Baking & Snack - April 2016 - 26

SOCIAL MEDIA

track chatter on social media surrounding a product
launch. Dave's Killer Bread created #PBJMondays as an
example of a fully integrated social media campaign. The
company had just launched White Bread Done Right
and found that BreadHeads were already sharing their
favorite peanut butter and jelly creations.
"We created a Facebook survey to find out what PBJ
combos were fan favorites," Ms. Hunt said. "In addition to sharing mouthwatering shots of PBJs and cool
videos, we rewarded BreadHeads for taking the survey
with digital coupons and an opportunity to win a trip to
Portland to tour the DKB bakery."

Join the revolution
Wholesale bakers can use social media platforms to
help promote brand awareness, increase loyalty, provide product information and impact product sales. To
begin, it helps to know the target audience: partners in
business or your customers. Determining your audience
sets the tone and guides the approach to choosing what
content to post, where to post it and how to develop successful social media campaigns.
"To build a following for your company, begin by 'liking' business partners, organizations to which you belong and vendors to whom you sell your products," Ms.
Cochran said.
A successful social media plan relies on content that
is authentic to the brand and on active engagement with
followers.
"Being active on social media is a low-cost, extraordinary way to promote brands and companies and listen to
the market," Ms. Rouleau said. "Simply ensure there are
interesting things to talk about and tie into your brand
and value proposition."
While great content is vital, it's also important to respond to followers and establish a conversation. Having
the ability to connect with fans, listen to them and engage with them creates loyalty.
"By being active every day, we remind our followers of who we are and what our brand represents," Ms.
Rouleau explained. "Furthermore, we quickly learn of
themes and trends and then strategize internally about
how ACE can take part."
To maximize success, stay ahead of the trends. Ensure
that marketing, sales and communications teams are always looking toward the future - the newest technology,
the hottest consumer trend, the next big product.
"Remain engaged and post content on all channels
to build your presence on social media sites, including
your original content and shared content from partners
and publications," Ms. Cochran noted. "And always remember ... do not let 'perfect' stand in the way of 'good.'
Get out there and engage."

26 Baking & Snack April 2016 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Social media supports launches
In a Harvard Law Review article titled "10
Tactics for Launching a Product Using
Social Media," Joan Schneider, CEO of
Schneider Associates, a Boston-based
marketing consultancy, suggested using
social media platforms to support the
main launch tactic, rather than being
the main event, and to expand consumers' emotional connections to foods and
brands specifically.
In 2013, Hostess Brands LLC, Kansas
City, MO, used social media to promote
the comeback of Twinkies and cupcakes.
In a three-week period during the campaign, the Hostess page received close to
440,000 likes. The site boosted anticipation for the return of the snack cakes and
created demand for the treats when they
reappeared in stores.
Ms. Schneider, coauthor of The New
Launch Plan: 152 Tips, Tactics and Trends
from the Most Memorable New Products,
discussed using bloggers to help launch
a product. Bloggers are key influencers,
and their followers will likely sample recommended products. Recipe blog posts
are also a vehicle for food photography.
"Some of our most creative and engaging connections are food and lifestyle
bloggers who are true brand ambassadors," said Michelle Hunt, vice-president
of marketing, Dave's Killer Bread. "They
create recipes around their favorite
Dave's Killer Bread products and write
about aspects of the brand story that
inspire them."

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Baking & Snack - April 2016

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