The Bread and Butter…
Confession: I’m a foodie. No, I don’t cook often – almost never to be honest – but my committed following of food-based online and social pages classifies me as a self-proclaimed food connoisseur. Yes. I’m one of those people who flood your timeline with my favorite food finds of the day and yes, I am also the future of online video content for businesses across sectors.
What’s Cooking with Content?
Video is “in.” The rise of Facebook and YouTube as giants in the content and advertising world has many companies running to sharable video content, resulting in a drastic shift in the digital media realm. Online, food is our friend. On Facebook alone, food-related content performs 2x better than its closest rival in terms of average interactions (likes, reactions, comments, and shares). Engagement with Buzzfeed’s Tasty, a recipe based video series, outperforms every major news publisher including but not limited to NowThis, Fox News, CNN and BBC News. Earning billions of views and shares, there’s no surprise that food video will be an incredible tool to boost awareness for brands and bring attention to digital campaigns.
Why We’re Eating It Up…
You tell me. There’s one thing that the majority of people have in common, and that is the joy of food and eating. Chances are you’ve scrolled on Facebook and watched food-related content in the past 12 hours. There’s just something about the satisfaction of watching an entire, delicious meal created from scratch right in front of your eyes... With just the click of a button you can not only view the full recipe on the company’s website (which is the goal of social content, correct?), but you can also share the video with followers and friends (hello, effortless word of mouth promotion). What more could one want? Food videos are like the caviar of content and present a way for consumers to connect with a brand, even if they have nothing else in common.
Who is the Consumer?
While almost half of all adults watch food-related videos on Facebook and YouTube, millennials undoubtedly account for the majority of views. More than any other generation in history, millennials are investing in food and dining, resulting in a 280 percent growth in food channel subscriptions. Both men and women between the ages of 18 and 34 are looking to food-related content to improve their cooking skills, discover new recipes, and enjoy online food personalities. Creating food content is a sure-fire way to establish an emotional connection with millions.
The Key Ingredients…
More and more companies are finding ways to capitalize on the food-driven content boom. From Cosmopolitan to The New York Times, numerous businesses have embraced the rise of the foodie — integrating food video to kick-start campaigns and accompany informative articles. But there’s no secret menu to creating great culinary content. Here are the five must-haves for creating an engaging food video:
- Inspire the Viewer — Food inherently unites people. We all have to eat, and most of us love doing it. Creating inspiring food content that creates an emotional reaction among viewers often results in thousands of views and shares.
- Emphasize the Visuals — Producing vivid video quality and finding the most effective angle for culinary content is key. It must be both appealing and engaging to watch.
- Find a Text Equilibrium — Include enough text to explain necessary ingredients, restaurant names or locations. Otherwise, keep text to a minimum.
- Perfect the Timing — Evidence shows that prime video length is between 60-90 seconds. Just long enough to be thorough while keeping the average person’s attention.
- Encourage Sharing — Do I need to explain? Shareable video content speaks for itself. Literally.
To download a full copy of the Relevance Report, click here.
