Learn how to build a lasting online presence for your hospitality business with practical tips on social media engagement, email marketing, and AI integration.
You’ve got the food, the drinks, and the venue—now it’s time to get people to notice you.
Whether promoting the pints you’re pouring, showing off newly decorated rooms, or sharing trade secrets, establishing an online presence builds trust, brings traffic through the door, and, most importantly, keeps your tables full
But it can be tough. Balancing digital marketing with the demanding world of hospitality isn’t for the weak.
The good news? If you can handle the demands and the fast pace of the hospitality industry, you can absolutely handle your online footprint.
To help you build an online presence made to last, we’ve listed eight of our favorite hot tips and tricks to get you visible and stay that way.
When customers create user-generated content (UGC), they reinforce your online presence for you. But you need to make it fun and easy for them to do so. First off, it’s crucial to fly your flag wherever you can. Make your social media handles clear and memorable, and then bring them to life in your business.
Paste cute vinyl cutouts of your handle on bathroom mirrors, incorporate it into signs, and make it impossible to miss by leaving no selfie or tagging opportunity unturned.
Hot tip: Experiment with a selfie corner with sexy neon lights or tasteful but eye-catching decor that beckons the Insta-elite to strike a pose with your name on it.
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People + great personalities = strong presence. Followers and customers don’t just want to see your business; they want to see the human beings behind it.
Use your online platform to showcase your smiling bartenders, welcoming receptionists, and enthusiastic kitchen staff. Focus on those with a good vibe to amplify your brand’s online community on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or even Snapchat.
Hot tip: Start a recurrent posting format, like #StaffSunday or #HumansOf[Brandname], to showcase your staff community easily and conveniently.
Most consumers want brands to respond within 24 hours or less. Although taking the time to respond to individual comments and DMs might be tough, it’s necessary. The quicker you respond, the more valued customers feel, and the more likely they will engage with your online content.
Hot tip: Talk to people online as if you were tableside. You wouldn’t say, “We appreciate your feedback” with a deadpan face to a real-life customer. Ditch the corporate language and replace it with the same warmth you offer offline.
If you’ve ever been a regular at a restaurant or hotel, you know how special that bond can become between yourself and the staff community.
Giving customers a sense of belonging is crucial for building loyalty in-house, but you can also carry that through to your online platforms. When people show genuine, repeated interest, don’t just say thanks and move on. Whether in reviews, comments, or likes, express your appreciation, engage, and encourage a sense of community.
Hot tip: Start up a “Regular of the Month” post based on genuine appreciation and connection with the staff or business.
This is particularly powerful for hospitality businesses that train, educate, or have a unique story. Your social media platforms (website included) will gain much more traction and share more about the heart of your establishment if its content teaches audiences something.
Teach people about anything relevant to your brand, such as menu sourcing or sustainability efforts, or take trending topics and put your own spin on them. Relatability, entertainment, and education are recipes for online credibility.
Hot tip: Break bigger themes or topics down into bite-sized segments that are more short-form video content-friendly.
What’s on special today? Who’s on shift? Is there a live performance tonight? People want to know, and you need to tell them. Use Facebook and Instagram stories to keep daily content fresh, inform your online community about what’s happening, and drive up that all-important engagement.
Hot tip: Don’t sleep on highly popular story features like polls and quizzes. Get those fingers tapping and conversations flowing.
AI is a secret weapon for hospitality brands. With ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and other AI platforms baked into search engines, people are now searching in full sentences, questions, and conversational phrases such as “Where can I get a gluten-free pizza near me at 10pm?”. This means your content, especially on your website, Google Business profile, and social channels, should match how people naturally speak.
Use AI to help you brainstorm blog topics, write engaging captions, or build a chatbot that answers customer FAQs in your brand’s tone of voice (no more repetitive “What time do you close?” DMs). This will lighten your team’s workload and ensure customers feel seen, answered, and impressed without burning anyone out.
Hot tip: Use keywords that match how real people speak when searching. Think “best dog-friendly café in Fitzroy” over just “café Fitzroy.”
Experts predict that by 2027, email marketing will reach profits of $17.9 billion. While social media may be the life of the party, it’s clear email is still one of the most reliable ways to stay in touch with your audience. From weekly what’s-on emails to exclusive offers, loyalty perks, and personalized updates, email marketing helps keep your brand top-of-mind long after people have left the premises.
And it doesn’t stop there. Other forms of digital marketing, like Google ads, remarketing, and SEO-optimized blogs, help you stay competitive and discoverable in a busy digital marketplace.
Hot tip: Use sign-up forms on your website, booking pages, or at your venue via QR codes or tablet stands to build a list of subscribers. Then, reward them with birthday specials, secret menus, or early event access.
Your online presence is an extension of your services. You need to create and maintain a warm and hospitable feeling that encourages engagement, whets customers' appetites, and encourages them to visit your establishment, not just once, but regularly.
When you do this, you make being online work for you, and the ROI carries over into the real world.
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