In this day and age, technology plays one of the most vital parts of keeping your business afloat. As this current pandemic continues to change the norm of our economy/society, most have no choice but to make an online shift. This is especially true for the F&B and foodservice industry, regardless of whether you are a restaurant operator or food distributor
So, I already have a Facebook & Instagram account, what’s next?
The key element to achieving success on social media is Engagement. Besides posting a regular stream of content, ensure that your content is authentic and interesting. Here are some examples of social media content that you can create.
1. Behind the scenes snippets
Show your audience what your company does behind closed doors! These tiny snippets can provide an interesting perspective that the public may not always get to see. Most importantly, it makes your brand feel “real” to your viewers, offering a sense of transparency through the lens of your staff. You can do a variety of BTS content such as sharing photos and videos of kitchen work, group discussions, birthday celebrations and sneak peeks of an upcoming event or product launch.
2. Influencers and thematic collaborations
(Source: Nicholas Lau)
(Source: Zanthrea and Yong Wei Kai)
Next up we have one of the most effective ways of marketing through social media, i.e. by working with influencers and creating business partnerships! Our local food bloggers and influencers serve as modern-day critics for the online crowd.
Additionally, you can leverage their wide fan base that follows and trust their opinions. Something else to consider is collaborating with other F&B businesses that might be complementary to yours. This provides a chance to express your creativity, as well as generate something new and exciting for your customers to talk about.
3. Educational/story-based content
This may require a bit more effort to execute, but the results are certainly worth it! A picture paints a thousand words, but a video shows a thousand pictures. More and more companies are starting to use “Stories” to offer bite-sized previews about their products and services. A short 15 to 20-second series will be enough to reel them in, providing information that is both relevant and emotive. This is especially effective in Singapore, as people are busy travelling and working every day.
4. Interactive social media elements
While there are tons of features on social media channels, which are the ones that you can use to stand out and appear more “fun” to your customers?
We recommend Instagram polls, question stickers and quirky filters. Implementing these simple features can immediately project a cool & current image for your business. You can also use these polls to gather informal customer feedback on promos or new items to be added to your menu.
5. Custom photography
Last but certainly not least, the F&B industry is all about sharing visually appealing photos of your food that will whet the appetites of your customers. We also suggest adding “lifestyle pics” into the mix such as featuring your restaurant setting, customers and staff interactions to paint a holistic image of your business.
Don’t have a photographer’s eye? Fret not, there are affordable professional services you can engage that won’t cost a bomb. (We recommend the good folks at klaud9.)
Tip! Use the shopping feature that Instagram has for providing product prices easily.
To conclude...
This is the best time to embrace social media and make full use of it for your success! Any type of content you post should always be authentic and engaging. Remember to always have a specific target audience in mind to help guide your content to suit the people you want to reach out to. We hope adding these 5 types of content into your mix will increase your brand awareness and user engagement for your social media presence!