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GOURMET NEWS SEPTEMBER 2018 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 8 Social Media Continued from PAGE 1 nonstick pan. What you'll want to do is post, 'Look at this amazing nonstick pan, it's got five stars and I can tell you right now it's going to be the best lifetime value you've ever seen!' Don't do that. Instead, you should post something like, 'Mamma Leone has been using this for 15 years and not once has she seen it leave a scrap. Try it for yourself, and here's a chicken cacciatore recipe,' and have a picture of her with her favorite quote. You're still getting that feature and benefit across, but not in a check-the-box way. It's an emo- tional appeal." She also, says that includ- ing videos and images with other posts has emotional appeal as well, because im- ages give you a chance to communicate your store's style. Vahl added that per- sonal posts, about what's going on in the store, can also be effective. "With authen- ticity comes human nature, a human touch, so maybe even talk about things that aren't going well. Obviously you don't want to say your sales are down, but say maybe, 'It's Monday, we're kind of tired today,'" she said. "If people see what's going on with you, they see you're a real human, so add a few things that are a tad more personal, the good and a little bit of the bad." For Ben Salmon, Owner of Kitchen A La Mode, a specialty kitchenware store in South Orange, New Jersey, that means let- ting his personality shine in his posts. "What do I have that no other store has? I can get creative with my product, but there's limited product out there, there's limited fixtures, staff ― there are limita- tions to whatever you do, and most people could basically do what I do. What I have that no one else does is me," said Salmon. "So I really try to bring me and my voice, to give Kitchen A La Mode it's own unique voice, and really be a member of the com- munity." That also requires paying attention to social media and responding quickly to comments. "Responding to comments is absolutely critical," said Davis-Taylor. "People expect you to be there, expect you to answer, expect to communicate like they're standing right there ― and if you don't, you're seen as disingenuous very quickly, and you miss so many im- portant opportunities. Don't do social media if you can't respond – it's a two-way channel. Users see this as a way of having a relationship with you. They're giving you a nod to be inside their inner circle, or in some cases they're calling you out for not being a good person. Even though you're a store, they still see your page as a human thing. Think about when you've been on AirBnB – you find a great house that looks fantastic, and somebody com- pletely crushes it in a comment. When the owner responds and says, 'I see, Carol. I'm really sorry that happened — here's the situation,' very quickly, you think that this is a very caring owner, and that the commenter was just a hothead. You have to show there's a human behind there ― people will forgive things, they just want to be heard." Salmon also finds this aspect of social media to be critical. "Talking with, not to, is really important. People with pages on- line are kind of afraid of personality, and they try to go very neutral, appeal to every- one. But when you try to appeal to every- one you appeal to no one," Salmon said. "They go very corporate, very blah, with a business voice. I don't think that works. You have to talk with people, you have to be there with them online as one of their friends and a member of their online com- munity." Another way to advertise more than products on your accounts is to post about events ― like tastings and classes ― which also serves as a way to gauge the effectiveness of your efforts online. Davis- Taylor said retail can participate in what she calls "meetup culture," where people are more often seeking out ways to con- nect with other people offline. "Our the- ory at the collective is that as more of our lives become automated, we lose the emo- tions that come along with having done these things with each other in places that are rich with feelings and people and mo- ments, so we're seeking them out," said Davis-Taylor. "Give everyone a delightful reason to come to the store! Tie it to a product. If it's not a hard sell, you're going to drive traffic and drive sales from it, but you have to be creative about it, you gotta know your shoppers and your target au- dience, you have to make it appealing ― don't do it on a Wednesday night if most of your audience is families, do it on a Saturday afternoon ― you see what I'm saying? Or if it's young singles, make sure it's on a Wednesday night and do it at 8 and make sure to bring in some really good sushi." And according to Vahl, this kind of con- tent can help you measure your success on- line. She says to try posting an event on your page, or a web-exclusive coupon, and see how many people respond online and with foot traffic. "You really want to make sure you're understanding your objectives [getting people in the door], so watch the stats to make sure you're improving or not," she said. "Try to create opportunities to see if you're getting more foot traffic. It lets you see if your social media work is making a difference." If your page is struggling to get a re- sponse, whether in the store or online, tar- geted ads, a little attention, research or delegating the task to staff can help. "Mak- ing sure you're occasionally doing targeted ads can really make sure you're improving visibility," Vahl said, adding that targeted ZIP codes and demographics (like if you're trying to reach mothers, or an older audience) is a great way to reach that crowd and track the effectiveness of your advertising. "Online, you can measure specifically to see how many people clicked on your ad, or took the action you wanted them to take [like sharing or lik- ing the post]." Davis-Taylor recommended making social media part of the store's workflow. "Dedicate time out of the week to learn, or dedicate someone on staff to do social media as part of their job," she said. "It's about being mindful. If you're a mom-and-pop, you've got a phone in your pocket; you get a new item that comes in, you see a beautiful moment with your gor- geous new item in the morning light, take a picture, post it. There's also a lot to say about things that feel exclusive; exclusive artists, exclusive numbers of products, that's a big way to get some attention traf- fic. Tell the story of your local artisans, of what you did to find the product." She also recommended bringing on the younger crowd to help out. "The young kids get it. They live in this medium," she said. "If you can find a young person out of college, get them to spend some time in your store, educate them on your shop and who you are, educate them on the kind of experience you want, make sure they're passionate about your products and get them to do their thing on behalf of you ― they know what to do." If you can't afford to hire anyone, she said, either consult your own kids or your younger customers, or, "If you have some young people on the floor, do a contest ― 50 bucks for the best social media or event idea this month. Do it! They're smart. We forget this because we don't usually nod to the younger generation and say, 'Hey, make me smarter.' We have this old bias that we're the ones who are supposed to be teaching them stuff, and it's not like that anymore." She added that the young crowd knows what's happening next, so tapping into their knowledge is how your social media campaign will be ready for the next big thing. "The rich, low-hanging fruit on social media is getting in on something be- fore it becomes mainstream, because that's how you're going to get a bunch of new fans," she said. "Do something novel before it goes viral!" GN FMI Honors USDA Official Andrea Gold with Consumer Service Award Food Marketing Institute (FMI) presented its 2018 Esther Peterson Award for Con- sumer Service to Andrea Gold, Director of the retailer policy and management divi- sion, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), at United States Depart- ment of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nu- trition Service (FNS). The presentation was made at FMI's State Issues Retreat, an an- nual conference that brings together food retail grocery associations and grocery company government relations profession- als from each state to discuss state and local legislative and regulatory issues of interest to the food industry. For more than two decades, Gold has been an indispensable resource in helping the food retail industry serve its SNAP con- sumers, especially in times of emergency or natural disaster.As part of the National Re- sponse Framework, Gold helps the retail food industry provide SNAP nutrition as- sistance to those most affected by a crisis through USDA's FNS. President and CEO of FMI Leslie G. Sarasin said, "Andrea is literally the calm in a storm and a source of order in the midst of chaos. When confronted with a crisis, she and her team work with speed and efficiency to provide sustenance to victims of a natural disaster when they find themselves suddenly, and often criti- cally, in need of the very basics of food and water. Andrea remains a front-line re- source to states and food retailers when a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assis- tance Program (D-SNAP) and related op- tions are in place and we're grateful for her leadership." Dorval Trading Announces Death of Founder Jack Cappel Dorval Trading Founder Jack Cappel died on July 15, 2018 at the age of 100. Cappel was born in Montreal, Canada to Bessie (nee Lieberman) and Benjamin Cap- pel. He served in the Canadian Army from 1939 to 1946. He emigrated from Canada to New York in 1949, and began his career in the confectionery industry in 1949 with Edward Sharp & Sons where he eventually became Vice President. He also served as Vice President at Adolph Goldmark & Sons, and went on to found Dorval Trading Co., Ltd. in 1966 with his wife, Florence, where he acted as Chairman until the time of his passing. His strong leadership and lively persona helped Dorval become a significant presence in the confectionery and specialty industries for over 50 years. His many ac- colades include selection as National Candy Wholesalers Association Diplomat, and in- duction into the National Confectioner's As- sociation Candy Hall of Fame and Specialty Food Association's Hall of Fame. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Florence, his three brothers, Harry, Morris, and Julius, and their wives. He is survived by three children, Beverly, Roberta and her husband Kal Rothman, and Jonathan, and three grandchildren, Sam, Ben and Olivia. He will be deeply missed by all and Dor- val will continue to honor his memory and wonderful legacy. Anyone wishing to make a charitable contribution in Jack's name may do so to the United States Holocaust Memorial Mu- seum or charity of choice. GN In addition to the support she brings low-income communities recovering from disasters, Gold leads efforts to expand SNAP consumer access to food. Examples include the upcoming online purchasing pilot which will allow SNAP consumers to order and pay for food on line for the first time, and implementing incentives that provide greater access to healthy foods at SNAP authorized retailers and farmers markets. She has worked with Continued on PAGE 26

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