Tips for Using Food Influencers in Dallas, TX
If you own a restaurant, you might want to get the word out via Social Media Influencers. The good thing about them is they are generally pretty affordable, can give you a good bump in awareness for your business, and can come off as more authentic than a traditional ad. Here are my recommendations on how to contact them, things to look for, and a few in Dallas, I have worked with before.
How to Contact a Social Media Influencer
Message on Instagram. Let them know you would like them to come to your restaurant to take some pics and do a post on Instagram.
Offer Comped Food. Give them enough money for two people to dine and try a few different menu items.
Discuss Payment. Some Social Media Influencers will charge you money to use them - really that’s up to you and your budget. I prefer working with Influencers who are happy with payment through food for an Instagram post or story.
Consider a Giveaway or Other Sponsored Content. If you they do want to some giveaway with your product, you should consider letting them include this with their post – this could be a $25 gift card or something like that.
Things to look for in Social Media Influencers
Look at their followers. Sometimes it’s OK to use influencers who may not have a huge group of followers; quality of followers is just as important as quantity.
Review the quality of their photography and copy for their posts.
Look at their engagement rate. This is how many people like or comment on their posts. If they have a low engagement rate (i.e. # of likes/total number of followers on a post), you might want to consider another influencer.
Examine their reach. When you get in touch with an influencer, look at where their followers come from. You want to make sure they are in Dallas. You can also look at a few more stats. Below is a quick screenshot of what to look for.
As a general tip, don’t try to overly art-direct the photos they take. Just focus on making your food presentation look as good as possible. People are drawn to authentic content and don’t want it to feel forced.
What to do after they post
Be sure to like and comment on their post or story.
Make sure to repost/share on your restaurant’s Instagram account (you don’t have to do it right away, but definitely within a day or two).
my favorite dallas influencers
Here are a few of my favorite local Social Media Influencers in Dallas to consider using for your restaurant. I have used these influencers before and they are pretty cool, responsive, and not flaky.
@AskFoodBitch – Food writer based in Dallas. She is super responsive, takes good photos, and is a good copywriter. Generally, she tries getting engagement from her followers by offering giveaways. Great approach!
@Still_Hungry_Dallas – She doesn’t have as large of a following of Food Bitch (About 10k) but takes really good photos and has a pretty good engagement rate from her followers. She is really great to work with. Super responsive.
@Dinner.Drinks.Dallas – James is super nice and his feed is a mix of personal photos and food/drink shots which I think adds a level of authenticity that is missing sometimes from other food influencers.
@Foodie.QT – Super easy to work with, and has over 20K followers. She takes good, clean photos.
@VegansInTexas – Slightly smaller reach, but if you are pushing any vegan menu items, then a really good choice in the Dallas area to consider. If you’re looking to target vegan eaters, this is a great approach.