Facebook and Instagram are the two biggest and most widely used social media platforms in the world. Not just for personal use and communication, social media channels are essential tools for businesses to reach their audience online.
Foodservice businesses and kitchen equipment manufacturers can utilise social media to promote their products and services, build brand awareness, connect with potential customers, and extend their customer service online.
Facebook Marketing Tips
Facebook is the largest social media platform globally, with nearly 3 billion monthly active users. Whether you are a small local business or a big company, using Facebook can give your business a boost in customer acquisition and revenue.
Here’s how you can use Facebook to broaden your reach, develop brand identity, and keep your customers engaged:
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Build Your Facebook Business Page
Set up a Facebook business page and fill in all the necessary information about your business. Make sure you have a professional-looking profile photo and cover photo as they play on a user’s first impression of a page. Fill out the other sections and add custom CTA buttons that customers can click to perform a specific action. Tap into the Facebook Insights tab to learn more about your audience’s interests and how to advertise effectively.
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Post Visual Content
Posts that include photos and videos get the most engagement than posts that contain just written content. Since most social media users are visual learners, utilising branded illustrations, product photography, and video content will appeal more to them. Engaging and eye-catching graphics can stop your audience from scrolling and make them give eyes and interact with your brand.
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Adapt For Your Customer Buying Journey
When creating content, always put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What are their needs? What do they want to see? What factors affect their purchasing decisions? Having a solid brand identity and online reputation is vital to your prospective customers.
Give more reasons to people why they should buy your products. You can share content that demonstrates the features and benefits of your products as well as share customers’ reviews and recommendations. By providing more value to your audience, you can stand out against your top competitors.
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Create a Social Calendar
In social media marketing, consistency is key. It does not mean that you should post every day, but rather have a regular posting schedule. Create a content calendar to map out your content strategy in advance and use Facebook’s Insights tool to learn what types of posts perform best and what time provides the most engagement.
Lastly, actively manage your Facebook page and use it to engage with potential customers. Reply with the comments in a timely manner and attend to the messages in the Inbox tab. Active communication and direct messaging will help boost your brand awareness and promotional campaigns.
Instagram Marketing Tips
Instagram is the second most popular social media platform, with over 1.4 billion monthly active users. It is a go-to platform to share visual content such as photos, videos, and stories. When used correctly, foodservice businesses can drive more traffic to their website, generate more sales, and increase their customer base.
Here’s how you can implement an Instagram marketing strategy for your business:
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Optimise Your Instagram Page
Make sure your Instagram business profile is filled out. Upload your business logo and write a short description of what your company does. Include your contact information and website link.
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Create your Brand Guideline
Instagram is all about visuals. Think of it as your product brochure online. Posting random and unappealing content to your feed won’t entice your visitors. Instead, stick to a colour palette that reflects your brand identity. Pay attention to how your Instagram grid looks. A recognisable visual aesthetic makes people stay with your page and learn more about your content.
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Leverage Different Content Types
In Instagram marketing, creativity in content strategy is key. Think out of the box and experiment with different types of content to find out what your audience likes the most.
Below is a huge range of content types you can use:
- Single Photo posts – the most simple content on Instagram.
- Carousel Photo posts – a post that contains up to 10 photos or videos that viewers can view by swiping left on the app.
- Video posts – a long-format post.
- Live videos – a raw and unedited video streamed in real-time in the platform that can be saved and shared to your feed.
- Stories – an in-app feature that allows you to share multiple photos or videos in a slideshow format that disappears after 24 hours.
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Use the Right Hashtags
Hashtags are a useful tool to increase your visibility and reach your target audience. Hashtags help you categorise your content and send signals to the Instagram algorithm for a specific search. For example, if you post a commercial oven product and use the #kitchenequipment hashtag, a user looking for kitchen equipment will be able to find your content.
Research the relevant and top-performing hashtags in your industry and include them in your posts. Don’t use too many hashtags though as this can make your brand spammy. Though Instagram allows users to use a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, using at least 11 hashtags is ideal.
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Be Consistent
Instagram marketing demands time and effort. To achieve the desired results, you need to be consistent with your content strategy and posting schedule. Post regularly and build engagement with your followers. Be creative with your content and track metrics using the Instagram analytics tool. Identify your top-performing content and post during the right times. Analyse the results and adjust your posts accordingly. Lastly, keep updated on the latest marketing trends to stay on top of the mind of your audience.
Facebook and Instagram Marketing Tips for Foodservice Business
Social media marketing is crucial for the foodservice industry. If you’re a food manufacturer or a food equipment supplier, you need to adopt digital marketing strategies to win more customers and bring more revenue to your business.
At Clover Marketing, we help the foodservice sector with their online advertising campaigns. We will grow your social media presence, promote your brand, and put you in front of your prospective customers. Contact us today for a free strategy consultation.
