Effective Social Media Strategies in Food and Drinks

The report investigates the ways in which food and drinks companies can adopt social media strategies that generate tangible sales benefits. It considers the key developments in social media over the last year, the most relevant and practical ways in which the success of social media campaigns can be measured, and reviews strategies for maximizing social media returns.

• Update on the most important recent developments in the social media landscape.
• Breakdown of the issues affecting marketers’ platform strategy, both in developed markets and worldwide.
• Analysis of the different ways in which return on investment can be measured for social media campaigns.
• Detailed explanation of the ways in which Facebook can be used for desktop and mobile advertising, and how ROI can be measured for these channels.
• Details of successful strategies that have been deployed in recent campaigns and how these have been shown to generate results.

The proportion of companies active on social networks rose from 82% in 2010 to 90% in 2011, and this figure included all companies who had any kind of engagement with social media at all. Facebook presences grew marginally from 71% to 74%, while Twitter grew from 59% to 64%.

Data from social media channels on conversations relevant to a brand can be aggregated and analyzed to determine consumer sentiments, and hence tweaks to the brand’s social media presence as well as longer-term marketing and product development strategy.

69% of social referrals to media sites come from email or instant messenger, while only 20% come from Facebook, highlighting the importance of "dark social," where typically understood metrics and advertising techniques do not apply, and compelling content is the only driver.

• What is the benefit of social media to marketers who sell via retailers?
• Is Facebook still the only game in town in the social media landscape?
• How can I know whether my spending on social media is generating returns?
• How will the shift to mobile affect my ability to market my brand on social networks?
• Should I put my advertising budget into social media campaigns?

Table of contents

John Band
Disclaimer

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The changing social media landscape
Measuring social media ROI for food and drinks brands
Successful social media strategies for food and drinks companies
Introduction
Summary
Introduction
Who is this report for and what is it about?
Definitions of social media
The changing social media landscape
Summary
Introduction
Evolution of social media platforms
Marketers see Facebook's dominance and cautiously adopt new platforms
Facebook remains ahead, and is growing share in new territories
Mobile is fast becoming the default platform for social media
Monetization is becoming more important, but share is still king
Social network user trends
Outside Russia and China, Facebook is the primary platform
The model and position for secondary networks is becoming clearer
Demographic segmentation of social media users
Measuring social media ROI for food and drinks brands
Summary
Introduction
Tracking "likes," comments, and interaction is essential
Facebook engagement has become more complex but more rewarding
Despite its reach among influencers, Twitter is a lower priority for promotion
Tracking social media reactions is as important as spreading your message
More complex targeting methods are becoming feasible
CPC comparisons can help evaluate campaign success
Social media data can be compared with existing campaign metrics
Consumer tracking allows direct matching of purchases
Mobile advertising is finally emerging
Successful social media strategies for food and drinks companies
Summary
Introduction
Engaging users with content and dialog
Attract users by providing genuine added value
Ensure that all communication is fully interactive
Social media can be used to create customized consumer/brand relationships
Integrating social media with marketing strategy
Social media should be viewed as part of the overall marketing palette
Social campaigns have real-world regulatory and branding consequences
Using social media can enhance relationships with partner brands
Benefiting from the growth in mobile services
Location-based marketing has potential, but returns are so far limited
Facebook's Instagram allows greater interactivity with mobile users
Monitoring and tracking emerging platforms
Google+ has so far failed to entice brands, but has hidden advantages
Pinterest has received a lot of publicity, but is not yet commercially significant
Innovative new platform types target emerging consumers
Invisible social networks can be as important as any platform
Appendix
Scope
Methodology
Secondary research
Bibliography

TABLES
Table: Use of social media by the US's leading private companies, 2007–11
Table: US social network visitors and time spent per month, 2012
Table: Comparison of $100 spent on Promoted Posts versus Sponsored Story

FIGURES
Figure: Facebook is the only rich-world platform generating significant revenues
Figure: Vkontakte's user interface is extremely similar to Facebook's
Figure: Coca-Cola's brand page is a good example of a Facebook marketing page
Figure: Twitter offers three main forms of advertising
Figure: Facebook's mobile app inserts sponsored posts into user feeds
Figure: Kellogg's invented Totes Amazeballs cereal in honor of a rock star's tweet
Figure: eCreamery is an example of online food and beverage customization
Figure: Dr Pepper's Evolution of Flavor ad drew online opposition
Figure: Coca-Cola and Spotify have an established collaboration in European markets
Figure: Starbucks is the leading food and beverage company on Instagram
Figure: Whole Foods Market's Pinterest presence avoids appearing corporate
Figure: Eskimi demonstrates how social content can be shown on a basic phone

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Related research categories

By sector: General drinks