Pizza Hut vs. Dominos: Which fairs better in the social media race?

When you think of a food company that just absolutely shines on Twitter… who do you think of?

Well, in courtesy of #NationalPizzaDay, it’s only right to talk about two pizza restaurants that steal the spotlight when it comes to social media. For me, it has to be Pizza Hut and Domino’s.

First of all, if you are a restaurant, you want to think about what your customer like. It’s fair to say, that these do that successfully – so it’s not wonder they are at the top of their social media game! With mouthwatering images, they not only know what the customer want, they convince them that their food is what they need.

Simple text and strong imagery is the concept that Pizza Hut has gone for. In other words, letting the pictures do all the talking. Trust me, these pictures talk loudly! When it comes to food, nothing can be more convincing then seeing a beautifully presented pizza!

If you read our previous blog, How Important are Visuals When It Comes to Using Social Media For Business?, then you would know that the use of images can increase your engagement rate by 35%. This makes it the most effective method of increasing engagement.

So maybe Pizza Hut knows what they are doing…

Domino’s choose a slightly different approach focussing more their lyrics than on the imagery.

They have chosen to be more casual, if anything, reflecting the idea that you can have a good, chilled time with pizza. Domino’s uses it’s focus on the home environment and experience to  connect to a younger generation of consumers. More companies are starting to emulate this popular oven baked pizza company’s social media tactics. They use a lot more hashtags than their competitors, making their tweets relevant to any national day and even making their own hashtags – #PieceofthePieContest and #PizzaandaPet.

Which tactic is more successful? When looking at the number of followers, Pizza Hut just about beats Dominos with 1.51 million followers compared to 1.15 million. Even though that’s a difference of roughly 400,ooo, it’s not huge at all.

On face value, there’s no denying that both do very well when it comes to the levels of engagement. Both are very high, with Pizza Hut’s more recent tweet receiving over 105 retweets, 241 likes and 12 comments. Dominos faired slightly worse in this instance earning only 18 retweets, 49 likes and 4 comments. But do bare in mind that this is a comparison of just one of the tweets, so don’t dismiss the Dominos tactics too fast!

What would you focus on as a restaurant? The visuals or the tone… Let us know in the comments below…