Content marketing for food businesses is like creating your own little Food Network. Except better because there’s no chefs shouting profanities – unless that’s your heart’s desire.

Think of all that you can do. Offer food information like recipes, how-to, nutrition, stories about people and products. It can be a glorious mix of text, video, podcasting, photos, and illustrations. It can be a big show, like Waitrose’s (a British grocery chain), or a really small show for a one-off promotion. You have the power to make people hungry. Such potential!

Food is entertainment, which sooner or later (usually sooner) leads to eating. Reward your customers with a content feast. Watch them talk. Because they will. When food talk is good, it gets shared. Show yourself off. Everyone will want some of what you’ve got.

Why?

• Customers love to know a lot (that’s the way people are) – Give them valuable information and they will return for more. And more info equals more food sales.
• You can inspire – Food is a chore for many. Hard to believe but true. Give customers an experience and you’ll inspire them to cook or at least assemble something.
• Millennials engage  – How can you ignore this market? Many are food savvy and they know that food and the Internet are today’s horse and carriage duo. They just go together.
• Makes better cooks – How can this not be a good thing for you? For all of us, for that matter?
• You get to tell stories – Real ones, please. Food makes memories and memories make stories and people like reading them.
• You get to share your philosophy and passion – Customer’s recognize the importance of belief. Belief has a way of attracting attention. You think Chobani Yogurt doesn’t know this?

Now How?

That’s why you want great content. Now how to make it happen. Most of you are too busy doing what you do best – making or growing the food.

Online content is a production and that means time. It could be your newsletter, your social, some special promotions, or? It all involves technology plus the art of storytelling. You can do it yourself, lots of people do and a few (a sad few) get shared. It might mean hiring a professional or professionals (depending on your budget, scope and dreams). If hiring creative people is a mystery to you, start here with the basics.

Professionals make content look easy. That’s because we have education and experience in our respective fields. We ask the right questions and we see when something is not quite right. Then we fix it because we care – like you care about the food you make. In the end, your customer gets something great. And because of that, they want you. Besides, it’s a ton of fun to do something only the big guys could do before. Create your own online food network – big or small, your customers don’t care, they just love being entertained – and talking about it.

Wondering how to make this kind of production? I know good people who do creative content. I’ll get you started.