As the founder and creative director of Sora Digital, a media production group helping businesses leverage digital opportunities, Jeff Fierberg has implemented tactics to help brands strike a balance between storytelling and technology. During an SFA webinar that will take place this Thursday at 1 p.m. EST, he will talk about techniques to diversify a specialty food brand’s content strategies using digital platforms and features such as Instagram reels, videos, and story posts.
SFA News Daily recently spoke with Fierberg.
Do you have any ideas why consumers and marketers may be shifting toward Instagram and away from Facebook?
The main reason for the change is that the demographics available on Instagram are greater. Marketing is about finding the demographic and then getting in front of them, so the greater the demographic diversity, the more likely that platform is to be popular. Instagram is the largest, and most diverse demographic platform currently in the world, with TikTok in second place. Facebook is just not where people are spending as much time en masse.
What’s one piece of advice you would give a food maker beginning their marketing journey?
The thing that most startups don't do early enough (and I say startup because it’s not food-centric) is profile the ideal customer personas. A good product will have multiple consumer bases and personas to speak to, and I find the smaller businesses find one niche and then start aggressively marketing to just that one, rather than fully explore the value of more.
A good example is a grain-free company courting members of the Keto and Paleo movements, but neglecting the 55+, or pregnancy demographics. Both of those demographics have lots of expendable capital for health and are interested in grain-free diets, but you must dig a bit to find it.
Is there a particular content type you see resonate most with food-related communities?
The easy answer here is recipes of course. But I think it's about finding the value in the recipes that you are posting. Are you a brand whose proposition is nutritious snacks for on-the-go convenience? Then your recipes should also be about convenience and nutrition, it shouldn't be a massive 30-step nacho recipe that isn't healthy. It is always about the intention for me when it comes to content: how does it tie into the brand at large, and what is the differentiator?
What would you like to see food brands do on social media that they may be neglecting?
I would like to see brands focus on authenticity and internal culture. Our friends in this space are passionate about everything from gardening to social justice and we should lean into the human element of our teams, and our passions, and tie them into the brand at large.
What’s one of the most important takeaways you hope attendees will gain from your session?
My hope for the session is that we all walk away with ideas about how to create more content that is flexible, useful, and algorithm friendly. Social media has become the marketing thorn in the side of most businesses, and there are good strategies to combat that issue and get ahead of the next big shift. My goal is to impart some of that knowledge.
Related: Understanding Food Production Options: Q&A With Sage Expert's Sutterfield; Q&A: Leveraging Paid and Earned Media for Specialty Food Businesses