Have you been keeping up to date with Instagram’s new features for your food business? The platform is constantly providing updates to suit the needs and interests of its users. Whether this is to help businesses, influencers, or its general users, Instagram is becoming a place for everyone to better benefit from every day.
What is the ‘food orders’ feature?
Something that Instagram has been working hard on is the ability to support small businesses. During the global pandemic, it has been evident that small businesses are some of those that have suffered the most. Notably, Instagram has been prioritizing features to help these businesses during such a difficult period.
This feature works to support businesses within the hospitality industry, enabling Instagram users to order food within the app. Call to action buttons have been made available to add to business profiles, as well as in the format of stickers to be placed on stories.
In addition, gift cards and fundraising stickers have also been made available to further support businesses too
Who is it for?
This new feature is primarily available for hospitality, food business, and delivery services. To be able to benefit from this, you must have your Instagram set up as a business account. For more details on how to do this, there is a guide that goes through the step-by-step process of getting started on Instagram for businesses.
Although this feature is for businesses to make use of, this doesn’t mean that influencers can’t get involved too. One of the greatest advantages of influencer marketing is the ability to increase brand awareness and to encourage traffic to brand profiles and websites.
By working with influencers on this new strategy, you can ask Instagram influencers to post content to showcase this feature, encouraging users to head to your page where they can place an order. But, more on that in a moment.
How do I set it up for my food business?
Setting up food orders on Instagram is a pretty simple process. You will need to be set up with a partner delivery service like Deliveroo or Uber Eats. But don’t worry, because if you aren’t already set up with one, then you can do this now. There are several food delivery partners, depending on which country you are located in.
Then, just follow these steps:
- Head to your Instagram profile page and select ‘edit profile’.
- Choose ‘public company information’.
- Next, click ‘call to action buttons’.
- Choose ‘order food’.
- Add the food delivery partner that your company uses.
- Get preparing!
These are the initial steps to setting up the service. But, you’ll also want to know how to add the stickers to your stories.
- Open Instagram and swipe left to ‘create a story’.
- Then, tap the ‘sticker’ icon.
- You will see the stickers for ‘food orders’ and ‘gift cards’.
- Choose which one you would like to add.
- Select your delivery partner.
- Publish the story!
When viewers tap the sticker on your story, they will be redirected to the page where they can order food straight away.
Working with influencers
As a small business, working with influencers is a really great way to get your brand noticed. The ‘food’ community on Instagram is huge and is only going to keep growing. A way to attract more users to your profile and to start using the ‘order food’ feature would be to find influencers in the food category.
You can do this with Heepsy by:
- logging in to your Heepsy account
- selecting ‘Instagram’ from the first dropdown box
- Selecting ‘food’ under the categories.
- Choosing any other suitable filters such as location, to look for food influencers in your area.
Asking influencers to share content about your restaurant or food delivery company can be successful when done right. I would encourage that your content and any influencer content is of high quality and attractive to consumers.
As Instagram is such a visual platform, we know that people love to see mouth-watering foodie pics! So, get your best photos and get influencers sharing them on their stories. Users can then be directed straight to your food delivery service to place an order.
What else is new?
While we’re on the topic of Instagram updates, we may as well talk about the new features from the ‘contact’ area of the platform. Previously, to get in touch with an account on Instagram, you would have needed to send a direct message in-app.
Now, when you head to a profile, whether business, influencer, or general user, you can view several contact options. Instagram users are able to add their email addresses and phone number too. This feature makes it a whole lot easier for potential customers to get in touch with you.
You can choose which contact details to add, and by doing so, it gives people more accessible ways of asking any questions, sending requests, and for you to clarify doubts quickly.
A lot of people can be put off a business if they feel that it is far too complicated a process to find contact details or to speak to the business. So, this feature is definitely worth making use of!
How to set up the contact feature
Setting up the contact feature is just as easy as the order food feature. Just head over to your Instagram profile to get started. Then:
- Select ‘edit profile’.
- Click ‘public company information’.
- Choose ‘contact options.’
- Choose your preferred contact options and add your details!
You can also choose to insert a specific contact button for one chosen method, such as ‘email now’.
Having your contact details right at the consumers’ fingertips will help to prevent any frustration on their end. Potential customers can quickly get in touch with questions, then being able to order their food right from the same place!
Contact feature available on a food business page on Instagram.
Conclusion
As Instagram regularly updates its features, it’s important to keep in the loop so that your business is not missing out on any opportunities available. The platform has become an amazing place for small businesses and e-commerce’s to grow their customer base.
Remember and check-in with Instagram frequently, as well as coming back to Heepsy where we will keep you updated with articles about their updates, such as the recent addition of Instagram Live Rooms!
