Pizza Today - March 2018 - 61

S

ocial media is increasingly
becoming more polarizing
for its users. But no matter
a person's beliefs, place of origin or
interests, pizza - just like in real life
- is a digital equalizer. Two years ago,
an Italian news Web site reported that
pizza is the most Instagrammed food.
Not much has changed since then as
there are currently more than 30 million
posts using the hashtag #pizza.
This statistic should not discourage
you from utilizing the platform. Instead,
you should be more motivated than
ever to jump on board with this free
marketing tool.
While there are many people who
have full-time jobs creating and curating
content for brand pages, Instagram
does not and should not take over
much of your precious time. You have
several options to get the ball rolling on
your page. One is to ask your current
employees if any of them have an
interest in or experience with Instagram.
You will have to spend a bit of time
going over what message you want to
send to current and potential customers.
So while you can be completely hands
off, a better option is to work on
establishing your brand's look and tone
yourself. Then figure out when to pass
the torch on to a co-worker.
HOW YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT TO POST
CAN BE DONE THROUGH A PROCESS OF
ELIMINATION. Login to Instagram and

review some of the popular hashtags.
Beyond the obvious #pizza, which you
will no doubt find overwhelming, you
could also look into your city's hashtag
(such as #newyorkcity) to see what other
local businesses are posting, as well
as going directly to another pizzeria's
page and studying what photos are
getting the most likes or engagement
(comments, shares, etc.).
You can also create visually appealing
menu items that will instantly draw
attention and likes, use humor (in both
your captions and pictures), or invoke
feelings of nostalgia by sharing gifs from
vintage films that heavily focus on pizza
(such as the original "Teenage Mutant

Ninja Turtles" movie, or the cheese pizza
scene from "Home Alone 2").
While some of the mentioned
tactics could potentially backfire if
used ostentatiously, a bit of gimmick
should pay off. One extremely successful
implementation of a viral sensation
is the enormous, two-foot-long slice
from The Pizza Barn in Yonkers, New
York. Owner and creator of the Super
Slice, Angelo DeLuca, offers the
following advice for fledgling pizza
Instagrammers: "I think (pizzeria
owners) should all do it, but the problem
is a lot of old-school people who (have)
been in business for many years look
down on it. You need to be up with
the times these days. If you can't think
outside the box, you're never gonna grow
your business.
"I've been making pizzas since like
9 or 10 years of age. I'm 44 now. So do
I have experience? Yes, of course. But
that's not gonna make you better than
someone else at thinking outside the
box and trying different things. A little
doesn't hurt. I did and it worked for
me, but now a lot of other people are
copying me. I say, 'So what?' I did it first.
It's my recipe and it's never gonna taste
the same unless it's from here."
The major takeaway from DeLuca's
advice is to try and be original in both
your brick-and-mortar shop as well as
online. The more success you accrue, the
more likely you are to have imposters
copying your style. But your true fans
will remain devoted.
Once you have a clear online brand
image, and an Instagram page with
at least nine photographs (though
the more the better, as long as you
don't skirt quality), you can begin to
follow local users. This can be done
by searching for your exact location
(either your city, or your business's actual
address) and clicking on places. This
will show you who's posting in your
town and give better insight on what
the public enjoys photographing. If a
user follows your account, make sure to
follow back. Don't waste time spamming
their pages with comments like "Thanks
for the follow!" (as this can be confused

with fake comments generated by bots).
REGARDING SERVICES PROMISING
HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF
FOLLOWERS BY PAYING A SMALL FEE -

just say no. There is no quick way to
gain attention and interest, and if you
are tempted to purchase followers it will
inevitably backfire.
If you are consistent with posting
high-quality photos (not blurry, too
dark, etc.) and actively gaining new
followers, a great trick to instantly
getting more exposure is to have your
fans do the work for you. This can
be done in several ways. If you find
images posted from your restaurant
that you love, you can post them to
your page in addition to using your
own photos. There are clear rules when
it comes to this process, which is also
known as content farming. Make sure
to ask permission first by sending the
user a direct message. If they respond
positively, try not to alter the image and
make sure you give proper photo credit.
This is done by a link to the person's
username in the comments.
You can also encourage guests to
post photos by conducting a giveaway.
The prize can be as little as a t-shirt, or
a complimentary lunch or dinner, gift
certificate or even a cash prize (though
this is not recommended for accounts
with under 10,000 followers). The terms
of the giveaway are entirely up to you
and what works best for your business,
but a common method is to come up
with a personalized hashtag for your
restaurant and ask users to post using it
as well as tagging your username. You
can determine the winner randomly, by
having other users vote, or by choosing
your personal favorite.
Instagram can be a daunting beast
of an undertaking, especially for
small business owners, but having a
strong online presence will encourage
customers to visit and ultimately
strengthen your brand. n
GINA ZAMMIT is a freelance writer based
in Norwalk,Connecticut.
M A R C H 2 0 1 8 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 6 1
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - March 2018

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