Plenty of marketing gurus will tell you that if your budget doesn’t allow for a professional photographer, you can always shoot for yourself— and they’re not wrong.  Authenticity and novelty rule in social media content, so posting your own behind-the-scenes pics or promoting crowdsourced photos can be a savvy way to engage your customers on an ongoing basis while keeping spending in check. 

However, diy content isn’t the solution for all of your marketing.  It works for patrons who already know what to expect from you, but it may not address the needs of new customers, who are looking for reliable information to help them make the decision to give you a try.   

Restaurants are the most searched industry by consumers especially on mobile devices, and 60% of people surveyed said they look at pictures online when deciding where to dine out.  Google’s search algorithms reflect consumer behavior by ranking websites with photos higher than text-only sites, and promoting Google listings with multiple images above those without.

See Inside virtual tours on Google Search results add SEO value to your listing and have shown to be an effective marketing tool for attracting new business.  For NYC Restaurant Week, restaurant listings that included a virtual tour had a 30% higher click through to reservations.