MED260 Final Project Report

Alice Katter - https://medium.com/@alicekatter/how-social-media-changes-the-way-we-97b8356c5996

Food and social media: two necessities to any member of modern-day society. In Chicago, the marketing industry is rapidly growing and changing. Public relations and social media are two primary outlets for spreading the word on venues, restaurants and bars. What we see when we scroll heavily influences whether or not we choose to become a valued customer. Graphics, information that is just short enough but engaging enough as well as presentation are all critical when thinking about social media marketing strategies. According to Elyse Bouvier, when we present food on social media, we are “starting to see is that we are creating experiences, dialogue and community through our online communities and sharing images of the food we eat (Bouvier, 2018).” Furthermore, many online communities that focus around food allow people to open up and notice an overall “social, cultural and relational significance (Bouvier, 2018).”

Chicagoland food venues are heavily dependent on social media, as well nowadays, which is not surprising. Considering that Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are all interactive, yet engaging ways to communicate with friends, family and colleagues, social media gets the word out about anything. Additionally, food social media marketing is a chain reaction because when the venue posts, others feel inclined to try and go to the place, which then heavily influences those around us. Furthermore, people also rely on pages, such as Buzzfeed, Tasty, Insider Food or even a company-operated Facebook page to stay in the loop on the trendiest and biggest dishes, especially in a large city like Chicago.

On the contrary, social media can also steer people away from going to a certain place if reviews or insight is negative. Yelp, a popular review website, allows viewers to publicize their experiences at a specific place. Additionally, ratings, pictures and seeking out other recommendations are beneficial to the consumer. According to the Chinese Journal of Communication, social characteristics are significantly different from traditional media. Moreover, social media is now a place that people “can generate and disseminate messages themselves on the platform (Helm, 2000),” as well as being capable of enabling people to “interact  with the source, the medium and, most importantly, each other (Winer, 2009).”

With Chicago consisting of more than fifty neighborhoods, the atmosphere of each neighborhood may potentially also allow us to determine whether or not to try a food place on social media. However, the interesting logic behind this is that if social media coordinators plan enough behind postings and promotions, then not only will that benefit the food venue, but it could also enhance the community.

Food, overall, allows people to step out of their comfort zone. In Chicago, people have many options to choose from, such as American, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Greek, Chinese and so on. Chicago being an extremely inclusive and diverse city enables outside community members to come in. However, the idea behind inclusiveness with restaurants, venues and events allows people of different ethnicities to come together and celebrate the culture. Furthermore, if people are interested in the culturally inclusive restaurant or event, then they will feel inclined to follow the social media pages, thus creating an even larger online community.

The nice part about Chicagoland food options is that there are so many options to build as many online communities as possible. Getting people together for events or meals allows everyone to branch outside of their comfort zone and learn more about the food itself.

The unique thing about any restaurant, venue or event is its history. With social media, companies and organizers have a lot of opportunities and ways of working with sharing their stories with the public. If people are coming in for the food, then they will begin to notice more things such as the atmosphere, specials, performers, partnerships or remote events, on top of the food they are eating.

With my personal experiences, the food is initially what I see on social media, however, I am always appreciative of my surroundings. The people, atmosphere and location are critical; I want to ensure the area is safe and secure, yet welcoming. Additionally, having a restaurant or venue in close to proximity to another attraction or area of interest for my party is beneficial.

In terms of social media usage, following food pages or local groups that share exciting dishes makes me appreciate all that Chicago creates and offers. Some useful resources that have shaped my experiences, in particular, were food social media pages such as Insider Food or television. Specifically, Youtube, Food Network or the local news channel showcased restaurants and their history. I felt as if enough was described about the venue, while I also was intrigued with the idea of never trying the food or knowing of the place.

For others that use social media, presentation is everything. The more detail you show to your audience, the more interested they become with wanting more. People begin to ask questions and make assumptions about how interesting a place is. One example that I had seen on social media frequently was a pizza place called Chicago Pizza Oven and Grinder Company. I had seen videos, photos and got a hold of their social media pages, as well. I felt that each social media source had successfully encouraged me to visit the place without reading any testimonials.

Another example that also made a decision more clear on what I was going to do for my 21st birthday in Chicago was thanks to social media once again. I found a place called Liqrbox as a tagged location on one of my friend’s Instagram photos. She had posted a photo of her and a friend drinking from actually were juice boxes in a neon pink setting. Right away, I scoped out Liqrbox’s social media page and found an Insider-style video of the venue, drinks and food. Because of the presentation and simple, yet interesting marketing strategies used, I knew Liqrbox was the place to try.

When it comes to bars and clubs in Chicago, social media marketing is everything because since most bars or clubs are crowded, other people’s reviews may not be the greatest. Instagram and Facebook pages really allow me to see specials, events or other people at the venue, which shapes my perspective of what the place is look before visiting. If I see people having a good time and enjoying some extravagant drinks or foods, then I will feel inspired to give it a try with my group of friends.

On social media, cleanliness is another important part of the presentation of a venue because if people see photos or testimonials that showcase unhealthy conditions, then this will immediately alternate people’s decision to try and follow a venue. This is extremely important for events and larger spaces because these are areas that get more consumption of products and larger turnouts. Unfortunately, when people post negative comments regarding the cleanliness and safety of a venue, this may draw people away and could formulate the wrong impression of a place.

Another important thing for restaurants, venues or event coordinators to consider on social media is knowing how to professionally and positively take action when a negative review, comment or incident arises on social media. Overall digital communication is important because people will recognize that the company and its staff are active in their community and care about their consumers. According to the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, dealing with queries is actually one of the trickiest parts of social media operation because with some organizations, Facebook and Twitter accounts were operated by communication professionals or employees with a food science background. With this, they “did not have the necessary skills or expertise and so many required the support of helpline staff or particular information resources to address queries (Shan C., Panagiotis P., Regan A., De Brun A., and McConnon A, 2015).” Professional, yet passionate social media activity regarding negative events allows people to feel reassured that one negative experience is not a spiral of more to come. If the staff of a restaurant or venue are willing to reach out and support consumers directly, then people will feel more valued as an individual consumer rather than a numerical consumer.

The final component for successful social media marketing strategies for restaurants, venues or bars in Chicago is being able to reach out to anyone and everyone. While posting to reach a diverse range of people is one thing, another is ensuring that if people have questions, comments or concerns, they will be answered. One key component of Facebook pages for restaurants, venues or events is the Response Rate, which allows consumers to see how quickly those people will return your message, if at all.

Being able to present a restaurant, venue or event as inclusive, welcoming and approachable to all consumers is critical, on top of posting diverse content and giving a people a taste of not only the food, but the atmosphere, people, culture and background history. It is no surprise that Chicago has some of the best food spots in the country, as well as an extremely popular marketing industry.