Social media has flooded the internet in recent years. It’s easy to become cynical of the impact that hundreds of thousands of posts can have on the everyday consumer. The sifting through a plethora of pictures, videos, memes, links, and blog posts can make the hype of social media seem overrated but it most certainly has a place in daily life, if you know how to utilise it.

Particularly large areas of popular social media pages are inundated with videos and photos of #foodporn, spruiking new places to explore, eat, and share on your own social platforms. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase what’s new and fresh in a certain area, and regenerate excitement in the local economy. Restaurants, review pages, or food delivery apps can then take these images or videos as examples to use when rating and displaying menu items.

Videos and images also allow restaurants to gauge how successful an item may be before to introducing it on the menu. Comments and likes allow direct consumer feedback, potentially saving a lot of money prior to the item going into production. This means negative feedback is not necessarily something that should be seen as a problem, rather, an opportunity to alter a current product.

 

Images are not the only way to reveal unique food venues, influencers are especially helpful when wanting to direct a certain audience to a restaurant or food hub. This means markets with target audiences can easily search for food of their choice. From vegan diets to excessively rich food, there is something for everyone, and can be viewed immediately by them. Recommendations from people we trust are often more successful than a traditional way of advertising, and for many people, influencers are just as trusted as close friends. The information supplied feels catered to them and their interests.

Using the hype of social media to your advantage can boost popularity in food services exponentially. It just takes a bit of research to know where your product or company sits in the social media space, and where it can be most accessible to the right audience.

See social media experts Ryan Shelley (Pepper IT) host on a panel of industry experts, Jared Chapman (Dimmi), Shoban Kandasamy (TRIBE), and Rachael Hedges (RMH Consulting) at the Fine Food Australia Show on the 13th September for more on the use of social media in the food industry and how to utilise each platform and what to look out for in the future.

To find out more about Ryan Shelley and Pepper IT follow the link https://www.pepperit.com.au/services/social-media-expert-sydney/

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