Whether it’s a cook-it-yourself meal kit or a late-night burger, food delivery services specialize in giving consumers the foods they crave, without the hassle of visiting a store or restaurant.
Amid the recent health crisis, even more consumers have turned to these delivery options—and growth is expected to continue. The online grocery market is forecast to grow to $117 billion by 2023, according to Business Insider. And Statista predicts revenue in the global online food delivery segment will reach about $182 billion by 2024.
Beyond providing a service, brands like Grubhub, Blue Apron and Plated have tapped into content as a way of connecting with customers. Across their blogs, newsletters and social platforms, there’s no shortage of flavorful, helpful food content.
We’ve evaluated the food delivery industry through a content marketing lens and found three strategies embraced by the most successful brands:
Newsletters that strike the right balance
Businesses across just about every industry have an email newsletter, but what are food delivery customers in particular looking for?
Give the people what they want: newsletters filled with delicious recipes, insightful profiles and just a dash of sales promotion. Blue Apron sets the right tone in the welcome email for its newsletter. Recipients are told they’ll receive seasonal recipes on a weekly basis, and if they don’t want the added step of tracking down the ingredients, they could sign up for Blue Apron’s service to have it all delivered.
A balance of discount codes and sales, education and resources within a newsletter can help potential audiences recognize the added value of a food delivery brand.
Content baked into social
The purpose of every food delivery service is to provide customers with convenience by meeting them where they are, and the same lens should be applied to how and where content is served.
Whole Foods offers delivery and pickup options and consistently shares recipes on Twitter and Instagram. In time for backyard grilling and with current meat shortages in mind, Whole Foods posted custom images on Instagram of meatless options to satisfy grilled cravings while linking followers back to its homepage for the full story.
In doing so, the company provides customers and prospects with food inspiration that draws them back to buy products from Whole Foods.
Mixing up content
The traditional, static “how to” blog post is like a staple food—dependable but it can get stale over time.
Food delivery brands can shake up their blog lineup with user-generated content. Farmer’s Fridge, a healthy food company that sells salads, sandwiches and other meals through self-serve vending machines, recently began delivering. Since adding this service, the company has used Instagram to highlight how customers use its products to create brand-new meals at home. Not only do the posts highlight the brand’s fervent fan base, they also provide a steady stream of content to break up the routine items on the editorial calendar.
With the right strategy, execution and distribution, savvy approaches like these can lead to stronger customer relationships for food delivery brands.
Food delivery isn’t the only industry we’ve examined from a content marketing perspective. Take a look at our analysis of the telehealth industry.
