Social Media.    Learn it. Use it. Love it.

One of the most frequent topics of discussion these days is social media. No, not just in techno-geek online sites, but also in our world of hospitality tabletop. Which…I guess, is the good news. At least the discussion is beginning.

As a publication that is committed to the idea of celebrating hospitality tabletop and all that goes into it, marketing of tabletop products (from the supply side) and their role in the dining experience is a major component to this mission. In today’s world, social media is not a passing fad or a shiny new object that has grabbed our attention until something else comes along. While it will evolve and change, social media is here to stay. 

Our sister company, Black Cow Media, is beta-testing a hospitality tabletop social media participation index and the early results for our category are not great. Later this summer, once we more comfortable with the algorithm under test now, we will be publishing our index. With the early reviews showing that clearly the majority of hospitality tabletop suppliers have not made the commitment yet to social media…the only question can be is WHY NOT?

We can tell you that the chef and the culinary community is fully engaged in all platforms of social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, You Tube, or any one of the other major – and emerging (thinkVine)– social media platforms, the hospitality and chef community has fully embraced this current wave of communication. In fact, we see a trend of Twitter replacing even traditional email, with some chefs seemingly living on Twitter. If the chef and food community is an important target audience for your tabletop brand message….why wouldn’t you want to be where your customers are? If selling, in general, is further enhanced by engaging in conversations with your customer…don’t you want to be having conversations with these hospitality decision makers and influencers?

Another reason for tabletop manufacturers to include social media in their marketing plans is that studies show that B2B purchasers make 60% of their buying decision before contacting a salesperson. Social media has become the new “word of mouth”.So, if your brand message is not part of the buyer’s sphere of influence in social media, your product likely isn’t even making it into consideration as a tabletop option. 

And understand that social media is not just about shouting “Look at me!”, it’s about engaging your customers and potential customers in conversation and providing solutions to their problems. It’s another topic for another day, but way too many hospitality tabletop companies are seem to be saying “this is what we made for you-how much do you love it?” versus “how can we help you solve your tabletop problems?” Social media is about listening as much as it is about talking.

So, we understand that social media may seem like a brave new world for many of us over the age of 35 (ok, maybe 30). But, remember, more and more of today’s chefs are getting their information in ways that we could not have imagined ten years ago. We are now living in a world of visual communication that often is defined in 140 characters or less and where the #hashtag is as important as the sentiment “spoken”. 

So, hospitality tabletop supplier….what is it going to take? While some are certainly engaged, many are still on the sidelines worrying about things sucha as.. How do I determine ROI?, How much will it cost? Will my product message be interesting? While these are all good questions….they are not reason enough to simply avoid social media – and your customers.

Social media is a vast topic and one that we will be continuing to discuss on these pages. The landscape of hospitality tabletop, like every other industry,is changing rapidly and this speed of change no doubt adds to our industry’s wariness. And, like it or not, this acceleration of change and the way that business is being done today is being fueled in large part by the speed of social media communication. 

So…come on, hospitality tabletop. Time to speed up.

Social Media.       Learn it. Use it. Love it.