Specifically, we took the newly engineered jet on an exclusive five-day whirlwind tour of carefully selected regional hubs throughout the nation. It was a tactical local PR move that paid off because we looked for a fresh way to grab interest.

How to get attention by being decidedly different

Typically, a launch would focus primarily on national media outreach. But that’s the equivalent of choosing a macro-influencer and not engaging the strong voices of micro influencers.

For United Airlines’ newest offering, we devised an 11-stop media tour. Our goal was to unveil the jet to the places where it would matter most: regional airports in modestly sized communities.

With this approach, we hit upon the sense of community pride ubiquitous to neighborhoods and regions across the United States. The move gave United Airlines the chance to show its appreciation for the people and businesses that would use the jet to get from place to place in uncompromising style.

The 30,000-foot view from the community public relations trail

The tour was pulled together in two weeks. Fortunately, we had many local media contacts in target markets. The regular local media outreach we conduct for our clients daily allows us to enjoy close relationships with beat reporters and local news outlets along United Airlines’ commuter routes.

Although the turnaround time for mounting the jet’s regional launch may have been abbreviated, the results were robust, well-received, and positive. Before the event, we generated and distributed community marketing materials. Every piece contained compelling messaging about the CRJ-550 aircraft. At every stop on our tour, media came to see if the hype was real — and they quickly found out that it was.

Pivoting around PR challenges inherent in any fast-paced campaign

Though the urgency of the project proved to be a challenge, it was exciting to be a part of such an unconventional, community-focused campaign. The time-crunch proved to be an advantage, because community stakeholders realized they had a narrow window to get hands-on experience in a new aircraft.

Within a few days, the internet was buzzing with stories about the CRJ-550. Not only did local media outlets in all 11 markets cover the jet, but some national coverage was generated, as well. The campaign earned more than 74 million impressions.

What does this prove? Sometimes, smaller voices have a bigger impact. Our limited sneak peeks and community marketing produced far-reaching fame for a compact commuter jet that became an overnight celebrity. Best of all, communities served by United Airlines realized that their needs were being acknowledged and met by one of the largest, most respected airlines in the world.

The post Here’s How We Brought Big Results to Our Clients by Focusing on Community appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

In pursuit of that goal, some marketers will dive into new markets to drum up sales, while others will explore new media outlets. There will be those who take on more extreme positions in an attempt to stand out. And yes, you can implement any of these tactics with varying degrees of success — or you can opt for a more hypertargeted approach with a community marketing strategy.

Community marketing is a niche marketing strategy in which brands tailor messaging around local consumers — “local” being somewhat of a misnomer, in this case. Though local can refer to a geographic area, Mitchell’s proprietary research shows that younger consumers increasingly define locality by shared interests. (In fact, 74% of young people don’t use geography at all to describe their community.)

How you use community marketing to garner attention will vary by target community. Naturally, what resonates with technophiles won’t necessarily resonate with makeup enthusiasts, but authenticity is essential to any community marketing strategy. You can’t capture a community’s attention when you don’t believe in the meaning behind your messaging. That’s the importance of brand authenticity. Keep the following in mind as you create a community marketing campaign.

1. Embrace the niche.

For years, gaining mass-market appeal through generalized campaigns was the name of the game. Today’s savvy brand marketers know they can make more of an impact in niche communities, where fans are more passionate and competition from other brands is less fierce. Plus, targeting a niche community allows you to safely solicit feedback and test riskier ideas before rolling them out broadly. Think about it this way: If an idea doesn’t resonate with the “locals,” it probably won’t resonate with larger audiences, either.

2. Do your homework.

Any community marketing strategy worth its salt begins with proper research. Make sure you’re employing a mix of traditional and social research methods. And above all, engage in real conversations with influential community members. You don’t want your community marketing efforts to come across as obtuse or insensitive — which is arguably worse than being ignored altogether.

3. Build relationships with community influencers.

Younger consumers can be somewhat cynical about traditional advertising. In fact, 74% of Gen Zers and Millennials don’t want brands to target them on their social media feeds. Such efforts lack the authenticity they seek. When it comes to influencer marketing, however, these same consumers feel differently, with 92% indicating that they trust influencer endorsements more than regular ads.

With a community influencer marketing campaign, “influencers” don’t need to be social media stars. Instead, choose people with powerful voices in your target community: civic leaders, coaches, members of a self-select social group, or niche influencers within an online community.

4. Invest in customization.

Just as you can use a community as an incubator to grow niche campaigns, you can also take broad national campaigns and make them more relevant to specific communities. Customize a community marketing initiative on a local level to increase its relevancy and foster a deeper connection with the target audience.

When taking a community-based approach to marketing, you’re speaking to far fewer people than a national campaign. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Community marketing allows you to establish deeper customer relationships, increase brand visibility within a target community, and drum up word-of-mouth support. So get your messaging in front of the right people, and leave the heavy-lifting to those consumers trust most: other people.

The post 4 Essential Components to Any Community Marketing Strategy appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

One of the biggest misconceptions with influencer marketing today is that only big names have a big impact. Brands often think they need a social media star or a celebrity with a huge following to influence purchasing behaviors. Yes, if you’re looking to increase brand awareness among a broad group of people, celebrities can be useful to your campaign. But influencers with smaller followings can also be immensely valuable, especially when it comes to reaching younger buyers.

Many brands could benefit more from reaching niche audiences through smaller influencers with stronger connections to their followers. The idea of reaching into these specific communities of people coming together over shared interests is known as community PR, and it’s an excellent way for food and beverage brands to get in front of customers.

But there are influencers between the small, community-centric ones and the huge celebrity ones. And different brands and campaigns will need different kinds of influencers based on a number of factors. Let’s take a look at the levels of influencers and where each can be most useful:

Celebrity: 1M+ followers

You can think of a celebrity influencer as an awareness amplifier. These influencers are pricey, but for brands looking to attract earned media attention and get their names in front of a broad but enthusiastic audience, it can be worth it.

Macro: 100K to 1M followers

Macro-influencers are your digital thought leaders. These also come at a higher price point but are great for brand ambassadors. They offer a fairly wide reach — similar to that of celebrities — while still allowing you to target specific consumer subsets.

Micro: 10K to 100K followers

Micro-influencers are social community leaders. These are the smaller influencers you’ll want to use for community PR campaigns. They have a moderate reach, but their followers tend to be more loyal and view them as niche experts, which gives weight to their recommendations.

Nano: 1K to 10K followers

Nano-influencers are the grassroots activators of the influencer market. These are people who might not be internet famous but still have significant influence over small community groups — whether online or in real life. Though they have a smaller reach, nano-influencers are often more engaged with their followers and offer even greater targeting capabilities.

Hyper: 100 to 1K followers

Hyper-influencers are your boots-on-the-ground representatives. These influencers are more of your average, everyday people who’ve developed a small yet ardent following on a specific social media channel or within a specific community. Chances are, the hyper-influencer has a real-life relationship with each follower.

How Influencers Fit Into Community PR Campaigns

As we touched on before, influencers with smaller followings can actually be more beneficial depending on the goals of your campaign. Consider that smaller influencers can generate up to 60% higher engagement rates than larger ones. If you want an audience to be involved in conversations around your product, micro-, nano-, or even hyper-influencers could be the way to go.

These influencers deliver a blend of relatability, authenticity, and specific knowledge. They’ve likely built their influence by sharing personal experiences on shared interests with their followers. This naturally makes them more relatable. It also makes their social shares, interactions, and opinions feel more genuine, which translates to greater trust from consumers.

Besides, influencers with smaller followings are much more affordable than celebrities or social media stars. Why spend the money on a high-profile influencer when you can enlist the help of someone who can provide just the right reach? When developing a community PR marketing campaign, it makes more sense to go with a micro-, nano-, or hyper-influencer. The right person will already know your target market.

Influencer Criteria: How to Choose Your Influencer

When deciding which influencer marketing strategy is right for your brand, you must consider more than just the size of an influencer’s following. Here are a few essentials to evaluate when making your selection:

Quality

Quality is the most obvious yet elusive of traits, as it’s becoming easier for influencers to fake both followers and engagement. If you notice any of the following abnormalities, it’s a good rule of thumb to stay away:

• Very little content with a large following
• Very little content with high engagements
• Poor quality content with a large following
• Poor quality content with high engagements
• A level of engagement that’s out of sync with the number of followers
• Fewer followers than the number of people following
• Followers with stock photos, no profile photos, or strange usernames

Relevance

If you’ve taken the time to understand your target audience, a quick review of an influencer’s feed can tell you whether he or she fits with your brand voice, image, etc. You want to choose someone who you can easily imagine using your product or service. A local fashion vlogger, for example, probably isn’t the best fit for your organic ice cream. The post would just look out of place and scream paid endorsement, which defeats the purpose of influencer marketing.

Authenticity

When influencers are seen as reliable, credible sources of information, people come to them for advice. Followers don’t question whether something is true. They take them at their word, implicitly trusting their tips, opinions, and endorsements.

Be it in values, voice, or validity, the goal here is to avoid mismatched partnerships. You’re relying on this person to uphold the reputation of your brand, so leaving things to chance is not an option. That’s why at Mitchell, we take vetting to another level. We use consumer data, real-time audience insights, and AI-powered analytics to ensure our clients are able to identify the right influencer to reach the correct audience at the right time.

Choosing the Right Influencer Marketing Channel

Leveraging influencers to spread your message is the foundation of any influencer marketing strategy, but content alone won’t ensure you’re reaching the right audience. You also need to make sure the content is shared in the right place. Here are several of the top influencer marketing channels to focus on:

Instagram

Instagram is an excellent place to start because it’s such a visual medium. Images capture peoples’ attention more than text alone — which is likely why 79% of brands feel this channel is an essential component of a successful influencer marketing campaign. When your brand relies on images to sell goods (think fashion, beauty, home decor, etc.), it becomes even more important. 

Facebook

Some may view Facebook as too outdated to reach younger consumers, but 46% of brands still include it in their influencer marketing strategies. With the opportunity to leverage both visuals and text to get your message out and the ability to target very specific groups, it still holds potential.

YouTube

YouTube is an almost entirely visual medium. It’s also become the home of many influencers with the rise of YouTubers. Thirty-six percent of brands use this channel as part of their influencer marketing strategy — which means there are fewer competitors in the space. If you can find a YouTube influencer whose platform is relevant to your product, this could be a great opportunity for your brand.

TikTok

TikTok has exploded in popularity since its 2016 launch. Today, it reports 800 million monthly active users, many of whom (41%, to be exact) are between the ages of 16 and 24. TikTok gives brands the chance to reach the ever elusive Gen Z market, and like Instagram and YouTube, it’s a visual medium, which provides opportunities to engage an audience. It’s also seeing an increase in the number of influencers in the space — who cover a wide range of markets like sports, beauty, fashion, food, and video games.

Keep in mind that your choice of influencer marketing channels, much like your choice of influencer, will inform your campaign — or, at least, components of it. Each channel has its own attitude, after all. The campaign must fit for it to be effective.

The New Generation Gap: Millennials Versus Generation Z

Millennials and Gen Zers are similar in many ways. For instance, both of these generations grew up in the digital age, but ignoring their differences isn’t smart. Each generation has idiosyncrasies that brands can capitalize on for more targeted campaigns.

Millennial Food Trends

If you could sum up Millennial food trends in one word, it would be natural. Millennials want their food to be more natural and simpler than previous generations. They would also prefer it to be local. And as this generation moves toward becoming the largest consumer group, brands are taking notice of their tastes.

It’s all about authenticity. This generation wants to know what’s going on behind the scenes. They want to know where their food is coming from — and if it’s from a small, local manufacturer, all the better. They’re very particular and loyal when it comes to food and beverages.

Gen Z Food Trends

Gen Z food trends aren’t a far cry from those of Millennials, but they do have differences worth noting. Gen Zers also prefer more natural, simpler ingredients — with 25% of teens now focusing on their health. In fact, nearly half are choosing to forgo sugary sodas altogether, opting instead to drink sparkling water, teas, and kombucha.

Gen Z has also taken up a particular interest in plant-based foods. Reports reveal that Gen Zers eat 266% more avocados, 550% more plant-based milk, and 57% more tofu than Millennials.

Perhaps the biggest difference to note is that while Gen Zers do care about health, they’re especially fond of snacking and are driven by convenience. Nearly a quarter of Gen Zers prefer meals made up of snack foods or appetizers. They also make huge contributions to the food delivery industry; in 2018, Gen Zers placed 552 million foodservice delivery orders. Gen Zers want healthy food — but they want it at their convenience.

3 Best Practices for an Influencer Marketing Campaign

Once you’ve pinpointed the specific audience you want to reach, decided on the best channels through which to reach it, and pinpointed the strongest influencer candidates for your campaign, follow these steps to kick off a solid strategy that will get younger buyers interested in what you have to offer:

1. Start with a connection. Influencer marketing strategies are fueled by connection. Before you reach out to influencers to ask whether they’d like to feature your product, establish a relationship with them. Follow them on their social channels, see who they interact with and how, and share some of their posts. Once you’ve established a connection, approach them about the opportunity to feature your product.
2. Release creative control. Once you’ve got influencers on board, let them take the creative reins in making content around your product. When brands have too heavy of a hand in this area, the messaging can appear disingenuous. Let influencers do what they do best to engage with their audience in their own way.
3. Keep track of your successes and failures. Like any marketing initiative, it can take time to arrive at the right message on the right channel to resonate with the right audience. Don’t scrap your influencer marketing strategy if you don’t see the expected results right away. Monitor and adjust as you get familiar with the space.

Influencers of all sizes across any number of channels can lend your brand the authenticity and credibility it needs to make an impact on Millennials and Gen Z. The trick is choosing the right influencer and executing the campaign with a strategy that fosters connection and creativity. Leverage the right influencers in the right ways, and your brand will become a trusted staple among younger buyers.

The post How the Food Industry Can Reach Younger Buyers Through Influencers appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

Trendy, flashy words and phrases can be born largely by accident: Someone uses a phrase once to describe something, then it catches on and people in that industry use it over and over again. Your workplace probably knows the term, but a different agency could have a slightly different take on it. Eventually, the word spreads out and grows thinner and thinner in meaning, losing its original impact and clarity. While throwing the word into a slide deck might make you feel like you’re just reading the room and speaking the right language, these words can actually muck up your concise vision and purpose — especially if you’re using them to speak to consumers.

These terms don’t translate well into the real world. They don’t reflect the lives and experiences of consumers. When brands are trying to build connections, they should be digging deep into communities to find how they can genuinely relate and resonate on a meaningful level. Trite, confusing corporate jargon is not the way to do it.

Fix Your Buzzword Problems by Crafting Language With Purpose

Don’t waste your time, effort, and money on messages your audience won’t understand or care about. Make sure every message you share is positioned to communicate clear value, real impact, and authenticity.

You can start by analyzing the marketing buzzwords you tend to use to describe your products and services. Don’t be shy — we all do it. It’s time to perform an honest audit of the terms you use to communicate and reevaluate how you might change it up to improve your marketing strategy and create more meaning.

This can happen in two relatively simple steps:

First, trace the word back to its root. Ask yourself: What is the true meaning behind this word? Not what it means to other agencies or brands, but what your team is describing when they use it. If you said it to consumers, would they immediately know what you were talking about, or would they have to look it up?

Next, craft a new explanation that your audience will understand and care about. Create a clearer, more precise definition that you can own. Buzzwords themselves aren’t things agencies or brands can own because everyone uses them. The concepts and ideas that brought those words and phrases to life, however, can help you take a well-rounded, comprehensible approach to your brand messaging.

As you break down marketing buzzwords and translate them into a language your clients and consumers will understand and relate to, remember that the end result of your brand messaging should be something your audience will believe in and act upon. The key is to be clear, direct, and impactful.

The post How to Move Past Overused Buzzwords and Craft Language With Purpose appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

The biggest differentiator between the food-buying trends of this generation and others is that Millennials prioritize authenticity and meaning. These core values have informed their buying decisions and turned them into choosy consumers. They don’t back brands — they back the meaning behind brands. For them, kicking back with a pint of locally sourced ice cream churned by an employee-owned startup feels better than chowing down on the big-name staples older generations prefer.

How can marketers develop messaging that resonates with Millennials, then? The secret lies in crafting community PR and marketing campaigns that ring true — not stale. For Millennials, authenticity equates to value. But one report found that over half of respondents felt that less than 50% of brands create authentic content. Brands that step up to the plate with a hyper-focused community PR game plan that showcases authenticity are more likely to succeed.

“What’s a food PR and marketing strategy with a heavy community angle?” you ask. Essentially, community PR is an approach to establishing a strong, legitimate presence in a certain community of Millennials. The community doesn’t need to be geographic. In the digital age, virtually everyone is a member of online communities that span the globe, and, thanks to COVID-19, people in every demographic are connecting digitally now more than ever.

Here are a few ways you can integrate community PR into your game plan to build stronger connections with Millennial food buyers:

1. When it comes to influencers, don’t go big.

Every community has influencers, but they probably fall outside the traditional definition of the word. When celebrities with huge followings tout products, they’re unlikely to demonstrate the kind of authenticity Millennials crave. Instead, look for respected community members who have an impact on their followers — even if their follower count is much smaller.

Macro-influencers might get your message out to more people, but there’s no promise those people are actually listening. When smaller community influencers share a message, however, it’s generally more trusted. Think quality over quantity when it comes to including influencers in your community PR strategy.

2. Match your brand to the right communities.

To make waves in any community, you have to make sure that the audience you’re targeting is the right fit for your brand. Think about whether you can realistically imagine the members of your target community using your product or service in their lives. If that idea seems far-fetched, you’re likely targeting the wrong group. And think about what your brand stands for overall: If the community doesn’t share those values, it could be a bad fit.

3. Get experiential from time to time.

Experiential marketing can throw your community PR strategy into hyperdrive — and just because in-person events are temporarily on the back burner that doesn’t mean you should forgo creating experiences altogether.

Online communities were ubiquitous before COVID-19 — but they’re especially so during the pandemic. People crave exclusive digital opportunities to meet others who share their interests. Your brand can host these types of virtual events and facilitate real connections. Discover where fans congregate online and plan a unique virtual experience to boost buyer bonds.

Communities were digital long before COVID-19, but the pandemic has created an enormous appetite for virtual connections. Meeting Millennials where they already are within their online communities allows you to show off your authentic side in a way that’ll build trust among these belief-driven buyers. Find the right influencers, match up with the right groups, and bring people together digitally — even if they’re far apart geographically. You’ll capitalize on Millennial food trends and emerge as a go-to brand.

The post How to Use Community PR to Influence Millennial Food Habits in a Virtual World appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

Younger demographics are known for being digital natives, but Millennials and Gen Zers are connecting via social channels at rapid rates. One study found that during COVID-19, usage of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram from users aged 18 to 35 has increased by 40% or more. Now more than ever, younger users are looking to connect online — and that’s where influencers will meet them.

Brands going for a Gen Z influencer marketing strategy should look specifically at micro-influencers to reach their target customers. Though these influencers may have smaller followings than traditional celebrity influencers, they have more sway with younger audiences.

Consider a Morning Consult survey on influencer marketing, which found that only 10% of Gen Z and Millennial Americans consider having a large following an important determinant of whether they’ll follow an influencer. The same report showed that 35% of men and 47% of women follow influencers who post regularly about food.

What does this mean for consumer-packaged goods and other food brands? It means they have a huge opportunity to leverage the power of micro-influencers with Gen Z.

How to Reach Gen Z Through Micro-Influencers

To see micro-influencer CPG marketing in action, take a look at this excellent yet simple example: When Siggi’s Dairy tapped micro-influencer Holly Falke, a Texas-based dietitian, to promote its product, it also tapped into a niche audience of potential new buyers. Falke held a giveaway for her followers; anyone who liked the photo and tagged a friend could win one of four free samples. The beauty of this campaign was two-fold:

• People love the chance to win free stuff, which helps increase engagement.
• The request to tag another person in the post helps increase reach.

If you want to forge micro-influencer relationships for your own brand and see high engagement and reach from sponsored content, here are three places to start:

1. Follow first.

It may sound a bit obvious to follow a select few Gen Z micro-influencers before discussing a possible collaboration, but it is a crucial first step. Doing so allows you to not only determine their relevance, but also to engage with them on their social channels. The purpose is to build a relationship, thereby increasing the chances of a successful campaign.

Connect with influencers, share their updates, leave comments, and take part in conversations on their feeds. Go one step further by subscribing to their blog — if they have one — and engaging with content there as well. After getting a feel, reach out via email. It’s more personal and allows for greater detail on the proposed arrangement.

2. Hand over creative control.

In order for Gen Z influencer marketing to be most effective, you need to relinquish most (if not all) creative control. Setting parameters that are too strict can often leave the content feeling inauthentic and may create backlash, causing influencers to lose followers and your business to lose sales.

Instead, let influencers do what they do best to make the content feel like a true endorsement of the product, rather than just another paid post. Provide feedback, of course, but listen to their input. They know their followers better than you do.

3. Test content.

Where Gen Z influencer marketing really crosses paths with traditional marketing is in testing. You need to test content across channels and audience segments. Track follower engagement, adjust the content, and learn the nuances of various audiences to arrive at the right content on the right platform with the right influencer.

As with any marketing initiative, it’s best to settle on objectives and come up with a definition of success before entering into any partnerships with Gen Z micro-influencers. What you’re hoping for is a successful relationship that will benefit everyone involved.

The post 3 Ways CPG Brands Can Kick Off Successful Micro-Influencer Campaigns appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

The Millennial generation dedicates the highest percentage of its income to food and beverages — more than any other generation. And that market is very sizable, meaning food brands still have a massive opportunity if they can give Millennials what they want, where they want it. Millennials are also expected to become the biggest spending power on groceries and restaurants in the next 10 years, so brands that understand Millennial food trends and know how to capitalize on them now will continue to prosper in the future.

The Most Important Millennial Food-Buying Trends

First and foremost, Millennials care deeply about how their purchasing habits impact the world around them, and they want to support brands that directly address environmental concerns with sustainable products. This desire extends to the eating habits of Millennials. Organic, clean, and sustainable products led growth in the sustainability category in stores, with these products set to make up 25% of total store sales by 2021, according to Nielsen.

This growth can be directly attributed to Millennial food trends, given the fact that about 75% of this cohort has changed its purchasing habits due to environmental concerns — compared to only 34% of Baby Boomers. Millennials also report a greater willingness to reach deeper into their pockets and spend more for products made from ingredients that are “sustainable, environmentally friendly, organic or natural, or socially responsible.

This nationwide community of Millennials, most of whom want to buy food and beverage products that champion sustainability, opens up the door for brands to implement new marketing strategies that resonate with these values.

How Food Brands Can Reach Millennials

Community PR represents one such new paradigm in brand marketing in that it recognizes the fact that traditional, physically bound locations are no longer the biggest determinant of what an individual will value. In an age dominated by online community building, community PR tactics deviate from brands’ traditional local marketing strategies and move toward the digital localities where Millennial consumers feel at home.

Take, for example, nonalcoholic spirit brand Seedlip. The company’s “Story” page on its website speaks directly to these Millennial food and beverage trends by appealing to the community that’s risen around supporting sustainable, natural, and environmentally friendly brands — regardless of their physical locations.

By citing the fact that the brand was founded on the idea of combining the founder’s love for farming heritage and nature and that the peas, the main ingredient, are “picked from the family farm,” Seedlip demonstrates that it’s deeply attuned to the community it’s targeting. And it seems to have worked very well for Seedlip, as its first 1,000 bottles sold out within three weeks, the next 1,000 in three days, and the following run within half an hour.

Seedlip’s story demonstrates that when brands take the time to understand the community they’re trying to reach, it can pay off in a big way. Don’t discount Millennials — they’re still a major opportunity for many brands. Food and beverage brands especially should tune into Millennials’ desire for more sustainable, eco-friendly foods and reach them through the communities to which they belong.

The post Want to Capitalize on Millennial Food Trends? Become a Part of Millennial Communities. appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

Influencer marketing utilizes social media platforms where consumers spend their time — upwards of one hour and 15 minutes a day. Being social creatures, people are always seeking approval from their peer groups — whether online or in real life. That’s mainly why consumers trust recommendations from peers over brands. And because the people they follow on social channels are often seen as members of their online communities, they hold influence.

In fact, more than 70% of Millennials and Gen Zers follow influencers online. Men lean more toward gamers (62%) and sports or fitness figures (41%). Women, on the other hand, tend to follow beauty experts (59%) and fashionistas (49%). Something both genders can agree on? Influencers who regularly post food-related content are their third-most preferred option.

How Can You Use Influencers to Market Your Food Brand?

Food brands have an excellent opportunity to reach younger audiences through influencers. The first step in using influencers for food marketing is a simple one: observation.

When choosing an influencer, you must first pinpoint whether a specific person will be the right choice for your brand. You should be able to imagine your product in that person’s social feed. If you think it would look out of place, you’re probably right. Choose your influencer based on his or her image, voice, and values — all of which should align with your brand.

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze did just this when it partnered with macro-influencer Jeanine, who runs food blog Love and Lemons. In an effort to grow awareness for one of its products, the brand asked Jeanine to create a healthy, seasonal recipe using its almond-cashew milk blend as one of the main ingredients. She did but in an untraditional way: an almond-ginger dressing to top a rainbow noodle bowl. The post outperformed the average Love and Lemon post by 1,000 likes among her audience of 257,000.

Besides alignment, using influencers for food marketing has a lot to do with authenticity. Influencers who are willing to showcase real life are much more relatable to consumers — think quick videos or pictures, unedited and unfiltered. Content like this reflects reality and will likely drive higher engagement and lead to a more loyal, trusting fan base. These are the sorts of people you want to promote your brand.

One caveat: Looks can be deceiving. Dig beyond the surface to ensure you’re partnering with a legitimate influencer. Sometimes, an “influencer” has a large following yet poor engagement rates. This is a sign his or her following is mostly fake. You may also find “influencers” who are following more people than are following them. This is often a follow-for-follow tactic, which may mean the account holds no real influence in the social space.

Once you’ve chosen your influencers, focus on the data you’ll collect during your campaigns. Specific metrics, such as reach and engagement, will be vital as you move forward in shaping future campaigns. If you measure outcomes and evolve to address the data, you’ll see greater ROI. But if you’re not measuring, you’ll never know what works and what doesn’t.

Just as a good cook always starts with the right ingredients and measures with care, you’ll want to do the same when choosing a food influencer. Start with authentic influencers, measure your results, and then evolve to fit your tastes (and brand objectives). This will put you in an excellent position to influence your target customer.

The post Is Your Food Brand Trying to Reach Younger Consumers? The Right Influencer Can Help. appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

Smaller brands that want to build that kind of trust and loyalty might be tempted to emulate those efforts, but a copycat strategy won’t produce good results for any brand. What companies really need is to establish a unique brand identity that sets them apart from the competition. Discovering your brand’s true personality and highlighting it will get you further than the imitation game ever could.

A key element of building your brand’s unique identity is consistency. If you decide your brand wants to go for a new, cool, and edgy personality but you only update your logo to incorporate a sleek new design, you aren’t likely to convince anyone that it’s truly representative of your brand. You have to consider everything from social media presence to product packaging, website design, and more.

Consider the popular meditation and mindfulness app Headspace. It’s certainly earned a prominent place in the meditation app sphere, and this is due in large part to its distinct personality as a brand. In short, Headspace wants to bring people less stress and more joy. When users visit its homepage, a calm, smiling design brings them to a bit of a happier place — and everything from the app’s Instagram page to its in-app design reflects this feel-good intention.

How can you build that kind of distinct personality for your brand and use it to get your audience’s attention? Here are a few places to start:

1. Figure out whether you are who you want to be.

All companies form with an original vision and mission. As time goes on, however, the people and priorities within those companies tend to change. This is natural, and it’s the kind of evolution that’s necessary for growth and accommodating ever-changing consumers. The important thing for brands to remember, however, is that they must regularly evaluate whether the way they are presenting themselves is still in line with who they really are and want to be.

Evaluate what your company represented the last time you planned your branding strategy. If what defined you then isn’t exactly what defines you now, figure out what’s integral to your brand’s unique identity today and begin to shift around it.

2. Once you find your identity, write it down.

Companies need to figure out how to clearly define their brand identity to ensure all teams are aligned. Describing your own personality might seem awkward, but pay attention to the company mission, vision, and core identity you pinpointed during the evaluation stage.

Then try to summarize the above ideas in a few sentences. Once you can describe who you are internally, you’ll be able to turn this vision outward and convince other people of your unique brand identity as well.

3. Express yourself.

When you’ve defined your brand’s personality, it’s time to make all of your assets match. You might want to start with your logo because it’s usually the most common representation of your brand, but you should think beyond it as well.

For example, choose a standard color palette that matches your brand identity — like the consistent cheerful tones Headspace uses across its different channels — and make sure your social media channels, website, in-app design, and any other forward-facing channels incorporate that scheme. Let your newfound personality inspire the illustrations, graphics, photos, and anything else you use to present yourself to your customers.

4. Communicate your personality to the masses.

Now comes the part where you show off your unique personality to the world to capture customer attention. The consistency of your messaging is key here. Just like you need to make sure the creative elements of your brand’s representation align, you must ensure the tone of your messaging is the same, too. Write tone and voice guidelines for your marketing team to follow to ensure everything you share with your audience represents your integral identity as a brand.

Being generic or copying other successful brands won’t help you beat the competition in your corner of the market. What will make you stand out as a brand is individuality and a strong sense of personality. Start by painting a clear internal picture of who you are as a brand. Then make sure you can communicate that personality effectively to your audience.

The post Distill Your Unique Brand Identity to Reach More Consumers appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.

When food micro-influencers peddle a product, they speak the language of their tight-knit online communities. Community members then respond in kind because they trust the influencer’s recommendations and insights.

Food and beverage brands looking to laser-focus their marketing efforts toward specific audiences would be wise to partner with micro-influencers. After all, influencers have already done the heavy lifting of bringing together like-minded folks. Brands can skip that step and move right into the buzz-building stage with all its benefits.

The High Impact of Food Micro-Influencers

Everywhere, at all hours of the day, a Millennial is probably posting a picture of breakfast, lunch, or dinner on Instagram. That scenario is so natural for members of this generation that nearly 7 out of 10 snap an image before even taking a bite. Younger consumers also tend to want to try foods that look pretty, illustrating that even in an era of skeptical buying, a stunning picture is worth a thousand likes. In fact, capturing a dish’s “good side” has become increasingly important in the social media age and is becoming one of the more intriguing Millennial food trends.

Of course, Millennials might own the social movement, but they’re not the only ones swayed by food micro-influencers. Nearly three-quarters of Millennials and Generation Z follow influencers, according to data from Morning Consult. And the more authentic and transparent the influencer appears, the more street cred they seem to have — even if they aren’t a household name. This means food companies don’t have to pony up the money to work with celebrities. In fact, partnering with a few key micro-influencers can result in higher engagement at lower costs: About half of micro-influencers say they’ve never paid to get their posts mileage. Perhaps a tiny boost on a hot post could lead to a sizable payoff.

Another reason for food and beverage brands to dabble in micro-influencing is its geotargeting capacity. Rather than being all things to all audiences, micro-influencers appeal to a narrow band of believers. They’re able to reach deep into siloed pockets and verticals — a feat that might be nearly impossible for a startup or even a legacy corporation. Plus, micro-influencers tend to generate “old friend” vibes. Research shows that 61% of purchasers seek information from credible people who share their values. Micro-influencers fit that bill to a T.

Finding the Ideal Micro-Influencing Platforms

Instagram is a great platform for reaching Millennial foodies, but it’s not a perfect match for all consumers. If you’re trying to reach Generation X and Baby Boomers, for instance, you’ll have better luck on Facebook. If you’re interested in marketing B2B, LinkedIn will be a better avenue. And the right platform to tempt gamers with the latest snacks will be Twitch or YouTube.

In the end, though, your best bet will be to find the right micro-influencer with the right audience to appreciate your product and let them reach that audience on their own. Tabasco’s campaign with grilling micro-influencer Susie Bulloch is an excellent example of a great audience fit. Bulloch gave Tabasco’s spicy sauce a creative nod on her blog, Hey Grill, Hey, by whipping up a mouthwatering shrimp recipe featuring the sauce (which she shared on her blog and multiple social channels). Bulloch proved that she ruled the grill, and Tabasco received a great intro to grilling enthusiasts eager to add new ingredients to their backyard masterpieces.

Successful marketing isn’t relegated to “bigger is better” forums. When brands partner with food micro-influencers, they set themselves up to receive a warm embrace from consumers hungry for authentic treats and eats.

The post Where to Use Micro-Influencers to Capitalize on Millennial Food-Shopping Trends appeared first on Mitchell | Public Relations.