Getting started with Stories: Part 2—Humanize your food brand

In our blog “Getting started with stories: Part 1” we discussed how Facebook and Instagram stories are growing at 15x the pace of the newsfeed because Facebook algorithms are placing meaningful relationships (cultivated by short, daily stories) over passive content (newsfeed posts). We touched on the breakdown of what type of content to post, and how often.

Here in part 2, we are going to expand on, and give specific examples of ways to humanize your brand.

The two main ways to achieve this goal is to tell your brand story, and create common ground. These types of posts should make up about 40% of what you’re posting. Below are some ideas to get you started brainstorming with your team.

• Share how you got started doing what you’re doing. Tell your story. Was this business passed down from generations before you? Did you start your business from scratch? You can break down this story and weave it into your everyday posts. It needn’t be a 10-minute monolog.
• Give a shout-out to other brands in your industry or city that you love. They will likely repost. Their followers will see it and perhaps decide they’d like to know more about you and your business. It’s good to build a relationship with other brands. Especially on Instagram, you’ll notice there is a much bigger focus on community rather than competition. Be sure to return the favor and repost anyone who tags your brand!
  • Some communities, for example, use #stickerswap as a way to introduce their fans to others in the same industry but sending each other stickers in the mail, and then giving a shout-out to those on social media. Series Idea: Fan Friday. Bonus: By following other brands in your industry, you’ll get a feel for what social media ideas are working for others in your community.
• Post Client Testimonials. Ask one of your customers if they mind if you take a short video of them giving a review of your business, customer service, or product. Or, if they are camera shy, ask if you can get a quote and post it as text in your story or on your feed.
• Repost Unsolicited Client Testimonials. Some of your biggest fans will do this without you asking, these are your influencers, and you better be reposting Every. Single. One. Repost any shout-outs, reviews, tags, and mentions. You can even repost DMs as long as you have their permission and it doesn’t contain any personal or confidential information. Most of the time you hear “influencer” you may automatically think “celebrity”, but your local influencers are even better, and here is why:
  • Their posts and reviews are genuine. They actually care about your product. They have an emotional tie and it shows in their videos and posts.
  • Influencers have ZERO to do with the number of followers and everything to do with trust. Your customers, fans and employees are your best influencers.
  • Their friends trust their opinion
  • Their friends care about what they care about (they want to be your friend)
  • You don’t have to pay them for their posts. (but you should repay them by reposting)
  • There is no need to include the #ad hashtag that celebrities must use if they are getting paid to post about it.
• Oops! Share an “oops” moment about a time where something happened/a situation that didn’t go according to plan, and how you fixed it/reconciled it with a customer, or what you learned from it. This is hard for some brands, but it’s a great way to humanize your brand. People LOVE to see great customer service. This doesn’t even have to be something recent. Sit down and make a list of past “oops” situations and how you resolved them. Then, on a particularly boring day when you’re struggling for content, pull out that list and make a quick video about that scenario.

Stick around for part 3—Product posting.

If you would like to learn more about this topic, or how we can help with your social media strategy or ad creation, please reach out to the NewPoint team. If you are interested in more food marketing topics, please visit our “Food for Thought” page. Alternatively, check out NewPoint’s book: Moving Your Brand Up the Food Chain.