Tips from the pros for boosting engagement and crafting meaningful content
By Sara Perez Webber
How much do people “like” you? Are engaged couples engaging with you online? Are you feeding customers who found you through your feed?
To learn more about how to increase interaction with potential clients through social media, CFE turned to two experts: Liese Gardner, a content strategy specialist who has advised hundreds of hospitality clients about their social media tactics since 2004; and Dora Fudali, marketing director for Bill Hansen Catering in Miami, who has organically grown the company’s social media follower count by about 10,000 since 2018. They shared some of their top strategies for creating powerful posts and expanding your virtual audience.
Pondering Platforms
With so many platforms serving up content, it can be hard to know where to focus your efforts. Don’t spread yourself too thin, advises Gardner: “It’s not about being everywhere—it’s about being where it matters most. That said, there is good in every platform, and you can always repurpose content across them. The bottom line in choosing a platform? Go deep before you go wide.”
Bill Hansen Catering is active on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Pinterest and YouTube. “Each platform serves a unique audience,” says Fudali, noting that LinkedIn reaches a corporate crowd, for example, and Pinterest is for brides who are looking for inspiration. “But our audience wants to mainly see images and video of our offerings and the type of events we cater, and Instagram is the most valuable tool for us to showcase that.”
Planning Your Posts
For Bill Hansen Catering, Fudali typically posts about three or four times a week. “I follow a loose weekly content plan to ensure consistency without overwhelming our audience,” she says. “Consistency is more important than frequency, especially for smaller companies. I always recommend quality over quantity!”
For Instagram, Fudali aims for a mix of about 40% Reels, 40% photo posts and 20% Stories. “Reels are crucial for reach and discovery,” she stresses. “Posts with photos allow us to highlight beautifully styled events, plating presentation and our menu items. Instagram Stories keep us connected with our current followers in a more casual, behind-the-scenes way.”
Posting a mix of photos and videos on your platforms is ideal, notes Gardner, “but video is where the magic is right now, even on LinkedIn! That’s often where non-followers find you first. And once they’re in, your photo and carousel posts help them stay.”
Tracking Views
Not all images and videos are created equal. To learn which work best, pay attention to what captures users’ attention. “Track your insights and your dashboard to see what content people are watching and engaging with,” recommends Gardner. “Let audience behavior guide your content choices and in what format you present it.”
The platforms themselves can help you determine what will be popular. Trial Reels, for example, is a “a new, little-used feature on Instagram,” explains Gardner: “Posting a Reel here first (you can send it to your page later) allows you to share content with non-followers first. You will see the ‘likes’ accumulate slowly in the beginning, but don’t worry. Instagram is looking for new viewers for you. If it comes in hot right away, you know this is content that works! Overall, this is a good test to see what performs before sharing it with your main audience.”
Curating Visual Content
Fudali lauds the number of tools now available for video editing, adding that she uses Canva if she’s looking for “more out-of-the-box” templates or graphics. “However, in the last year Instagram has really improved its in-app editing capabilities, now making it easier to edit Reels than ever before,” says Fudali. “I find myself using more of Instagram’s editing tools and their creative templates that already come with music. Editing reels can really take a while, so I’m thrilled Instagram has started to make it easy for us!”
If you want your food shots to look professional, Gardner suggests using a mini photo studio—a simple lightbox outfitted with controllable LEDs. “One caterer even uses this at tastings to document new dishes for social media and her website,” says Gardner. “She takes it to the next level by sending the entire file to the client after the tasting. As a sales tool, there is nothing better than visual reference points when the client is back at home or the office considering her catering choices.”
Gardner shares three additional tips for great visuals from Jacob Dunn, a colleague and photographer/videographer:
- Frame for the platform. Shoot vertically for Instagram and Pinterest. If you also need web or YouTube content, grab a horizontal version of the same shot.
- Add texture. Whether it’s a flat lay, a photo shoot or tablescape, use props—wood, linen, metal, greenery—to add dimension and reflect your brand aesthetic.
- Gear up. A small tripod, some sort of additional light source and a microphone can elevate your content. It doesn’t need to be perfect—just intentional.
Understanding Your Audience
When posting to social media, start with the end goal in mind—who do you want to see and react to your post? For the answer to that question, be specific, advises Gardner: “Go beyond demographics. Tap into psychographics.”
Gardner suggests asking yourself the following questions to find and cater to your target audience:
- Who is your ideal client?
- What do they value?
- What keeps them up at night?
- What problem can you solve for them?
- What excites or inspires them?
“Now, think about your best past clients,” adds Gardner. “What were they planning? Why did they choose you? What did they rave about? That’s gold.”
Fudali’s advice is to “think about your ideal clients, past events and the type of work you want to attract. Then tailor your content to speak directly to those audiences, whether that’s brides, corporate planners or city officials.”
Fudali’s posts for Bill Hansen Catering typically rotate between wedding photos, venue spotlights, menu item highlights, corporate photos, décor inspo, photos related to a current blog post and beverage photos.
And if you hit a creative wall and need help coming up with captions and hashtags, don’t be afraid to utilize AI, adds Fudali: “It saves time, but I always humanize and add our brand voice to everything before I hit the ‘post’ button.”
Fostering Engagement
When creating your posts, “you want to spark conversation, not just showcase accomplishments,” says Gardner. “Engagement doesn’t begin in the comments. It begins with the kind of content you create.”
To that end, Gardner’s tips for fostering engagement include:
- Ask thoughtful questions. Not just “What’s your favorite appetizer?” but “What dish instantly takes you back to childhood?”
- Tag clients and vendors generously. It’s about shared visibility.
- Use collaboration tools. Collab Reels and posts can double your reach.
- Reply to every comment. Think of each one as a potential relationship.
- Offer a peek behind the scenes—the recipe you made for a team lunch, for example, or an event setup in progress. Let people see what you do, not just see the finished product.
Showing collaboration with other vendors—such as venues, planners, photographers, florists and rental companies—not only strengthens your company’s relationship with them but expands your reach organically, notes Fudali: “It also builds trust, as clients love to see that we’re part of a professional vendor network. I love the Instagram feature that allows you to tag a collaborator, and your post appears on their Instagram feed, and vice versa, allowing for more exposure and more likes!”
Standing Out from the Crowd
Examining your top-performing posts and understanding why they were popular can help you replicate their success. To showcase its new “Date Night” at Villa Woodbine, where several couples gathered for a lavish tasting with multiple vendors, Bill Hansen Catering created a behind-the-scenes Reel. “It was fast-paced, and every shot was short and different, which captured the attention of the viewer, giving us [at presstime] 16,694 views,” says Fudali.
Fudali also points to an “aesthetically pleasing” 18-second TikTok video showing a creative seating chart at a Bill Hansen-catered wedding, where guests plucked Aperol Spritz bottles from a wall to find their table numbers. The short clip has racked up almost 45,000 views.
It’s also smart to find accounts you admire and emulate them. “The ones doing it best have three things in common: clarity, consistency and connection,” says Gardner. “They know their audience and speak directly to them. Their feeds are curated, but never stiff—gorgeous images balanced with real, relatable moments.” She particularly values accounts that feature:
- Behind-the-scenes content that feels intimate, not performative.
- Client spotlights that celebrate the people they serve.
- Educational or value-driven posts: hosting tips, mini recipes, planning timelines.
- Strong brand visuals that prompt recognition even without the handle.
Two catering companies with particularly strong social media accounts, according to Gardner, are 24 Carrots Catering & Events in Costa Mesa, California, and Footers Catering in Arvada, Colorado.
“24 Carrots excels at shaping their visual story,” says Gardner. “They often produce their own photo shoots—even mini shoots tacked onto events—which go a long way in building a polished, professional feed. Their audience loves them for the aspirational content they bring to the table consistently.”
Gardner admires Footers’ “relaxed, personable vibe,” which includes playful behind-the-scenes moments.
“Both lead with story,” sums up Gardner. “It’s not just food or design—it’s experiences, people and the emotions they create. And that’s what social media is about.”
