There’s no surprise that a good image grabs attention, but with the proliferation of social media and digital photography available through the all-important iPhone and a product sure to please, many companies are getting a load of free PR from teenagers.
A recent study of Swedish teens aged between 13-17 showed 75% of them actively use Instagram and in the U.S., the estimates are at 52%. In the study, they also found that 85% of the accounts had at least one food item photographed with the overwhelming majority of such pics being “food porn” – high fat, high sugar, or high caffeine type foods. Only 22% of the pics showed fruits or other healthy foods.
A good picture goes a long way in marketing and PR. So, if your company supports more healthy choices than Ben & Jerry’s or ooey-gooey candy, how can you battle the onslaught of delicious looking treats in this Instagram world? Building a strong social media presence will be essential for all purposes moving forward. If you haven’t accomplished already, don’t delay further, get it done. Bring in experts if you need to, but understand whether or not you have a viable business in the future is largely dependent on a strong social media presence.
Build a Repertoire
Marketing food means extraordinary pictures of that food, in as many options as possible. Build a repertoire of pics, videos, and recipes. Encourage followers to try their hand at recipes and post pictures of what they made. Suggest options they can try to individualize their outcome. Create unique hashtags, offer freebies and prizes, and never forget the value of a good contest or drawing. Create an amazing food image with your site information and have people share it using a specific hashtag – then have a drawing from all the people who did so.
Include Adults
You might also consider a campaign introducing parents, teachers, or other adult influencers to introduce them to your products and how they can help their teenagers become healthy-eating advocates for their friends and younger family members. Show them how to tie some of their favorite activities to healthier foods or how a social gathering would be improved with fruit and berry choices. Teach them how to make low-sugar and low-fat treats by replacing some with fruits or yogurt.
Give them good options and let them amaze others with their accomplishments, and in the process give them the chance to create PR for your products. Instagram continues to be a very fast-growing platform.
About Ronn Torossian
Ronn Torossian is the Founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations. He is an experienced leader in the public relations industry with over 20 years of experience. Ronn Torossian has been named as Public Relations executive of the year by the American Business Awards, and has run countless award-winning Public Relations programs.