Top Six Instagram Tips for Pubs and Busy Coffee Shops

Ripples’ Social Media Manager (and Customer Success Expert and Chief Trainer and Barista and Trade Show Presenter) Emily Alves presented a live training on The New Rules for Social Media Marketing. She shared her favorite best practice tips (especially geared for small shops without a full-time social media marketing expert – Emily can relate), and of course showcased her favorite examples of Ripples customers making their drinks go viral worldwide. Check out her top six Instagram takeaways below, and then watch the full session on demand.

1. Create a visual style for your brand Bring the on-premise experience of your bar or coffee shop to the digital space. Use consistent colors and topics so your fans can recognize your posts at-a-glance. Need help getting started? Choose a favorite piece of your décor (tile floor? bright blue wall?) as the basis of your style, and use your Ripple Maker to gracefully incorporate your logo, a holiday greeting, or a message to share.

Pictured from left: Café Georgetown, Coffee Cartel Bali, Café Lorees 

   

2. Ensure consistency by scheduling your posts in advance Inconsistent posts means less engagement means less impact means fewer visitors to your Instagram page and fewer new eyeballs on your content. Don’t let a busy week derail your efforts. Use a free online scheduler to set your week’s posts in advance. This will also let you review your upcoming posts as a group so you can ensure they all work together and all match your brand.

3.Use IG Stories to build community Your feed is now gorgeous and curated, so use IG stories to show off your human side. The stories automatically delete after 24 hours so have fun with it (But if it’s awesome, save it as a highlight. Learn more in Emily’s video).

Share behind-the-scenes pictures of your team and events, highlight menu items or promote your happy hour special. Create polls. Use cute stickers. Make sure you’re following your favorite customers’ accounts and regram posts created at or about your venue.

4. Use #Hashtags Wisely

This section was robust and immediately actionable:

• 1. Create a hashtag bank.
     • Use a hashtag generator tool or look at pages you admire to get started
     • Have different lists for different topics (community events vs drinks recipes) and mix up the sets you use in your posts
     • Maintain the list on desktop (vs mobile) so it’s easy to copy and paste into your scheduled posts.
     • Switch up the number of hashtags you use in a post. Don’t post 30 (the max) every time
  2. Don’t bother using hashtags that have been used more than 10,000,000 times – you’ll have more of an impact and a better chance with the algorithm with hashtags with fewer than 1,000,000 total mentions.
  3. Create a custom hashtag exclusive for your brand.
  4. Stay on top of your lists. Refresh and update at least monthly.

5. Jump on Trends, Name Drop, and encourage social shares with your Ripples prints

If you give a customer a cocktail topped with her selfie, she’s going to want to post it on Instagram. And then she’ll want another cocktail to go with it. And then all her friends and followers will want to know where she was and go there too and get their own cocktails to post on their own accounts— and if you have an Enhanced Service Plan or higher you can add your own logo or custom hashtag to each and every drink.

And since you can create content on the fly, you can insert yourself in trending stories – anything from a royal wedding to a US Senator’s practical outerwear.

6. When in doubt, use whichever tool Instagram is actively promoting

As of taping (November 2021) Instagram is favoring Reels in the algorithm. Instagram always promotes posts using newly launched features, so make sure to familiarize yourself with the latest tools to get maximum engagement and reach from your posts.

Looking for more? Watch the full session on demand. And be sure to follow @drinkripples for daily Insta inspiration.