Why Instagram is essential for food marketing

Scroll down your Instagram feed and you’re likely to come across a perfectly poured milk heart on top of a frothy flat white, or some ripe strawberries adorning a magnificent meringue. With an average of 75 million active users daily, the popularity of food images which are dominating our Instagram feeds, have a huge potential audience. ‘Foodstagram’ is a key component for a strong food PR campaign. Here are a few tips on how to whet your social followers’ appetite.

VISUAL CONTENT

The impact of Instagram has meant that images are important across all social platforms and businesses need to think visually to engage effectively with audiences. Visual content is more than 40x more likely to be shared on social media than any other content and research shows that Instagram gets 50x more engagement than Twitter.

It’s not just engagement. Over 74% of consumers rely on social media  to inform their purchasing decision and 84% make purchases after reading about a product or service online. So if your photography is weak, your significantly impact your ability to sell your product. Think in pictures make your social feeds work hard for your business.

CONNECTING WITH INFLUENCERS AND AUDIENCES

Instagram is becoming the de facto sharing platform for influencers and celebrities with huge followings for their feeds.  It’s simple to comment on their images and get involved in the conversations but smart tools like Regrams also mean that you can share their content too.

If you are investing in Instagram influencers, then make sure you choose your partners carefully. Study their followers on Instagram and the images on their feed to make sure your brand will sit well with other partners, and that their followers match the profile of your customer.

HASHTAGS AND SEARCH

Hashtags are a great tool to search for trends on a specific topic or sectors. As a business, it allows you to create content according to what is popular and current. By using hashtags efficiently, you can tap into the tastes of the day or even the hour. Smart targeting will significantly boost your company’s visibility.

THERE’S MORE TO FOOD THAN PLATE PICTURES

Variety is the spice of life and that applies to Instagram too. Too many “plate pictures” can leave your feed feeling very one dimensional. Video content is growing, significantly with 6 billion hours of videos viewed each month. The 15 second videos on Instagram create a short story, an authentic insight into your product. Don’t forget to add filters and graphics.  By mixing up food content, you will fulfil needs and demands of a wider audience will generate better engagement.

ADVERTISING

Instagram is one of the world’s largest advertising platforms but what’s great is that your ad will seamlessly integrate into the feeds of your target customer. Boost your content by targeting your audience, and allocating a budget against your best performing post. Select your main goal i.e. gain impressions or gain website clicks and you’re away!

So next time you post that plate picture for your brand, think about how you can better use the fastest growing social platform in the world.