A Different Perspective on the Importance of Content Creation in the Foodservice Industry

Here at TMC, we're big fans of Seth Godin's daily insights. If you don't follow him, you should. In today's post, he talks about the downfalls of the "sort by price" mentality, and he argues that buying the cheapest widget almost never winds up being the right choice. Can you think of a time when you bought the cheapest item possible, and it wound up being the best option in the long run?

Godin argues, correctly in my opinion, that if consumers are too lazy to do research about the combi ovens you manufacture or the chocolate you distribute, if they're too lazy to take time to learn about the products they're about to buy for their own restaurants, they will often default to the cheapest. This means foodservice marketers and salespeople must not only educate buyers, but they must also educate buyers on why they need to be educated.

Godin writes, what would happen if we insisted on "sort by delight" instead?

In reality, we have these options already with "sort by rating" or "sort by review." And that's a good thing!

We live in a world where people have come before us. She's already bought that beer system for her new brewery. He's already ordered that steak. They've already gone on that vacation. And everyone wants to tell us how it was. Everyone wants to be a critic.

From a content creation perspective, we have to consider these reviews in our own publishing calendars. If we're being complimented through user generated content, we can engage with those buyers in our own content and on our own social media platforms.

If we're doing something wrong and someone is calling us out, we need to be prepared to solve those problems with both content and in our actions. Of course, even before that, we have to commit to active social listening.

The reality is, more and more foodservice companies are turning to content to create brand awareness, answer main buyer persona objections, educate potential customers, generate leads, nurture those leads through the buyers journey, and eventually turn those leads into sales. This also means it's getting harder and harder to break through with your content.

The companies that are already doing inbound marketing or are about to in the next year or so will have a great advantage. 

If your buyers are committed to educating themselves on the foodservice equipment you manufacture or the food ingredients you distribute, they're almost certainly reading content they found on Google.

Shouldn't you be the one creating it? The only other option is your potential buyer reads what your competitors are writing.

Learn more about why content creation in the foodservice industry is important.

Take a look at our free Inbound Marketing Cookbook today.