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Instagram’s rise to social media stardom is astounding.
The Facebook-owned social network now boasts more than one billion active monthly users and, for that reason alone, remains a favourite marketing channel for hospitality businesses.
Instagram’s highly visual nature and clean, uncluttered interface has proven particularly popular with restauranteurs who use the platform to showcase their dishes.
It’s thought that engagement rates with brands on Instagram are 84 times higher than they are on Twitter. Add to that the fact that 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile each day, and it’s hard to ignore the power it gives restaurateurs.
Recently, Instagram launched a brand-new feature for Australian businesses that caught our eye.
Food order Call To Action and stickers
On Monday 27 April, Instagram rolled out two new tools which will be of particular interest to restaurateurs.
The first is a food order call to action (CTA) button that can be added to Instagram in a couple of ways:
– on Instagram Stories – just look for the sticker in the tray at the bottom of the screen when posting a new story. The sticker can be placed anywhere on the image or video.
– on Instagram profiles – when customers visit your profile for further information, they can now head straight into the ordering process from Instagram. To activate the stickers, you’ll need to head into your Instagram settings, and look for the ‘action buttons’ option. In there, you can add the details of your delivery partner.
It’s a one-time setting that enables you to add that handy little sticker to any story you publish on Instagram. What’s more, customers can use the sticker themselves on their own stories if they fancy spreading the good word about your restaurant.
The delivery services currently compatible with the new CTA are UberEATS, Deliveroo and Door Dash.
Head of Market Operations at Instagram APAC, Kaylie Smith, explains their goal with the new tool. “We want to do our part in helping them [small businesses] stay open, keep in touch with customers, and stay informed on how to navigate this crisis. These new tools make it easier for people to share fundraisers and make delivery food orders from small businesses on Instagram.”
Fundraisers for small businesses
Alongside the food order CTA, Instagram has launched a useful fundraising option for small businesses.
This follows the same launch that took place on Facebook recently, and enables businesses and organisations to add ‘donate’ buttons tot their Instagram profiles. It’s also now possible to share fundraisers from Facebook via Instagram Stories.
If you’re working with a charitable organisation during the coronavirus outbreak or have set up your own fundraising to support the fight against the pandemic, the ability to add a ‘donate’ button to your Instagram profile could prove very useful indeed.
The new tools launched by Instagram this week have come at a very useful time indeed, with more restaurants reacting positively to COVID-19 by implementing online ordering and delivery services.
Source: https://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/instagram-announces-new-support-tools/
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