Lewis Holloway Head of Design
Do you Lean In? If you’re an Instagram fan, you’ve probably heard of Joe Wicks, creator of the #thebodycoach and the #LeanIn15 healthy eating programme. What started as 15-second videos on social media platforms such as Instagram, showing healthy meals that can be whizzed up in 15 minutes or less, and examples of HIIT (high intensity interval training) fitness programmes, has grown into a global empire for Wicks. This includes two books (and counting), a million plus Instagram followers and 500+ people a day signing up for his programme. Not bad for a guy who simply wanted to show people that healthy eating can be quick and easy.
Food and Instagram works well. As Wicks has demonstrated, it’s so easy to record and upload a clip of food cooking, as well as tempting images of food. But it’s not just amateur foodies who are showing off their best ‘Insta’ pics; seasoned chefs such as Jamie Oliver (with over 4.5 million followers at present) regularly uploads food shots, which are often accompanied by his favourite hashtag #Recipeoftheday. Jamie is also behind Food Tube, the fun, fast-paced food channel that features pre-recorded and live food demonstrations. And with over 600,000 subscribers, it’s been a recipe for success!
In fact, it seems that everywhere you look, people are snapping or filming their food and putting it online. Forget selfies for likes, that’s so old hat – food snaps for likes is the new black – and it could make you famous.
Just look at Ella Woodward – creator of the phenomenally successful Deliciously Ella blog which led to best-selling cookbooks, a popular Instagram account and a legion of fans. After being diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, Ella started the blog detailing her interest in healthy eating and how using her own specially devised recipes was a way of successfully dealing with the devastating side effects of her illness, which included constant headaches, heart palpitations and stomach issues.
What makes Ella’s blog so refreshing is that her enthusiasm feels so authentic. Like Wicks, Ella started her online posts because she was passionate about sharing her love for food – and especially the type of foods and recipes that have helped her – with others. In contrast to so many celebrity chefs who seem to push out book after book and show after show, these are real, everyday people who simply want to share their thoughts and knowledge with others. This really resonates with us and we want to know more.
Using a love for food to amass loyal followers seems easy now, doesn’t it? It can be, with the right images, clips and a desire to share a passion for food. Other Instagrammers who have attracted attention online include leesamantha, who likes to cook food that tells a story, or how about the artful plates of idafrosk who also has a book available on Amazon. If you have a sweet tooth, be careful if you look at the delicious snaps from Joy Wilson who posts under the name joythebaker. She’s a real life baker who has turned her love of desserts into a successful business, which includes a web series, podcast, blog and even a cookbook. Instagram (as well as other, similar social media platforms), work. They feel intimate; have a scroll through your own Instagram account and see. Brands know this too, and big or small, they can reach you straight away on Instagram and make you feel as if they’re posting just for you.
Take Wholefoods; they’re a big brand, right? But they keep their posts intimate, only dabbling with posts that promote beautiful food shots and copy that speaks right to you. Or how about NYC based retailer Food 52 who disguise themselves as a food blog? Now that’s clever! Their Instagram account is full of tempting food posts that should tempt followers to delve further and purchase a tempting array of goods from their online shop. And yet, not every food and drink product focuses on the actual product they sell – just look at Red Bull. We all know their drink ‘gives you wings’ and that’s the focus when they post – they use fast-paced videos and action shots to further emphasise the ‘gives you wings’ statement, and it works.
How about you? Do you have a food brand you would like to promote on social media? Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (to name a few) can work so well for food brands – if it’s done right. If you’d like to know more about how we help food businesses create social media that works, talk to us today and discover more when it comes to posting online.
