Social Media Checklist for Independent Hospitality Businesses

Social media is an incredibly effective free marketing tool for your business. You can have everything in place to trade and the best food on offer, but if nobody knows you’re there, then the tills are going to remain empty. So let’s take a look at the top reasons for implementing a social strategy into your business plan, the checklist for setting up and advice from James Manning of Bristol based Gurt Wings, who’s accumulated an impressive following of 35k on Instagram alone.

Top reasons for implementing a social strategy into your business plan:

• Real-time customer engagement that can quickly turn into bookings
• Handle customer feedback and concerns promptly before they escalate
• Create genuine conversations that build trust and loyalty
• Share timely updates about special offers, events, or changes in service
• Share behind the scenes content which humanises your brand
• Educate followers on your story and what’s special about your brand
• Free or low cost marketing
• Option to scale with paid promotion when needed and reach a targeted audience

Social Media Checklist

The setup

• Ensure your social profiles are business accounts and not personal accounts
• Complete the business information page with contact details, FAQ’s, About Us and working hours
• Add your website link and relevant action buttons
• Choose a recognisable image (usually your logo) and make sure all banners and profile pictures are in the right dimensions
• Have high-res, clear images on your feed and profile

Content Planning

• Develop a consistent posting schedule (aim for 4-7 posts per week)
• Mix content types: photos, videos, Reels, Stories, and carousel posts
• Focus on value-adding content: educational tips, behind-the-scenes, customer testimonials
• Include clear calls-to-action in your posts

Follower Engagement:

• Check notifications every day and respond to comments
• Engage with your followers’ content
• Follow relevant accounts in your industry
• Use Instagram’s interactive features to interact with followers (polls, questions, quizzes)

Promotion:

• Add social media follow buttons to your website
• Include social media handles on business cards and packaging
• Collaborate with complementary businesses and influencers

Track your success:

• Monitor engagement rates and track top performing content
• Track follower growth
• Review Insights regularly and change your strategy based on findings

What content works for independent hospitality businesses?

• High-quality photos of your food
• Action shots of food preparation and cooking
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses of prep work and kitchen life
• Videos of sizzling pans, flame grilling, or food assembly that capture the excitement

Location and Event Information

• Calendar of upcoming locations and events
• Real-time updates about where you’re trading
• Easy-to-find booking information
• Maps or directions to regular pitches
• Updates about weather-related changes or sold-out items

Menu Communication

• Beautiful shots of daily specials
• Clear, up-to-date menu information
• Dietary information (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options)
• Price transparency
• New dish announcements and seasonal changes

Customer Interaction

• Sharing customer photos and reviews
• Quick responses to questions about allergens or ingredients
• Stories showing regular customers
• Polls asking followers about new menu items
• Engagement with local food community

Personality and Story

• Staff introductions and profiles
• Stories about recipe development
• Information about ingredient sourcing
• Your journey and business milestones
• Personal touches that show the humans behind the business

Advice from the expert:

James Mitchell – Gurt Wings

Who manages your social media?

I used to run it myself until we hit over 20k on Instagram, then it became a handful trying to run the business, do content, adverts and respond to customers, so we have Jack (jackeatseverything) who runs all our social media accounts. He is a well-known Bristol Foodie and he knows our brand very well.

Top advice for new hospitality businesses launching their social media platforms?

Create it yourself, do it all in house for as long as you can and the day you pass it onto someone else to handle for you, make sure they understand your brand, how you talk to your customers and the vibe your brand gives off, otherwise it will be lost. Also get your face on there as much as possible; I didn’t believe people wanted to see my oversized head talking about my business but it turns out they do and this was something Jack taught me.

Jules Jefferis – Utter Waffle

How do you ensure consistent content is posted every week?

We try and have a good overview over certain dates and occasions every month to know what content we definitely want to post and therefore, when it needs to be produced. So there is quite a bit of planning and coordinating involved but at the end of the day, the spontaneity and immediacy of social media is often what makes it the most fun and engaging. The best-laid content plan isn’t worth much without finding the voice of your brand and knowing your audience and customers.

What’s been your best performing content?

Our best content has been reels that are more humorous and show the different personalities of our team. With a small business like ours, people tend to want to get to know the real behind the scenes, so whenever our content isn’t too polished and overedited, it tends to get a lot more engagement. Our all time best performing real has been a little skit with James and our Head of Events Rohan and it’s hit over 17 million views so far.

Top advice for new hospitality businesses launching their social media platforms?

You want to be able to keep your platforms consistent so the best advice has to be to stay true to who you are and really put some thought into how you want to use your social media and how you want to engage with your customers. Also, followers do NOT equal customers, so you want to keep that in mind when coming up with content ideas. “Who are you, who are you talking to and what do they care about?” And, most importantly, have fun with it!

Stay tuned for our comprehensive guide on social media which will be coming soon, featuring more advice from the experts, top tips and guidance on how you can keep up with the hottest social media trends.