Use of social media in the B2B realm is really starting to develop, but all too often we see foodservice brands managing their accounts as if they’re a retail brand. How does social media posting for food retail and foodservice differ?
For a retail food brand, social media posting has the goal of driving fans and followers to;
a) Buy product
b) Use product more often
c) Talk about the product
d) Get to know the brand better, and hopefully, align themselves with the values and personality of the brand
(Because we marketing types know that knowledge and alignment plays a big part in fostering loyal fans, for any brand).
For foodservice brands however, the agenda is different, largely because the audience is different. The audience is often a mix of the following people:
Distributors
Brokers
Chefs
Owners
F&B Managers
Company staff
End customers (eg the diners in a restaurant).
Quite a few different personalities to consider! So for foodservice brands on social media, posts need to drive people to:
a) Seek more info about products- directing them to a website, blog or phone number to find out where products are stocked, who is their local sales rep, and what packaging formats are available, to name a few things.
b) Develop trust that the brand understands the pressures foodservice stakeholders are under, and that the brand is a solution to some of these stressors.
c) Be inspired by new ways to use products.
d) Get to know more about the company, it’s operations, values and staff.
e) Have fun, after all many of your fans and followers will be using their own personal social media accounts to follow you – they’ve let you into a sacred space, don’t drown them with advertising!
Foodservice purchases, like all B2B purchases are usually well-researched decisions often put through a lengthy decision making and review process before the deal is sealed. Let your social media be a helping hand for this decision making process, the person signing off on your supply contract may even just be following you online already!
Red Candy offers a range of social media services to foodservice business, from teaching the basics, to three months of ‘training wheels’ to complete management and strategic reviews of your existing accounts. Give us a buzz to find out how we can help you make the most of social media efforts!
Oh, and to see an example of what makes a great foodservice post on Facebook, jump over here.
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