Social media is only one part of the bigger picture and should always be used as a complement to a wider digital strategy or campaign process. For further background please read What is EIT Food's digital communications strategy? and How can I run a campaign at EIT Food?


TABLE OF CONTENTS



Recording of EIT Food social media strategy webinar




How does EIT Food use social media?


At EIT Food, we use social media to inform, inspire and engage Changemakers with our core mission and priority areas. Social media is also a central component of the EIT Food campaigns process.


EIT Food currently uses three key channels to communicate and engage with its core professional audiences:


EIT Food also has an Instagram and YouTube channel. The Instagram channel targets the general public under the FoodUnfolded brand: Instagram (via FoodUnfolded) and, while YouTube is a powerful social media channel, EIT Food currently uses it as a video library and will be working on building a strategy to use it as a key channel in the future. You can read more about how EIT Food uses YouTube and how to upload a video.


Each channel has a different type of target audience and is used to share different types of content based on the EIT Food content calendar. 


Engagement on social media is measured by likes, shares, comments and clicks on our posts, and we use this information to structure future posts and add value based on what performed best and why



What is EIT Food’s social media strategy?

EIT Food wants to engage 100 million people by 2025 to support our efforts to transform the food system. 


With this feat at the core, EIT Food’s social media strategy is based on the following core communication team objectives:


  • Increase awareness of EIT Food as a European food innovation leader for media, policymakers and the food system community.
  • Build a strong and trusted brand that Changemakers believe in. Read here what a Changemaker is.
  • Build followers and engagement across all touch points on a Changemaker’s journey through EIT Food.
  • Deliver core brand proposition across our channels. 
  • Grow relationships with Changemakers, through new and existing conversations, to amplify our reach.
  • Show and tell the most interesting stories.
  • Drive awareness and engagement among target audiences with topical content and an 'always-on’, integrated approach.
  • Build advocacy and performance through campaigning on the issues at the heart of the great food challenge. 



How does EIT Food add value to social media posts?


Social media is a transient window into the soul of EIT Food - no one spends more than a few seconds looking at a social post, so the goal is always to capture interest and be immediately memorable. To optimise interest and memorability, we tell the inspiring stories of the people and organisations that are having a positive impact by changing the food system. We also tell the stories of Changemakers to facilitate a conversation and to provide our audiences with insights on agrifood innovation in Europe. We aim to form strong, long-lasting relationships with our audiences and position EIT Food as a leader in the sector. 

 
People do not share social media content that tells a brand’s story - they share content that helps them tell their own. That’s why we focus on adding value with our posts by: 

  

  • Highlighting deep insights into the challenges that the agrifood sector faces, including the latest research and hot topics - enabling our followers to join valuable conversations. 
  • Telling the inspiring stories of the people and organisations making change - providing examples to follow. 
  • Empowering with tools and information - establishing EIT Food as the go-to useful resource for the agrifood sector. 
  • Tagging and engaging Changemakers in all content - looking at who is driving conversation or is a specialist in their field. 
  • Creating visual formats that resonate - drawing on our social listening and analytics tools, we test new ideas monthly to identify what assets are most shareable. 

  

This approach helps us to engage with our existing followers as well as reach new ones. It enables people to share interesting information that shows they have their finger on the pulse, which in turn helps us position EIT Food as an authority in the sector. We also carefully limit the volume of content, ensuring that each post adds the most value and has a well-thought-out purpose and goal.  

 

If you would like to share something in-line with this strategy and our content calendar focus themes and micro-topics on EIT Food's core channels, please email socialmedia@eitfood.eu 4-6 weeks in advance of your preferred publish date. For more information, go to How can I promote something on EIT Food’s channels? 



What is the role of social media in someone’s journey through EIT Food?

Anyone who sees EIT Food’s content should either learn something, be entertained, feel a strong emotion or want to engage with us. Upon visiting an EIT Food social media channel, they should immediately feel what EIT Food stands for as a whole and have the opportunity to engage with a variety of content. From topical debates and the story of a startup, to food system facts & figures and an expert quote, social media content should always be balanced and allow our followers to structure their journey through EIT Food in their own way.  

 
Social media posts must be well-thought out, integrated with other EIT Food channels and act as a stepping stone to wider engagement with EIT Food. There are often more optimised ways to create a user journey and promote an EIT Food activity than organic social media and it is important to remember that social media is not always the answer: 
 

 
For more articles about social media, take a look at the Social Media section of the Comms Hub. 

This article was last reviewed in December 2023 and will be reviewed again in December 2024.

If you have feedback on this article, do let us know. You can drop us a note via our contact form.