Communications

As a retail dietitian who is now in a Social Media Strategist role, here are 5 things Retail RDNs need to know about social media.

Last week’s article Should You Add Text Messaging Campaigns to Your Programs and Services addressed the addition of text messaging campaigns to omni-channel shopper engagement. Today’s article extends the discussion to how to maximize effectiveness of text messaging campaigns. These campaigns can be an effective bridge between e-commerce and in-store visits because, after all, a shopper’s phone goes everywhere he/she goes.

Phones are the accessory continuously within arm’s reach for the majority of consumers. They check the weather while pumping gas. They make a purchase while in the waiting room at the doctor or dentist. They clean up emails when on the treadmill. They watch TikTok videos on the sidelines of a kid’s sports practice. The sound of a ping has them reaching for their phone during meetings and calls to see who texted.

Food processing has played an instrumental role in supporting a safe and nutritious food supply – and these foods help people build easy, delicious, nutrient-dense meals. Yet, consumers continue to be confused about these benefits. Retail dietitians are uniquely positioned to provide their shoppers with evidence-based information on processed foods and build consumers’ confidence in selecting the foods that fit their lifestyle and nutrition goals. Consider the following tips and potato-inspired tools when engaging with your shoppers about processed foods:

The pandemic has expanded the role of the retail RD and instead of reaching and educating customers in the aisle, they are now entering the crowded health and wellness digital space. In this session, Food Science Babe will share how food companies and experts can decide what social channels to communicate on and techniques for breaking through and clearing up misinformation as it relates to food and health. Giant Food dietitian Thu Huynh will provide practical advice on how to maintain shopper engagement and loyalty while managing misinformation in social media.

Over the past few years, consumers have been cooking at home more than ever, which, despite the circumstances, has been good news. Research shows that people who regularly eat home-cooked meals have healthier diets and they also save money and time. Keep your customer’s home cooking habits strong and drive sales for your stores by helping shoppers advance their meal planning skills with these educational ideas.

While consumers are increasingly interested in buying products that are better for themselves and the environment, they often lack information and trust, or are just plain confused.

While shopping for groceries online has become an important convenience for many individuals and families, for those with food allergies or medical dietary restrictions, some of the current systems may be a cause for concern. From a lack of nutrition information to incorrectly selected product substitutions, shopping online could be risky. 

Did you ever think you’d be doing more presentations virtually than in person? A few years ago, I don’t think anyone would have made that prediction. And although in person appearances will happen again to some degree, it is important to master the skills needed while presenting and communicating in a virtual or hybrid environment. Here is some advice from the experts:

Retail dietitians would benefit from partnering with internal shopper marketing teams to advance health and wellness programming.  Here are 5 reasons to pursue this connection.