5 Ways Social Media Can Be the Icing on The Cake for Food Brands 

Food is one Instagram’s top categories and it doesn’t take a Michelin-awarded chef to understand why. From a rainbow of beautifully styled vegetables to gluttonous burgers and shakes, #foodporn activates the senses and inspires consumers to explore new foods and share their experiences. Beyond Instagram, consumers turn to Pinterest for recipes and Facebook to follow brands they love. Food is among the most sought out and shared content on social media and brands that are active on social platforms have an advantage. Here, we explore how social media helps food brands grow.

1. When preparing meals, 51% of women say their biggest challenge isn’t time, it’s boredom, and 44% say they have difficulty finding meals that will please everyone in their family. From breakfast to snacks, offer content including recipes, tips, and innovative ways to prepare and serve food.

2.Millennials want healthy snacks. Among Millennials’ favorite snack brands, 75% have a health focus. Since 51% of consumers snack most in the mid-afternoon, post content during peak interest times.

3. Women go to Facebook (68%) and Pinterest (60%) for recipe content, but Instagram and YouTube are important destinations for women seeking food inspiration. Make sure your brand is taking an omnichannel approach to social content and developing specific content for each platform—consumers use Pinterest to plan for the future, Facebook to share ideas, Instagram for inspiration, and YouTube for learning.

4. Women love to share their recipe success stories! 78% say they share or post food-related content on social media. Among those who post recipes or pictures on social media, Facebook (70%) and Instagram (50%) are their top platforms, followed by Pinterest at 35%. Develop a user-generated content program to attract followers and build loyalty; UGC content gets 6.9 times more engagement than brand-created content and 90% of shoppers say UGC influences their purchase decisions.

5. Beyond recipes, social can help brands become more transparent to consumers. Take them “behind the scenes” and show them how the product is made, invite them into your test kitchen, and engage consumers in your brand story.

Today, it’s not enough to get your product on shelf. Food and beverage brands need to use social tools to build communities of fans and be top-of-mind at all times. Women’s Marketing offers a suite of marketing services, including social media strategy, paid social, content strategy, and influencer marketing programs for every goal. Contact us today to learn more.

Sources: SheSpeaks The Social Food Journey 2017, MultiBriefs How to take hold of user-generated content 2017, Cision User-Generated Content Tops Marketing Tactics By Influencing 90% of Shoppers’ Purchasing Decisions 2017, Conde Nast and Goldman Sachs 2017 Love List Brand Affinity Index (food)