Beef’s versatility, taste and nutritional profile make for a great story to tell, however, to reach consumers in an ever-changing digital world, outside influencers are needed to share information. NCBA, a contractor of the Beef Checkoff, continues to work with food, culinary and agricultural influencers to engage with consumers across the country about beef’s positive message.
But what exactly is an influencer and how do they promote beef? An influencer is anyone with significant influence on an audience. They affect change on buying behavior or way of thinking based on their status, position or fanbase. According to Digital Marketing Institute, half of consumers are heavily influenced by reviews and recommendations from family, friends and influencers. Additionally, a large majority of consumers trust the opinions that they see on social media.
Working with influencers allows NCBA to amplify marketing messages and interact with consumer audiences through credible third parties. NCBA partners with chefs, recipe creators and members of the beef industry to tell the beef story in a knowledgeable and authentic manner in their own voice but armed with relevant information.
The Food, Culinary and Agricultural Influencer program worked with 34 influencers in 2022 to create 227 posts sharing beef recipes, meals and stories from the ranch. The program reached more than 17 million consumers, with 950,000 engagements including likes, comments, clicks and shares. In addition to the social component, four in-person events provided opportunities for influencers to engage directly with producers and armed them with accurate information about beef to share with their networks.
Throughout the year, beef education is shared with the influencer network, including trending market research, beef cuts and preparation methods, and how beef is raised and grown. Instilling the good qualities and benefits of beef in these content creators results in additional promotion of beef beyond the paid partnership. The twelve food and culinary members of the Beef Expert Network shared more than 300 beef-centric posts that were not paid content. This content reached approximately 600,000 consumers with approximately 40,000 engagements.
Short-form (Instagram) and long-form (YouTube) videos continue to be popular content for influencers to share. Social media platforms often prioritize video content, extending the opportunity for organic reach. Additionally, beef industry/ranching content continues to perform particularly well with paid amplification. Consumers want to see ranching information directly from the ranch as a complement to more formal industry channels.
Influencer engagement will continue to be an important part of the marketing mix in the future. To connect with this content, follow Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.