Is your food business ready to get ahead of the competition in 2023? From creating empathetic content to leveraging brand ambassadors, there are so many different ways to hit the ground running to connect with your consumers and satisfy their cravings.
To help, we’ve put together a list of food content marketing trends for 2023 that will help you cook up a winning recipe.
A food content marketing trend for 2023 that seems to be on the rise is understanding how to market your product or food services by putting yourself in the shoes of your customers, and creating empathetic content. Instead of marketing from a business perspective, you should be addressing your target audience’s wants and needs, answering their questions and communicating with them in a way that evokes an emotional response. With 94% of consumers staying loyal to brands that are transparent and genuine, empathetic content should certainly be something you consider doing more of if you don’t already.
Typically within the food industry, consumers like to see themselves represented in some sort of way, showcasing your food brand in their everyday life is a great way to establish empathetic content that ties them in with your brand. Value-driven, empathetic content also means your brand should be addressing the bigger issues such as; sustainability, social responsibility, inclusivity and diversity - authenticity will get you a long way in 2023 it seems.
2022 saw the launch of shoppable links for e-commerce and this will continue to grow as a key food content marketing trend for 2023. Shoppable links make it more convenient for consumers to be taken to where they need, without having to leave the area they first saw the information, it’s pretty clever and shows how social media is adapting to the ever growing marketing world.
As a society our attention spans are becoming shorter and we’re more impatient, we like to have access to information quickly and with very little hassle. Shoppable links make it so consumers can find out more about your product and make an instant buy through the same link. This is great for food marketing as you’re able to promote a food product or service on your social channels and include a direct link to purchase, rather than directing them to your website. This increases the likelihood of a sale as all the hard work is taken out of the buying process for the consumer, and in most cases they won’t even have to move to get their card if they have Apple or Google Pay on their device. Convenient or what?
The power of TikTok cannot go ignored, and since the social platform blew up a few years ago, we’ve seen various developments, such as video marketing taking shape on the app. If a picture can speak a thousand words, a video can speak double that, if not more, making it very attractive to marketers. As humans, we’re usually very visually stimulated, which is why video content does well to entertain us in comparison to plain text.
TikTok is an ideal platform to produce video content, as the short-form videos conform to our demanding attention span and deliver information in an easily digestible package. When it comes to your food brand people love seeing behind the scenes content, perhaps in the kitchen where food is being prepared or packing orders to go out for delivery. The possibilities are truly endless and building a reputation on TikTok can help your brand’s personality shine through, generating more website traffic with 86% of marketers using video content to drive traffic to their website, leading to more interest and more sales.
It looks like podcasts remain the dominant audio food content marketing trend for 2023.Billions of people listen to podcasts yearly, making them an effective way to spread the word about your food brand. This type of audio content shouldn’t be too salesy, it should feel light and fun but also informative, so listeners are intrigued and search for your brand after hearing about it.
Audio content via the means of a podcast is also a great way to gain local attraction. Get your brand out there by playing on the fact that you're local with intriguing and leading lines like ‘Want to know why we’re the best fish and chip shop in X, Y, Z? Find out for yourself.’ Leave something to the imagination and make people hungry to try your food.
Influencer marketing has been a source of great results for many brands and that seems to be the same for 2023. With 93% of marketing professionals using influencer marketing to; increase brand awareness, build trust, reach their target audience, drive conversions and connect to a wider audience, it’s no surprise it gets results. It does seem though that the food content marketing trend for 2023 will be evolving to a preference of quality over quantity. Brands now care more about the trustworthiness of the influencer or the brand ambassador, and want to establish long-term, authentic relationships with both the influencer and their target audience.
Your food brand is more likely to gain an increased amount of searches, orders and visits if you have a set of consistent and reliable brand ambassadors who promote your brand. Essentially, you don’t want an influencer who one day is promoting vegan sweets and the next a meat-only burger shop. People are able to see through orchestrated influencer interactions and it just won’t wash in 2023. So it’s time to start leveraging user generated content and brand ambassadors that fit your food brand to make a positive impact.
There’s a huge data change set to take place in 2023 with Google Analytics. On the 1st July 2023 the current Universal Analytics, a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, will no longer process any new data and you’ll need to migrate across to the new Google Analytics 4 property.
The new GA4 property has many benefits from being able to collect more data than Universal Analytics, giving you a lot more insight into what people are doing on your site or app, and overall tracking more than just website traffic. All in all, GA4 will transform the way data is captured throughout 2023 and beyond.
Read our blog to find out more about this crucial change and how Eat Marketing can help you migrate to GA4, so you don’t lose your data.
If you’re looking to add any of these marketing trends into your mix but aren’t sure where to start, get in touch with Eat Marketing. Whether you need some expert advice, a thorough strategy, or social media support, we have the winning formula to help you stay ahead of the competition in the new year.
Is your food business ready to get ahead of the competition in 2022? From tailored content and personalisation to influencer marketing, there are so many different ways to hit the ground running to connect with your consumers and satisfy their cravings.
To help, we’ve put together a list of food content marketing trends that will help you cook up a winning recipe in 2022.
Create short video content
Short video content is the food content marketing trend that has swept the industry in the last 18 months. Creating bite-sized, short-form content on social platforms with video features such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels can really engage users, making it easier for them to discover your brand and foodie offering.
What’s more, there is significant audience growth potential with short video content as it often leaves consumers hungry for more. Therefore, this creative content can encourage users to return to your profile, therefore strengthening the connection between your brand and audience.
Conducting research to discover what type of content is most effective in the industry is a great way to get creative with trending reel and video content. Typically within the food industry, consumers enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes content such as the process of preparing a certain menu item, showing your team hard at work, or even focusing on your seasonal restaurant decor.
Consumers can absorb small bursts of information through a creative lens in videos that range between 30 seconds and a minute. Adding some music or voiceover on top will enhance this even more, and you'll end up with content that generates a buzz around your brand. Not only this, but if you’re doing something your competitors are failing to do, you're already ahead of the game and stand a better chance of retaining new customers.
Tailor and personalise your content to your customer
While it's important to optimise your content for search engines, it's equally important to personalise it to your target audience. Personalisation has always been a big hit with businesses, so there’s no surprise it’s a key food content marketing trend.
You boost your chances of obtaining business by speaking directly to your customers. For example, addressing their pain points, speaking on their level, and anticipating their wants and needs by providing them with related content, are all great ways to communicate with your target market.
The fact is, consumers are more likely to place their truth in people, not companies. To retain this trust, your brand can generate personalised and targeted content that humanises your brand and makes your customers feel recognised.
Sending emails to your loyal customers with exclusive promotions and discounts is a great way to achieve this. Presenting them with a reward will make them feel valued and appreciated, and they will be more likely to take you up on your offer as a result.
Place emphasis on user experience
Placing emphasis on your user experience is another example of an effective food content marketing trend that can help to increase your audience engagement.
The secret to keeping your customers happy is by having a user-friendly website. There’s nothing worse than your customers being unable to navigate your website. To avoid this, ensure it loads quickly so they’re not left waiting, make sure it’s mobile-friendly, and ensure your brand identity is consistent throughout.
In terms of the content you publish, having written content that is in small paragraphs and easy to read is vital. If your consumers are faced with too much text, they won’t spend any time on your site. Be sure to add plenty of visuals whether that’s photography, illustration, or video content, as this helps to break up walls of text and ultimately creates a better user experience.
Optimise content for voice search
Another food content marketing trend worth incorporating this year is optimising your content for voice search. With over one billion voice searches each month, your food brand can't afford to ignore voice search optimisation.
Today, so many consumers are using voice search engines such as Alexa, Siri, and Google to retrieve quick answers to their questions.
The best method of optimising your content is to use short and concise copy so your content is easy to find. For example, questions could include, “Where is the nearest fish and chip shop to me?” or “Is there gluten in XYZ?” If your content isn’t optimised for voice search, chances are you’ll miss out on this valuable traffic.
If your food business is optimised for voice search, the more chances you have of appearing in search engines, therefore helping you establish your brand’s online presence, and encouraging customers to buy your products.
Get on board with influencer marketing
It's hard to imagine a world where we don’t take pictures of our food before eating it, however, with the rise of influencer marketing, this is the one sure way to promote your food business.
A food content marketing trend that’s set to stick around for a while is influencer marketing. Simply put, these influencers are essentially another branch of user-generated content working as digital creators to reach and engage with their followers on social media platforms. Whether it is delicious images, cooking tips, or food inspiration, an effective marketing content strategy utilises the content of its audience to further promote itself.
Essentially, these are considered a valuable resource for marketers aiming to attract a certain audience, as promoting the food on their social channels can springboard brand awareness and increase sales.
In this digital age, foodie influencers have become essential components of restaurant marketing. With a blend of strategy, innovation, common sense, and social media tracking, these collaborations can elevate your brand.
With many consumers conducting research online before they choose to purchase from a takeaway or restaurant, this kind of content is especially useful.
With 86 percent of consumers saying that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like, it’s never been more important to get on board with brand transparency.
Brand transparency has always been important, however, in recent years the demand for authenticity and honesty has reached new heights. Today, customers want to get under the skin of your brand and learn everything they can about it, from your suppliers right down to the material of your packaging.
Going forward into the new year, the best course of action for your food brand is to thoroughly understand and shout about your products and supply chains. With the increase in conscious shoppers and diners, many are seeking honesty when it comes to the sourcing of your ingredients. If the process is ethical and sustainable, then let your customers know. They will admire you for being honest about your processes and in turn, you will gain their respect and support.
If you’re looking to add any of these marketing trends into your mix but aren’t sure where to start, get in touch with Eat Marketing. Whether you need some expert advice, a thorough strategy, or social media support, we have the winning formula to help you stay ahead of the competition in the new year.