Teatime tweets drive food manufacturers’ sales
Speakers from Wyke Farms, Mash Direct and the National Farmers Union (NFU) highlighted the importance of timing messages during this Big Video Debate, organised by the Food Manufacture Group.
Jack Hamilton, marketing director at Mash Direct, said tweets timed to reach shoppers around teatime, when food was on their mind, were paying off for the Northern Ireland-based manufacturer of vegetable accompaniment products.
Mash Direct uses Twitter throughout the day but generally confines Facebook posts to out-of-work hours.
Richard Clothier, md of Wyke Farms, said messages timed to reach shoppers before the school drop off or collection had worked well for the firm. “Also I know a number of retailers are focusing on these times of the day because they know the daily shop is going to happen after the school drop off or before kids are picked up from school,” said Clothier.
‘Should drive purchasing’
“If you get the message to them an hour before they shop, that should drive purchasing.”
Paul Brandley, senior social media adviser with the NFU, said research had revealed messages delivered early in the day were effective. “Research has shown people check their mobile phone within two minutes of getting out of bed,” said Bradley.
“So, when we have a big message to push, we try to get that out at 6.30am, or even earlier, so it’s waiting for them in their social feed when they turn their alarm off.”
Meanwhile, the forum speakers advised food and drink manufacturers to embrace social media more actively in a bid to boost communication with consumers and drive sales of their products.
Watch the Food Manufacture Group’s video highlights from Foodex here.
Foodex took place at the National Exhibition Centre, near Birmingham between March 24–26.
