Every marketer wants to know how they “can get people to share our content.” But few marketers actually do anything to encourage people to do so.
I’m fascinated that a Popular Photography article reveals that the restaurant chain Chili’s Grill & Bar is spending $750,000 a year to make their burger buns and other food look better in Instagram photos. The restaurant chain is dishing out major budget for an egg glaze that makes the buns shiny. Cool.
In addition, Chili’s now showcases French fries in stainless-steel containers and sits the burgers higher up on the plate.
Chili’s encourages people to “Tag your favorite Chili’s moments on Instagram with #Chilis”. And many do so.
Instagram as content marketing and social media share bait
Chili’s sees Instagram as an extension of its marketing, Wyman Roberts, chief executive officer of Chili’s parent company Brinker International Inc., said in an interview at Bloomberg headquarters in New York.
“Food is the second most photographed thing, after yourself,” Roberts said. “Selfies of people eating food is the sweet spot. We look a lot more at how the food is presented.”
Encouraging people to share is a tricky thing. You don’t want to be heavy handed. But making things sharable does work.
If you’re doing something interesting to encourage sharing of images, let us know in the comments.
Image via Chili’s Instagram @Chilis
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