In a world where
fresh food fast, needs too meet-up with consumers ever evolving pace of life, social
media is an avenue of branded messaging success clue that simply can’t be over
looked according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant
Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice
Solutions®.
Recently Ariel Rubin, director of communications Kum & Go LC, shared 10 tips for
fellow fresh food retailers looking to truly expand their social media
conversation. According to Johnson, Rubin’s
10 tips will help all fresh food retailers expand valued brand messaging in an inviting,
interactive and participatory fashion.
Let’s look at his 10 tips:
1. Use
influencers to build long-term partnerships. Influencer
collaboration can work if it is a well-matched influencer to your brand. You
also must consider the platform being used.
2. Consider
celebrity engagement, especially celebrities near your brand. “We
send our swag to famous people strategically — those who we like and who like
us. We send T-shirts; they tweet about it or use our name in a podcast. They
are a friend of the brand. It’s all free and it builds goodwill.”
3. Make
the merch work. Kum
& Go’s philosophy is “make cool merch, win cool customers.” Giveaways
inspire social media conversations and build loyalty. Kum & Go recently gave away a
needlepoint with the inscription: “Tis better to have kum and gone than never
to kum and go at all.”
4. Test
new and emerging platforms like TikTok. To
capture and connect with 16- to 22 year-olds, Kum & Go hired a 19-year-old Gen Z
specialist to manage platforms like TikTok.
6. Go
offline. It’s not all about online
conversations. Kum & Go brings the same “digital hype and energy” to its
store openings, with 100 fanny packs typically given out by 7 a.m. Kids camp
out for the openings.
7. Stand
for something. “We use our social platform and
privilege to amplify marginalized voices, be loud allies, and support causes
that matter to us,” said Rubin. “When we have something important to say, we
find a fun way to say it. People really engage with this stuff.” Recently, Kum & Go posted: “we don’t mind if you
want to laugh at our name. we get it. kum. but one thing we won’t tolerate on
our platform is rape apologist language. any slut-shaming, sexism, or misogyny
in the comments is going to get you blocked. love, kum & go.”
8. Engage
in a deeper way. Kum & Go believes that if you
help people get through something important to them, they will become a fan for
life. And so, the retailer believes in deepening its relationship with its
audience. According to Rubin, “not only are we communicating with our audience,
we are also listening, incorporating their ideas into fun campaigns and
giveaways.”
9. Promote
chainwide and local happenings. Kum
& Go utilizes social media to promote its business as it evolves offerings
and operations, such as curbside delivery or gas-pumping service.
10. Make
mistakes. This is the only way you’re going
to find out what’s working and what isn’t. Try things. They won’t always work,
but this is how you find your voice and ultimately build your audience. “You
have to be willing to screw up. Trust your social media people. Let them make
mistakes. The failures are just as informative as the wins — maybe even more
so.”
Looking for
success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in
outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you
identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities,
technology, or a new menu product segment. Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche
visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter
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