On Saturday, I participated in my first #InfluencerDinner with my friend Alex Booze of East Coast Contessa. Alex is arguably one of the best food and travel bloggers out there with her nearly 38K Instagram followers. She has partnered with many travel-related companies and gets some of the best engagement I’ve ever seen from a young enterprise like her’s. We hadn’t seen each other since fall 2016, so she extended an invitation to me given my social media work and penchant for taking good photos. How could you say no to such an opportunity to dine in Georgetown??
Alex put on this #InfluencerDinner at Sequoia in Georgetown Waterfront with the help of Luke Pascal, chief marketer of the parent company that owns the restaurant (Ark Restaurants out of NYC). Sequoia had been closed up until recently and has seen a surge in customers. In fact, one of the restaurant employees told us the Golden Knights were dining prior to Game 3 at Capital One Arena on Saturday. They exited from the back patio and apparently were booed by Washington Capitals fans – ha! (Go Caps!)
So what happens at these influencer dinners? Lots of picture taking, of course! There is also no shortage of meeting new people—including prominent DC food bloggers—at these dinners too. I made use of my Instagram account and brought my Canon DSLR camera along with me to take some awesome foodie pics. We sampled an assortment of cocktails, gorged on mouthwatering appetizers and entrees, while barely indulging in their assortment of desserts. Not suitable for diabetics, sadly. However, this was a foodie’s paradise. Sequoia didn’t disappoint!
Here are some pictures of the menu we sampled for you to enjoy:
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What can the rest of us marketers or social media specialists learn from food bloggers/influencers? There are plenty of takeaways:
- Content is king: Producing quality images for social media use is critical. Food bloggers are always keen to use the best quality pictures, which renders them a lot of engagement, likes, and comments. If you don’t have an updated SmartPhone or DSLR camera, invest in one. It’ll do your business or clientele wonders!
- Utilize social media while dining: While it’s rude and unsavory to use phones during dinner, make an exception at these influencer dinners. Food bloggers are social media trailblazers who master platform features well. Incorporating the right hashtags, tagging accounts, geotagging, and posting at specific times is something other marketers should incorporate into our strategies.
- Thank hosting company with online shout out: Sending business a restaurant’s way – or hosting party – is the perfect way to thank them for hosting your and showering you with food, in the case of this influencer dining. Dedicate a few posts to the group, company, or dining establishment hosting you. It’s the least you can do for them after they shower you with delicious meals, drinks, and goodies free-of-charge.
For matters related to this post, I hope the next time you find yourself in DC you head over to Sequoia in Georgetown’s waterfront and give them your business. They are professional, punctual, and friendly. And their food is amazing too! Give them a follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you to Luke Pascal, chief marketer for Ark Restaurants, for making this possible, and a BIG THANK YOU to East Coast Contessa’s Alex Booze for organizing this. Make sure to follow Alex on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and check out her website www.EastCoastContessa.com . Her recommendations are on-point!
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