Cooking Up the Right Amount of Social Media
Given the very social nature of food and drink, it comes as little surprise that companies in the food and beverage industry have embraced social media as an important marketing tool that can significantly supplement their traditional marketing programs.
Unlike traditional marketing, social media by its very nature is about two-way communications and building relationships.
By contrast, traditional advertising is very much a one-way street with companies promoting their products and services via billboards, magazine and newspaper ads, and radio and TV commercials.
Generally speaking, food companies that maximize the two-way nature and immediacy of social media are deriving the lion’s share of the benefits from promotions on that platform.
Fast Food Sector
Fast food companies have been particularly active on the social media front, recognizing that engaging with their customers online helps to promote their restaurants’ latest menu offerings. It also gives customers an opportunity to supply real-time feedback to the companies about which new products are working and which are duds.
An informational graphic prepared in advance of the second annual Foodservice Social Media Universe conference in September 2012 showed that Starbucks clearly outstripped its fast-food rivals in terms of social media presence.
The Seattle-based chain of high-end coffee shops dominated on four of the most popular social media platforms — Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. It placed a strong second on YouTube and Klout.
Starbucks’ Strong Showing
Starbucks had 31.4 million Facebook likes, compared with 21.8 million for McDonald’s in the No. 2 spot and 15.9 million likes for Subway at No. 3.
On Twitter, Starbucks had roughly 2.8 million followers, compared with 675,555 for Subway and 620,586 for McDonald’s.
Starbucks’ followers on Google+ totaled 584,642, way ahead of McDonald’s with 15,522 and Subway with 4,896. Starbucks had 12,389 followers on Pinterest, compared with 3,199 for Panera Bread and 2,938 for Dunkin’ Donuts.
Shannon Kyllo, customer service manager for Chipotle Mexican Grill, says “social customer service” has been central to the success of the company, which was founded in 1993.
In light of the rising popularity of social media, the company created a new team dedicated to monitoring social media feedback about its brand and to fostering closer relationships with Chipotle’s customer base.
Of the company’s growing focus on social media, Eric Wilson, director of initiatives, said, “we are constantly evolving our communication model so we can connect in the ways that are most relevant for [customers]. Our service model is built on creating relationships with our customers — that’s always our top priority.”
As active as they are on social media, fast food outlets are not the only food industry sector to be using this relatively new platform for marketing its products.
Miracle Whip Promotion
In early 2013, Miracle Whip, the popular salad dressing from Kraft, launched a promotional blitz for its Dipping Sauces across both traditional and social media platforms.
In March Miracle Whip reported that the Dipping Sauces campaign had won 234,000 likes on Facebook, its main social media platform, and a very respectable following of 17,000 on Twitter.
Oreo, another popular brand in the Kraft family, used social media in 2012 to help celebrate the cookie’s 100th birthday.
For a weeklong period on Twitter, fans of the beloved cookie were asked to use the hashtag #OreoPinata. Each time the hashtag was used, it counted as a hit on the virtual pinata. The fan lucky enough to supply the hit breaking open the pinata won a free pack of cookies. Oreo gave away 30 packs a day during the weeklong promotion.
Pork Chop Drop
The National Pork Board in the summer of 2013 generated strong consumer interest in “the other white meat” with its Pork Chop Drop promotional campaign, which was launched simultaneously on its Pork Be Inspired Facebook page and its PorkBeInspired.com website.
The campaign consisted of a pork-related trivia game and a collection of 10 pork recipes that can be prepared for a total cost of $10 or less. To entice participation, the campaign offered coupons for pork discounts and the chance to win a grand prize of $1,000.
For several years now, ice cream maker Baskin Robbins has used its social media platforms — primarily Facebook and Twitter — to drum up enthusiasm for its annual 31-Cent Scoop Night, which offers not only bargain-priced ice cream for customers but also an opportunity to benefit a good cause. In the United States, the primary beneficiary of the company’s annual benefit has been the National Fallen Firefighters Association.
About the Author: Jay Fremont is a freelance author who has written extensively about personal finance, corporate strategy, social media, and Reputation.com reviews.
Hello,
Social media is no doubt a great way to promote the business but cooking the right targeted people will leads to great outcome.