Whether you run a café, bar, hotel, or restaurant — your social media presence matters. It’s often the first impression a customer gets, and when done well, it can turn casual scrollers into loyal regulars.

But there are a few common pitfalls I see hospitality brands make time and time again. Here are eight mistakes — and how to fix them.

1. Low-Quality Photos That Don’t Reflect the Experience

👀 The mistake: Dark, blurry, or poorly styled images that do nothing to showcase your food, drinks, or venue.

🌷 The fix: Use natural light, clean backgrounds, and make your presentation Instagram-worthy. You don’t need a professional photographer every week, but you do need to be intentional. A £10 phone tripod and some time in the right light goes a long way.

2. Being Too Salesy, Not Social

👀 The mistake: Every post screams “book now!” or “buy this!” with no variety or value in between.

🌷 The fix: Follow the 80/20 rule — 80% of your content should entertain, educate, or build brand personality. Only 20% should be focused on direct sales. Show behind-the-scenes, meet the team, share recipes, local stories, or user-generated content.

3. Ignoring DMs and Comments

👀 **The mistake:** Leaving customer messages unread or not responding to comments. It’s not just bad etiquette — it’s lost revenue.
🌷 **The fix:** Treat your DMs like your front desk. Respond quickly, helpfully, and warmly. If someone comments on a post, reply — even if it’s just with an emoji. Engagement builds community.

4. Inconsistent Posting (Then Suddenly Going Silent)

👀 The mistake: Posting every day one week, then disappearing for two months.

🌷 The fix: Build a manageable content plan. Consistency beats frequency. If once or twice a week is all you can realistically do — that’s fine. Just stick to it.

5. No Clear Brand Voice or Aesthetic

👀 The mistake: A grid full of mismatched styles, unclear messaging, and generic captions.

The fix: Define your brand tone (fun, relaxed, premium, cheeky?) and visual style (colour palette, fonts, image filters). Your content should feel recognisably you within seconds.

**6. Missing Out on Local Engagement**

👀 **The mistake:** Not connecting with your local area — no tags, collabs, or shared moments with nearby businesses or customers.
🌷 **The fix:** Tag your location in posts and stories. Follow and support other local pages. Share UGC from regulars. Create content that celebrates your neighbourhood — people love to see businesses that care about their community.

7. Forgetting to Highlight the People Behind the Brand

👀 The mistake: Only showing plates of food or empty tables, with no human touch.

🌷 The fix: Introduce your team, show the faces behind the bar, the kitchen, or the bookings desk. Human-led content performs better — and builds trust and connection.

8. No Call to Action (or Too Many)

👀 The mistake: Either forgetting to include a CTA entirely, or stuffing the caption with five things to do.

🌷 The fix: Be clear and focused. End your post with one action — “Book your table this weekend”, “Tag a friend who’d love this cocktail”, “Save this for later”. Make it easy for people to act.

Final thought 💬

Hospitality thrives on connection — and so should your social media. It's not just about pretty pictures or plugging offers. It's about creating an experience online that feels as good as being there in person.

Need help making your social media work harder for your business? Get in touch — it’s what I do.

Top 8 Mistakes Hospitality Businesses Make on Social Media (And How to Fix Them)