Our Niche, Not a Side Project
We don't rotate between niches. Every targeting specialist at Zilly works exclusively within one vertical — and for our hospitality team, that means restaurants, bars, and lounges, full stop. This focus compounds over time: we see what works in Barcelona on Monday and apply it to a Warsaw launch by Thursday.
Our founder lived in Barcelona for years and the team works daily with hospitality brands across Southern and Eastern Europe. That depth shows in the results — and in the speed at which we reach them.
How We Grow Hospitality Brands
- Awareness first: we launch low-budget warm-up campaigns to build brand recognition in the local area before pushing for visits or bookings.
- Instagram follower acquisition at €0.20–0.70 per follower who later visits the venue in person — the most cost-effective foot traffic channel we've found for this niche.
- Event and package co-creation: we collaborate with venue owners to build promotable offers — themed evenings, special menus, seasonal events — that give ads a concrete reason to click.
- Multi-location targeting: running campaigns for 2–5 locations simultaneously without audience cannibalization or budget waste, using geo-layered ad sets.
- Continuous creative refresh aligned with real venue activity — new dishes, staff, interior updates, events — so ads stay authentic and local audiences keep engaging.
The Brands We Work With
Warsaw, Poland
EWNS
Restaurant & lounge brand with 2 Warsaw locations launched simultaneously. Full awareness and follower growth system built from day one.
Kyiv, Ukraine
WeKyiv Cafe
4 café locations plus a catering arm, all under a single targeting umbrella. Campaigns structured to cover local neighbourhood audiences and citywide catering reach.
Barcelona, Spain
La Rose 432
Shisha lounge & bar concept. Evening-focused campaigns built around the lounge atmosphere, private events, and hookah culture — a distinct sub-niche requiring tailored creative.
Barcelona, Spain
Bar 64
The first chess bar in Barcelona — a completely new concept for the city. Campaigns focused on intrigue, community-building, and positioning as a cultural destination.
Performance Breakdown by Brand
All figures reflect Meta Ads campaigns focused on brand awareness, Instagram follower growth, and event promotion across each venue's active period.
| Brand |
Market |
Locations |
Ad Spend |
Impressions |
Followers |
Cost / Follower |
| EWNS |
Warsaw |
2 |
€4,640 |
820,000 |
3,000 |
€1.55* |
| WeKyiv Cafe |
Kyiv |
4 + catering |
€740 |
340,000 |
1,800 |
€0.41 |
| La Rose 432 |
Barcelona |
1 |
€680 |
152,000 |
1,000 |
€0.68 |
| Bar 64 |
Barcelona |
1 · 1 mo. |
€550 |
118,000 |
800 |
€0.69 |
| Total |
3 cities |
11 |
€6,610 |
1,430,000 |
6,600 |
— |
* EWNS runs full multi-channel campaigns across 2 locations covering event promotion, seasonal content, and awareness — not purely follower acquisition. Dedicated follower-growth campaign cost: €0.40–0.45.
Why Follower Cost Translates to Real Revenue
In hospitality, an Instagram follower is not a vanity metric — it's a warm local prospect. People follow a bar or restaurant because they intend to go, not out of curiosity. Our tracking across all brands consistently shows that 30–50% of new Instagram followers visit the venue within 60 days of following.
That means at €0.41–0.69 per follower on dedicated acquisition campaigns, we are effectively generating verified foot traffic at €0.85–1.40 per real visit — a cost that no traditional advertising format comes close to matching in this niche.
Key Takeaways
- Instagram follower growth is the single most cost-effective awareness and conversion channel for hospitality brands in urban European markets.
- Launching awareness campaigns before pushing offers dramatically improves conversion quality — audiences who already know the brand convert 2–3× better.
- Co-created events and packages outperform generic 'come visit us' ads every time — a concrete reason to visit is everything.
- Multi-location campaigns work best with dedicated geo-sets per location, not one shared campaign — each neighbourhood has a distinct audience profile.
- Niche depth matters: a specialist who only works with bars and restaurants spots opportunities and avoids mistakes that a generalist simply won't see.
