Edge off competition with these social media marketing strategies.
In the past couple of years, marketers have seen a shift in how brands promote their products and services on social media. This is not surprising, as social media’s popularity with brands continues to grow as an effect of the pandemic.
According to Statista, there were over 3.7 billion social media users in 2021 around the globe. Brands then have to think about effective ways to promote their products on social media. And this includes food businesses wanting to expand their target market. Before we discuss these strategies, we need to first understand the top social media marketing trends for 2022.
Some of this year’s social media trends, according to digital marketing experts, include:
#1 TikTok’s social media domination
Experts say that we will continue to see the rise of TikTok in 2022 as more brands explore how they can use the app's popularity to increase brand awareness and exposure. In fact, it was the first non-Facebook app to reach a whopping three million downloads globally in 2021 and also saw an increase in social media mentions by 61 percent during the first half of the year. TikTok, then, can be very effective in helping connect food businesses to a whole new and large demographic.
#2 Rising craving for snackable content
Snackable content is easily digestible, straightforward, short-form content that is shareable on social media. It is visually engaging and can be consistently posted. Some best examples are funny memes, infographics, and quote graphics. Because the social media attention spans of consumers continually shrink, this form of content is here to stay.
#3 Reaching new audiences
HubSpot's Blog Research forecast that by 2022, most marketers will want to reach new audiences as a top priority, followed by fostering relationships and increasing brand loyalty. Because of the pandemic, many consumers were forced to shift to an online-first shopping experience. With that said, brands would want to reach new audiences from other online platforms, foster relationships with them, and improve customer retention.
#4 Augmented Reality for brand interaction
Augmented Reality or AR has been around for years now and is increasingly becoming more common among brands today. As a matter of fact, Snap Inc.’s Head of AR Product Strategy and Marketing, Carolina Arguelles Navas, believes that AR will become the consumers’ preferred way of trying on or interacting with products this year. HubSpot also found that Augmented Reality can improve click-through rates to purchase by 33 percent.
#5 Influencer marketing’s maturation
According to BusinessWire, many consumers trust influencers more than they trust brands during the pandemic. By these influencers, we mean those that they call “everyday influencers,” which are the micro and nano-influencers. So it’s safe to say that influencer marketing is an excellent strategy to explore in 2022 for your food business.
#1 Consider TikTok for your food business.
Do not be afraid to create a TikTok account for your food business and leverage it to reach the younger demographics. With an audience dominated by Gen Z and Millennials -- tech-savvy consumers demanding innovation, creativity, and personalization, TikTok will help your food business connect to these younger demographics.
#2 Invest in straightforward, short-form content.
To pique the attention of your target audience, you will need to post short-form, snackable content on your social media platforms. Whether it’s about highlighting new syrup flavors you just bought from your boba supply store or introducing new snack items and desserts, you should be able to disseminate it in easily digestible ways. Create relevant funny memes, quote graphics with colors that match your business logo, informative infographics, or even GIFs of you and your staff creating and preparing drinks.
#3 Run ads on social media platforms.
Sometimes, regularly posting on social media is not enough to reach new audiences. With that said, consider running ads on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Ads on these platforms are pretty affordable, and you can set an amount that best suits your budget. Of course, focus on the platform where most of your target customers are. If you want to reach Gen Z, TikTok is the best platform.
#4 Consider AR to engage customers.
Augmented Reality is not popular in the food industry -- yet. You will see it more with clothing brands like H&M and Louis Vuitton and home interior brands like Ikea. As for food businesses, AR allows the scanning of a QR code associated with your menu to view 3D photos of actual food items and beverages right in front of the user. Seeing how the food and drinks look will help them with their purchase decisions, while it gives your business a chance to showcase your products.
#5 Collaborate with social media influencers.
Just like with any business, social media influencers help a lot in boosting exposure online. Experts recommend working with the micro-influencers or nano-influencers, or those with a smaller number of followers but have more engaged audiences. These could also be influencers specializing in more niche topics -- like food. "Mukbang influencers," in particular, are perfect for food businesses as they provide an actual review of the food or drink and have a loyal following.
Exploring other ways to market your products is essential for a food business, especially if your goal is to expand your target audience. Social media has great potential, especially now that more and more consumers are online as an effect of the pandemic.
But before you deploy your social media strategies, make sure you are well-informed of the current trends and focus on the platform where most of your target audience is.
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