Hospitality marketing: what to post when nothing is new

When you have nothing new, show what you already have from a different angle: the dish everyone orders, the people who make it, the place at a different time of day, answers to the questions you get on the phone every day. Your followers don't remember what you posted three weeks ago. And don't forget your Google profile, which is where people who don't know you yet will find you.

What you already have that's worth showing again

A restaurant or café produces material for posts every single day. It just doesn't feel like "news," so it goes unused.

• The signature dish. The one that sells most deserves a post once a month, shot differently each time: the full plate, a cross-section, how it's made, which wine or dessert goes with it.
• The place at different hours. The terrace in the morning, the dining room at night, the long table for groups. Someone planning a birthday dinner is looking for exactly that.
• The people. The chef, the bartender, whoever bakes the cakes. With their consent, a photo and two lines about what they love to cook do better than a perfect plate.
• Your suppliers. Where the cheese, wine or coffee comes from. If you work with local producers, say so specifically and name them, if they're fine with it.

A list of ideas for the quiet weeks

1. The answer to the question you hear most on the phone: is there parking, are dogs welcome, is it kid-friendly, do you have gluten-free options.
2. How to book a table and how long you hold it, in two lines.
3. A behind-the-scenes dish: dough rising, sauce simmering since morning.
4. The dish of the day or week, with a photo next to the text.
5. What changes with the season, even slightly: autumn soup, hot tea on the terrace.
6. A good review with your reply, as an image (without the customer's details).
7. A table set for a group, so people know you do that.
8. A simple question for followers: which dish should come back on the menu.
9. Your holiday hours, announced early.
10. The place seen from the street, so first-timers recognize it.

You don't need all of them. Pick three that fit you and rotate them.

Your Google profile works even when you skip Instagram

When someone searches "restaurant near me" or your name, the first thing they see is your Google Business Profile. You can publish three kinds of posts there:

• updates, with text, a photo or video, and a button to your site;
• offers, with a title, dates and an automatic "View offer" button;
• events, with a title and start and end dates and times.

Two practical points. Google may remove posts that contain unverified phone numbers, email addresses or social media handles, so leave the number out of the text and use the call button, which pulls the verified number from your profile. As for photos: JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, and Google recommends at least 720 × 720 px.

Set up your holiday hours now

October is a good time to get ready for the December holidays and New Year's Eve. Your Google profile has special hours for the days when you work differently, without touching your regular schedule. Google recommends confirming your hours for public holidays even if they're the same as usual. Special hours show to customers only on the days you pick, and you can use them for short closures of up to 6 days in a row.

On social media, post the same schedule and pin it to the top of your profile until the holidays are over. Customers who were going to call to ask whether you're open on the 31st will have their answer first.

A pace you can keep

A plan that calls for a post every day falls apart after two weeks. Two posts a week kept up for three months beat ten in one week followed by silence. Take your photos in one session a month, in good light, and write the captions in one sitting. We described the method in our article on a month of content planned in an hour.

If you'd like us to handle the plan and the photos, see what we do on our marketing services page.