Food Photos Win Fans On Social Media
Food photos win fans on social media and you don’t have to be a restaurant to use this delicious strategy. What do we all have in common? We eat & drink! Keep potential customers interested and engaged with food photos. Find a food tie-in to get attention on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and other social channels. Here are some mouthwatering ideas to get you started:
Food Photos on Twitter
With the new Twitter layout, picture tweets are highlighted. According to Twitter, ‘Photos average a 35% boost in Retweets.’ Your potential customers may not be ready to book a vacation, but they may be willing to share a picture of a cocktail poolside. It helps to widen your audience when you juxtapose something easily attainable (like an umbrella drink) with something aspirational (like a luxury resort vacation in Costa Rica). You will see this trick used widely in the advertising industry -- because it works. A few days of the week already have themes to use like: #foodiefriday, #winewednesday, and #tacotuesday. There are also special interest chat groups that use hashtags like #foodiechats.
Food Photos on Facebook
The Facebook algorithm continues to choke out brand messages -- unless you pay. One of the only ways left to reach a wider audience for free is when fans share your content. What do they want to share? Photos! Again, use the commonality of food & drink to draw attention to your product or service. If your brand is more 'serious' show some seriously good food photos. If your brand is 'sassy' create your own memes to share on Facebook and incorporate the popular culture reference "om nom nom nom." Shown here, comedian Jeff Foxworthy uses a decorated cake at graduation time to illustrate his humor and gets 13,348 shares on Facebook.
Food Photos on Pinterest
Food photos are an easy way to start a Pinterest board. According to Pinterest, ‘There are more than 5.7 billion (that’s a B!) food-related Pins and over 100 million food boards.’ A great example of a brand using food photos to gain exposure is Travelex Insurance Services. Their Pinterest board called ‘Food Around the World’ has almost 1,000 followers. Their presence on Pinterest gives them access to a wider audience within a specific interest group, people who like to travel. Think of your brand image and then try to incorporate a Pinterest board to match. Hop on the bandwagon of popular food trends like bacon, birthday cakes, or BBQ.
Food Photos on Instagram
Instagram and Tumblr are two great platforms to create a visual diary of your brand. Food and beverage photos make it fun. This is also a great way to show off your brand culture and attract new employees. Is your business fueled by coffee? Share it! Think about the great food and beverage photo ops at employee appreciation parties like the summer picnic, BBQ cookouts, Christmas party, or milestone luncheons. Your clients will see that you have happy employees and prospective employees will see it’s a great place to work. Use hashtags to get even more exposure: #coffee #latte #espresso.
With a little imagination you can find a food and beverage tie-in that will work to promote your particular set of products and services using social media. Bon Appétit!