Communications

It should be no surprise to dietitians that effective counseling starts with knowing and understanding your consumer's preferences and cultural practices. These create the fabric of our being and should not be taken lightly. You are at an advantage when you identify with the majority of your community but when you don’t this should be your prompt to want to learn and experience these sacred cultural differences. Here are a few considerations to review to make sure you are meeting the needs of communities in diverse markets.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food stamps, are the two main programs that offer nutrition assistance to low-income families. While most every retailer participates in these programs there are strategic ways for retail dietitians to engage and educate eligible shoppers, help drive incremental sales and positively impact public health. Consider these opportunities to:

By now, you’ve probably joined the one billion people that use Instagram. The platform started in 2010 and has the fourth highest number of users of mobile apps, outranked by Facebook, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. There’s some great news for businesses as 200 million users visit at least one business profile daily, and 90% follow a business (according to Hootsuite, a social media management platform). 

For many people, negotiating can be a very difficult thing to do and something that is often avoided. Suzanne de Janasz, a professor of management and conflict resolution at George Mason University has researched negotiation for more than two decades and found that whether it comes to a higher salary, a promotion, help at home or a better car deal, women find it harder to ask than men because they simply don’t think they deserve it, can’t possibly get what their asking for, or will experience some sort of backlash.

Social media platforms are continually evolving, and it can easily become daunting if you don’t take time to understand how they work and who they reach. In fact, if you really want to learn how these app features succeed, your best research is to sit with a teenager, watch and learn, as they fast and furiously scroll through videos and images. Today, we are specifically talking about TikTok, a platform consisting of short videos that is widely popular with Generation Z.

As communities continue to navigate through the pandemic, a rising number of consumers are concerned about their budgets and how much they are spending on groceries. Retail dietitians can provide guidance to these shoppers while offering solutions for purchasing foods that will deliver the most nutrition for their money. It is important, however, to make sure communications are respectful, positive and meaningful. Below are some recommendations for connecting with budget-minded customers:

Just as consumers have recipe and meal prep fatigue, employees have virtual meeting fatigue. Consider these nine tips to ramp up engagement and effectiveness of your virtual meetings.

Most consumers are creatures of habit. They buy many of the same foods each week and prepare recipes that they are familiar with. However, many of your shoppers will be moving into the New Year thinking about ways they can eat healthier and manage the weight they may have gained during the pandemic. Help your customers reset their eating habits and keep them motivated by providing relevant tools and messages around taking small positive steps toward a healthier 2021. Here are some topics for educational activation:

IFIC research shows that improving and maintaining health are the top incentives for choosing nutrient-dense foods and beverages. But choosing the right foods isn’t as easy as people think. That’s where supermarket RDs come in. 

This is a significant year for early childhood nutrition. For the first time, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will offer guidance for optimal nutrition from birth to 24 months of age and parents are sure to have questions. Now is the perfect time for retail dietitians to become a trusted source of credible information to overwhelmed parents and caregivers by providing simple nutrition tips and feeding solutions. Here are some considerations and resources to help you put together an effective communication plan: