This piece discusses utilising organic content, user-generated media, influencer partnerships, and targeted social media ads to effectively engage audiences.
Food is personal. The lens with which modern audiences see food content then is that an emotional one. As a person scrolling on social media, you are not looking for a math equation to solve, you are looking for an escape. It can be argued that ordering food online is the new “retail therapy”. How are food brands leveraging this to inform their digital advertising strategies?
Here is how:
1- Organic Food Content
The popularity of reels, TikTok and different short-form video platforms has meant that food videos generally receive above-average engagement. From food brands investing in developing their own recipe videos to restaurants focusing on sharing “how things are made” content, organic content on social media is definitely serving as a major advertising pull for audiences. There has been a deliberate shift from relying on template-based posts – something you could outsource to a digital marketing agency and then forget about it to creating content that resonates with audiences more and directly borrows from the formats that are trending organically.
Some of the trends for food content seen recently are:
Snappy recipe videos that only mention the detailed recipes in the caption instead of it being described on the video. The content, as a result, looks more exciting with more time spent on showing the finished dish and how it is being consumed than on someone talking about it “step-by-step”.
For restaurants, content that shows their team participating in online skits or trending TikToks has been on the rise. It has also unveiled the different challenges that restaurants have to face in specific scenarios, for example, when customers come in with too many customisation requests, or when orders are cancelled last-minute. It has had the effect of bridging the gap between customers and food business owners and signified a shift from the “customer is always right” narrative.
Restaurants have also leveraged the appeal of recipe videos by filming their chefs make their bestsellers. While this content doesn’t carry a recipe, it has an indirect effect of creating more want for their products.
2- User-Generated Content
Social media platforms with their ever-changing algorithm and policies definitely reward formats and filming styles of general users over professional photographers or videographers (unless they also leverage narrative or storytelling techniques to make their work stand out).
Oftentimes, you would see this when a “home-style kitchen video” shot by a user gets more appreciation and engagement as compared to a recipe video shot with professional lighting, sets and by a trained videographer.
Food and beverage brands have recently tried to leverage this either by shifting their own styles of creating content or by collaborating with content creators who have built a portfolio of UGC (user-generated content).
The organic style of content creation also helps build trust with audiences when people can see that the setting being filmed is real and it is not being faked for a set. Viral content showing how professional photographers use mayo or tooth-paste when trying to photograph perishable food items like ice cream has also created distrust for professionally shot content.
When watching a user-generated content or a home style kitchen video, people are less likely to question if it is real and therefore, respond more enthusiastically as compared to watching a video which shows more finesse, enhanced colour or food that looks too perfect to be true.
User-generated content is definitely on the rise and will continue to stay popular for the new few years.
3- Influencer Partnerships
While influencers generally get a lot of flak, influencer partnerships continue to be lucrative for brands, especially when they are seeking exposure to targeted audiences, content that is already formatted to get engagement, and when they want to position their brand as a “lifestyle” habit that people can adopt.
For influencer partnerships to be effective, it is also important to liaison with accounts that firstly have a consistent organic engagement of their own (which shows community-building) and the niche of the influencer is aligned with that of the brand. For example, a cola brand might not benefit as much in partnering with a content creator that features healthy recipes and has spoken against consuming soft drinks in the past.
Since food brands consistently rely on influencer partnerships to advertise, it also makes sense to identify few influencer accounts that can create consistent content and goodwill for the brand and leverage them via long-term partnerships which can also allow for exclusivity as opposed to doing one campaign with 20 or more influencers that offer a short burst of talkability.
Micro-influencers, or influencers who have a following of 10,000 or fewer, are also being sought to create user-generated content for brands – a strategy that does work, especially when brands often lack the capability or don’t want to invest time in keeping up with trending social media platforms, Gen Z slang, or even foods that are currently going viral.
4- Social Media Ads
Social media ads are also a persistent way to can reach an audience. They are highly effective when food brands and restaurants have a clean website set up in place with an easy ordering process linked to the ads. Restaurants can target users based on location and preferences and can also retarget customers who have previously ordered from their website before.
Brands that are able to successfully leverage social media ads treat it differently from a TVC. Unlike a TVC, a social media ad is more effective when focused on one talking point of the product as opposed to carrying a full skit. Restaurants do this by highlighting one frame of their product that makes it look the most appetising. For example, pizza brands are usually seen advertising “cheese pulls” in their social media ads. A company that makes butter would use the social media ad butter being spread over bread to highlight texture.
It helps to focus on capturing one moment of the product well which can create the most want as opposed to boosting a three-minute company video that will often see its reach being clipped by having no organic traction.
With many brands investing heavily in digital formats and platforms, it is also important to note that following trends and keeping up with what’s popular can be lucrative as a strategy, but it also needs to be backed by your own unique brand voice. While influencer partnerships can be relied upon for creating talkability, having a strong social media presence with its own community on the brand’s pages is also essential, not optional.