Tea & Trends: 5 trends from February 2022

Kettle boiled? Check.
Ready to learn? Check.
Biscuits at the ready? Check.  

That’s how you know you’re back for another Tea & Trends. 

We’re bringing together some of the most impactful trends and updates in digital each month so you don’t have to, putting a focus on one of our sector specialties: pubs and restaurants.  

Of course, these trends and tips could apply to any brand, really, so stay open-minded and creative! Oh, and don’t miss out on last month’s Tea & Trends… 

Now let’s get into it before your brew goes cold. Warning: Social media platforms have been busy. 

1. TikTok updates from February 2022:

TikTok is the hottest app right now and whenever someone says, “I read this article and learned that…”, they probably mean they saw it on TikTok.

With such global popularity, it’s no surprise that TikTok added a couple of new features towards the end of January that just missed out on a place in our last Tea & Trends.

• TikTok Avatars: Similar to Apple’s Memoji feature, users can create a digital avatar based on a selfie, matching facial expressions with your real-life style.
• TikTok Tactics: In the words of TikTok, this is an “easy to follow, best-practice guide to advertising on TikTok,” sharing a range of lessons on advert attribution, targeting, creative best practises, and more.

How to make these work for your pub or restaurant:

• TikTok Avatars: Got someone who has the personality to be the “face” of your pub on TikTok, but they’re scared of showing their real face? Maybe they could film content using their Avatar!
• TikTok Tactics: If you’ve dipped your toe into TikTok and have seen good engagement so far, it’s time to try TikTok advertising to refine your reach and drive conversion (bookings!).

Sit down with this course, test the basics, and see if paid advertising makes sense for your business goals. If you need a hand, you know where we are.

Find out more about TikTok Avatars.

Find out more about TikTok Tactics.

2. Instagram updates from February 2022:

As one of the giants, Instagram is also constantly updating their platform, adding new features and refining existing ones. In February alone, here are three updates they made:

• New profile banners: Users will be able to share their scheduled live event within their profile and will also be able to share the upcoming live event in Stories.
• 90-second Reels: Reels are outperforming almost all other content types on Instagram, so now the platform is testing the appetite for 90-second Reels. Previously they could only be 15, 30, or 60 seconds.
• Profile Embeds: This let users embed their entire Instagram profile on third-party websites, similar to the post embeds, and is currently being tested in the US.

How to make it work for your pub or restaurant:

New profile banners: It’s as simple as thinking of a reason to use Instagram Live—such as a Q&A with your chef or behind-the-scenes cocktail making at Happy Hour—and adding the planned event to your Instagram profile.

90-second Reels: If you’ve been testing out Reels and are ready to give longer-form a try, think of ideas that you couldn’t manage previously, like a full tour of your pub or a less rushed plating of your fanciest dish.

Profile Embeds: This one might be more difficult to set up, but if there are any pub or food and drink blogs you like to read, why not reach out to see if they’ve be interested in sharing your Instagram profile in a relevant article on their blog in exchange for a free meal?

Find out more.

3. Facebook: GDPR affecting ad targeting.

Technically this update was first known about back in November 2021, but it isn’t affecting Facebook Advertising until 17^th March 2022.

Long story short, due to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into place back in 2018, Facebook are being made to remove hundreds of categories used by brands for ad targeting.

For example, Facebook have stated that ads can no longer be targeted by:

• Health causes (e.g., “Lung cancer awareness”, “World Diabetes Day”, “Chemotherapy”)
• Sexual orientation (e.g., “same-sex marriage” and “LGBT culture”)
• Religious practices and groups (e.g., “Catholic Church” and “Jewish holidays”)
• Political beliefs, social issues, causes, organisations, and figures
• Race and ethnicity

And it gets even more complicated for pubs and restaurants, as you’ll also be unable to target by key areas, occasions, and appetites:

• Beer Garden
• Dining Out
• Dinner Party
• Foodie
• Gastropub
• Wine & Food Matching
• Fine dining
• Michelin Guide
• Ribeye steak
• Craft beer
• Craft beer lovers
• Hospitality
• Rump steak
• Sirloin steak
• Gin & tonic
• Irish pub

How to make it work for your pub or restaurant:

Firstly, remember to check if you have any Facebook (or Instagram) ads running by 17^th March in case your current targeting option will no longer be valid.

Secondly, it might be time to think about your audience in a different way to see how you might target them in future ads. For example, is the same person who visits to watch the footie also the person who loves as rib-eye steak? Maybe that’s how your ads could find them instead…

If you don’t have any social adverts running, that’s a different concern altogether, so let’s chat about the power of paid marketing, shall we?

Find out more.

 

4. Twitter updates from February 2022:

Twitter is still trying to keep up with the heaviest hitters by rolling out more than a few of its own recent updates, so let’s see what the blue bird had to say in February:

• New easy-access DM icon: This was first tested back in 2016, but adds a “Direct to DM” feature from someone’s tweet, meaning you can send them a private message directly from the tweet that grabbed your attention. Currently still in testing on iOS.
• Downvotes test expanded: This feature allows people to “downvote” content that they don’t like, with Twitter now expanding the feature testing to a global audience, stating that people used it to flag things they found “offensive or irrelevant.”
• Twitter “Articles”: Although this is yet to be seen in use, a new “Articles” section was recently by some users, which may be the start of long-form content on Twitter. Since Twitter acquired newsletter platform, Revue, back in 2021, it’s plausible.
• New Twitter advertising options: To compete in the advertising space, Twitter is trying to streamline its ad targeting options by improving App Installs, introducing Multi-Destination Carousels, and providing more insights on campaign performance.
• Twitter “Flocks”: This would allow users to choose up to 150 people who their tweets will be shown to, similar to Instagram’s “Close Friends” Story feature.

How to make it work for your pub or restaurant:

New easy-access DM icon: This feature may be good if you’re running a competition on Twitter, asking the winner to DM you directly to share their details. It may also be used by followers who have questions, so make sure someone is ready for community management.

Downvotes test expanded: For this one, the main goal is to only tweet about things that are relevant to your audience (without offending anyone else). You could also use it to see what your followers think about a new dish or drink – more likes than downvotes is a good thing!

Twitter “Articles”: Get thinking about whether there’s any value in long-form content for you. For example, “10 Realities of Running a Pub” has a nice ring to it.

New Twitter advertising options: Twitter advertising is not the easiest to get into, but these changes may mean it’s worth giving advertising on this platform another try. We’re here if you want a hand, of course.

Twitter “Flocks”: This is perfect for exclusive content that creates a sense of loyalty amongst your guests and followers. You could share offers here before anywhere else or open bookings a day early for events that normally book up fast.

5. Website accessibility continues to improve!

Did you know that over 60% of websites are now accessible to screen readers? Since 2020, that’s an increase of 20% which is pretty massive and shows just how much focus people have been giving their websites in recent years.

This allows people who have sight-related issues or even difficulty reading a chance to use your website like any other person, which opens your business up to all kinds of new people (while also just being a nice thing to do!).

How to make it work for your pub or restaurant:

For starters, why not try closing your eyes while your run your website through a screen reader. Does it make sense? Did the key information you want to share come across?

A few things to consider are:

• Are you putting key information into images that screen readers can’t see? If so, remember to add alt text explaining what’s on the image.
• Remember to structure your HTML with tags.
• Check punctuation is in a natural place for speech. Read your content aloud.

Find out more.

Dates to keep in mind for March marketing!

8^th: World Women’s Day

8^th: UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich vs Red Bull Salzburg

9^th: No Smoking Day

10-13^th: Crufts

11^th: Six Nations: Wales vs France (8pm)

12^th: Six Nations: Italy vs Scotland (2:15pm)

12^th: Six Nations: England vs Ireland (4:45pm)

13^th: Baftas

15-18^th: Cheltenham races

16^th: National Vaccination Day (more important than ever!)

19^th: Six Nations: Wales vs Italy (2:45pm)

19^th: Six Nations: Ireland vs Scotland (4:45pm)

19^th: Six Nations: France vs England (8pm)

20^th: F1 (and International Day of Happiness!)

27^th: Mother’s Day (also Earth Hour and the Oscars!)

1^st April: April’s Fool Day (no joke)

Planning your 2022 marketing: What should you focus on now?

Effective marketing is all about planning ahead, so where should your mind be as we head into March? Well, here’s what we’re starting to think about now:

• Mother’s Day: There’s still time to look at your marketing plans for March. Can you drive Mother’s Day bookings with a few more social posts? Do you have an email planned that you could add Mother’s Day to? Could you create a Mother’s Day web page that aims to building your local ranking for the occasion?
• Spring & Easter: They’re right round the corner, but you should be thinking about the reasons these occasions are important and how that might bring people to your pub or restaurant. As a time of change, is there anything new on your menu? Are you a family-friendly venue for Easter get-togethers? Highlight it all!
• Summer: For those big Summer campaigns, you want to start thinking about them in March, giving you a few solid months to work out all the details and put your plan into action. For pubs and restaurants, this might be new summer-y dishes and drinks or a marketing campaign to bring in new guests from local summer-only events.

Finish your brew…

That’s all for this month, but we’ll be back again in March for another Tea & Trends, keeping you at the forefront of digital, from brand websites to social media innovation.