use when posting food. Some popular ones include:
#foodie | #foodporn | #foodstagram
Restaurants with strong social media accounts have embraced the use of hashtags to keep their posts prominent in the digital sphere. Once a social presence is made, a restaurant is more likely to grow and maintain business, both online and in the real world. Food is universally loved, so why not start getting yours noticed by using a #hashtag?
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