By 2022, 3.96 billion people will use social networks throughout the world. It is used by so many people that “having no socials” will simply not be an option. As a brand, you have to be present on social media, but also create marketing strategies around it. Of course, you need to build a strategy...
By 2022, 3.96 billion people will use social networks throughout the world. It is used by so many people that “having no socials” will simply not be an option. As a brand, you have to be present on social media, but also create marketing strategies around it. Of course, you need to build a strategy around your own social profiles, but you have to use micro influencers as well.
Working with micro influencers has become the starting point of digital marketing strategies because they have a big impact on visibility, virality and the sales performance.
When posting about your brand, content creators will give their opinion about your products and services, they will bring you visibility and also media content that you can use later on your own social media or on your marketing visuals.
The food industry has been thought of a lot during this past year. The pandemic was (and still is) hard on the sector. To touch people, to grab their attention, you have to use social media, but you need to choose carefully which ones to use and how.
Good reviews are a must
Reviews are a big thing right now. People have the internet everywhere they go: they will check if the reviews are good before ordering, buying or trying anything new. 27% of restaurant customers find written reviews to be the most engaging type of content. They need an opinion before making the actual purchase.
- Blog: Written reviews are the best thing to have but let’s be honest, pictures are more appealing. People consume media easily and it acts as a great catch: we know that articles with images get 94% more views than articles without visuals. People want visuals and blogs offer just that. Moreover, this is a perfect fit for the food sector. By using blog content creators, you will get more visibility and more content to add to your own website/social media pages.
- Ratings and Reviews: we know how important reviews have become for not just foodies, but in general people looking to try new restaurants, new foods… Combining a ratings and reviews campaign with your micro influence marketing strategy can only bring you more customers. According to a study carried out by Hivency in January 2021 on more than 3,000 French consumers, 82% of them are reading 1 to 10 reviews before purchasing online. This same study reveals that 47% of consumers consult reviews before going to a restaurant or purchasing a food product.
Some influence platforms also offer the ability to launch ratings and reviews campaigns through their platform, such as Hivency, for example. Through the platform, you can create ratings and reviews campaigns selecting good quality customers, and have their reviews replicated on a maximum of 3 websites.
Restaurants: which social networks are meant for you?
Due to the pandemic, restaurants were forced to close for long periods of time, and in some countries these measures are still in place. This has forced the sector to get creative on their digital strategy to invite customers to takeout or order for delivery. Micro influencers are an ideal way to spread the word and help bring more customers to your restaurant. The content created during your collaboration with them can then be re-used for your own visual platforms. And it’s very qualitative content!
- Instagram: 95 million photos and videos are uploaded to Instagram every single day. People love to post food on the app. If Instagram can help you create new content for your own social profiles, it can also help you bring more people to your business. Adding micro influencers to your marketing strategy will only be beneficial. They have a strong relationship with their followers, full of trust and honesty. Content creators can share promo codes with their community as well as do giveaways. This way, they can give their opinion on your offer but also give a chance to their followers to try it out themselves. The bond between you, the influencer and their community will only grow stronger.
- TikTok: The pandemic made TikTok the most downloaded app in the world in 2020. Used by millions of people around the world, it is also somewhere you can discover new places to eat. The hashtag #restaurant has 2.3 B views on the app. Using micro influencers on Tik Tok will bring you visibility and your restaurant could become viral in just a day. For example, after posting this TikTok, the owner receives masses of customers queuing up outside her store for days:
Food retailers: which social networks can you profit from?
During the pandemic, eating healthy has been hard for a lot of people, but keeping meals fun and enjoying them too. Food delivery became more and more common, as people started to order groceries to their doorstep to cook for themselves. The pandemic made chefs out of cooped up consumers. We saw that when we went to get our groceries : flour, eggs, pasta were out of stock. From the beginning, these clients turned to social media to find recipe inspirations and new ideas on what to cook. That’s where micro influencers come in. Full of creativity, they will bring visibility to your products all while providing recipes ideas.
- Instagram: Food porn is a concept that was born on Instagram and continues to live through every single publication posted every day. With 256M posts, the #FoodPorn shows that people on Instagram love food and love to share every meal they enjoy. Micro influencers particularly enjoy doing that, they can be a great asset for your marketing strategy. By sharing the products they use, posting pictures on the app and giving their feedback, some of their followers will want to try it as well. You can help them to take the next step by offering a promo code or a giveaway!
- TikTok: People love to share their recipes on TikTok. Some videos became viral (during the lockdown particularly) and some food products went out of stock because so many people were trying the recipes. It became a real thing to share and no recipes videos are a real thing! Here is one of them:
Micro influencers on TikTok have a lot of influence, they can start a challenge easily, which can give your brand visibility and maybe virality.
- YouTube: We all know ‘cooking with me’ videos. Some micro influencers will share their fav recipes on 15 to 20min videos. Very visual, this kind of content will show the quality of your products and also how to use them. Some of their followers will want to try it out! Promo codes can be gifted to convince them to give it a shot. Also, giving out 1 month subscriptions can make people want to try your offer. If they like it, then they might purchase it on their own. Indeed, 70% of viewers made a purchase from a brand after seeing it on YouTube. YouTubers are often followed by people for a long time and they build strong relationships with their community over time. YouTubers are a great option for food brands. They will bring visibility and feedback on your brand.
Micro-influence marketing campaigns are really important nowadays. They are beneficial on the short term, and even more so on the long run. When people repeatedly see a brand or product, their mind will automatically turn to it when doing the groceries or considering where to eat out! Repetition and familiarity are key to bonding with consumers, which is why micro influencers are so beneficial and crucial in today’s landscape.
Depending on your industry, the social networks you should use are not the same. Read our other articles if you work in these sectors:
Sources: Better Marketing – Gather Here – Medium