We see the role of influencer marketing in food away from home growing next year in THREE ways. Before we get into the details, let’s start with the whole of it. What IS influencer marketing in this business, and what do foodservice brands have to gain from the vast creator network?
Influencers hone a unique voice in our virtual airspace.
With a strong social media presence and following, influencers are active and passionate people who have built vast networks with others who share their level of interest in a topic. Whether that’s restaurant recommendations, food styling, or cat loving. They are frequent social posters who continue to build strength and momentum with their followers by creating and sharing content that feels real, aligns with their audience interests, and offers a unique perspective.
Match with the right creator to build brand credibility.
Food creators have gotten really good at producing more grounded content that’s immediately recognizable to chefs, operators, and other foodservice buyers as credible and trustworthy. This matters in our business because one of the most important things your brand must do is solidify relevance with such an audience.
Influencers and creators can:
- Show real BOH environments
- Speak in actual chef terms
- Connect peers to peers in a this-didn’t-come-from-the-marketing-team kind of way
This is how you garner attention from an operator and simultaneously build your brand narrative for key buyers and their influencers. From operators to chefs to brokers to GPOs to distributors.
Now for the THREE ways in:
1. Partner with creators to make believable content for your brand.
Space has been made for outputs that aren’t always polished and perfect, but rather feel street-level and real. While there’s always great value in higher quality production and pieces that DO come from a more molded place, creator content can help supplement that and be used in a number of ways – from facilitating sales conversations at trade shows to helping you show up (and stand out) on social media, from digital advertising to lead gen and beyond.
2. Leverage influencer networks to offer real butts-in-seats traffic drivers.
Connect potential or current operator-customers to local influencer networks for mutual gains. It’s a win-win if you can not only create compelling content, but then leverage the influencer to encourage their followers to go in and try the food! Explore the operation through which this content was created. Some influencers have upwards of 1 million followers. And they’re selective over who they work with, so rest assured the trust levels are there.
How much more value can you offer an operator beyond the single-handed persuasion from a trusted influencer, getting thousands of those followers to go to the restaurant or cafeteria on a C&U campus or other away-from-home environment?
3. Contribute to peer spaces where customers gather.
This point has more to do with building your brand’s own sphere of social influence. Keep pulse on where chefs and foodservice professionals stay connected: Social media groups, professional chef organizations, etc. Where there are large numbers of people with similar interests, there is an opening for brands to play a role – so long as it’s rooted in meeting an operator need and joining the conversation.
We’re about helping you help your customers – and we see influencer marketing as a huge untapped opportunity in the foodservice space. If you’re interested in exploring more with us, drop us a line.
