Social Media Trends For Foodies (and how to make it work for your business)

Restaurants, food manufacturers and distributors can all benefit from a better social media program.

 Looking for social media trends for foodies? Simply put, you need to be where your consumers are, and your consumers are engaging with social media. Like every day. Often before they even get out of bed in the morning.

Over a billion Facebook users alone regularly engage in social media groups. There are two ways for you to be involved with social groups online. One is to build a group on your own. Another is to join a number of groups that already exist. Either way, there are a lot of potential customers you can connect with.  

Reach New Audiences (and connect emotionally)

Here’s the obvious: According to research completed by HubSpot, the main social media goals of most marketers in 2022 will be to reach new audiences, grow relationships with customers, and boost customer service.

Of course, you’ll have to advertise on social media to reach your new potential customers. But beyond advertising, you will also need to connect with people on an emotional level. This means your content will need to be interesting, funny, and not just about selling stuff.

People Love Video Content (but keep it short)

Here’s another tip for social media trends for foodies: Video content is one of the most engaging forms of content. According to a Cisco study, by 2022 (hey, that’s now), 82% of all online content will be video content (not quite, actually, not even close, but the trend is there for sure). The only reason this won’t happen is because video production can be expensive. But don’t let that shy you away from video content. Just find creative ways to make short videos that are engaging and fun to watch.

Social Media Trends For Foodies: Organic Reach A Thing of the Past?

Yup, pretty much. According to Hootsuite’s 2022 Social Media Trends survey, more than 40% of respondents indicated that the decline in organic reach and the need to spend more on paid advertising were their biggest challenges. Considering that the average organic reach for a Facebook post is just slightly over 5% according to Hootsuite’s data, it makes sense why paid advertising will become a necessity. 

Let us show you how a $10.00 boost can reach a lot of eyeballs. You’ll need help setting up an advertising budget, and making sure the spend is giving you a return on investment. Think: you do not have time to do this on your own. Outsource your social skills to a professional. For the money you might save doing yourself you will be losing productivity.

People Want To Be Influenced

Influencer marketing isn’t a fad, it’s a trend that will grow. Social media today is dominated by influencers who are getting paid to promote brands. Because you are in the food business, those influencers can be hired at a pretty reasonable rate. Depending on who you ask.

Investing in influencers can sometimes be cheaper than running paid ad campaigns, and can offer a better return on investment. Keep in mind, you can’t control the creative product like you can with paid advertising. You give them some money and your product and let them do their thing. The upside is, it can go viral. The risk is, that viral marketing may not be something you would pick for yourself.

But hey, take social media influence like a politician: I don’t care what you say about me, just don’t spell my name wrong.

Leave The Door Open (like in college) And Let The Party Start

Personalization is a global consumer trend that has been there for several years now. However, it is still a recent one when it comes to its adoption for social media. It takes the right posts and incentives, but your followers and brand lovers will create content for you.

Be like Olay or Dove, and run promotional marketing campaigns that encourage followers to submit their entries to be a part of the campaign. Or, be like Airbnb, and rely heavily on user-generated content for their social media content.

No matter how you want to leverage UGC (User Generated Content), you should have a place for it in your content mix. User-generated content is not completely free, but it is considered more authentic than branded content. You’ll still need to ‘buy’ followers, and develop your own content, but your work needs to include getting your followers to add their own personal touch to your content.

Example: Win something free. Just post your best photo of your (fill in the blank) for a chance to win!

Social Media Trends For Foodies: Think Global Act Local

One way HotOperator helps attract a local audience is by geo-tagging our posts and stories. By adding a location to your social media content, we allow social media platforms to automatically draw in a local audience. The cool thing is, social platforms like Instagram provide the option to search for posts from nearby places or specific locations. Which is why we add locations to your content, so it will show up in these search results, helping local people find your brand and content.

There are a lot of  benefits to location-based targeting on social media, and you simply need to know how to leverage it. Ask for help.

Create A Group

Social media communities and groups created by brands can provide a networking platform for their customers. Usually built as private groups that like-minded people can join to talk about their shared interests, these groups can be very effective if done right.

Some Facebook Groups are good examples of this type of social community. Many brands utilize these groups to bring many of their current and prospective customers together and try to engage with them in meaningful ways. Members of these groups will often share their experiences, chat about likes and dislikes, and offer opinions about not only your brand, but about their lives and society at large.

Ready For Help?

Reach out to HotOperator here and get on a 15 minute call with one of our social media and food marketing experts. Our entire staff has the experience, wisdom and knowledge you need to make it work for your business. Follow the link!