PAPAYA FOOD BLOGGER APPETITE 2017

• 80% of food bloggers picked Instagram as the hottest social media platform for venues
• 45% of bloggers said food businesses are getting it wrong when it comes to consistency and  quality of imagery on social media
• 60% of food bloggers urged venues to ‘turn up the lights’ for ‘Insta-worthy’ food shots

Instagram is set to dominate the food scene, said 80 percent in a survey of 20 of Australia’s top food bloggers and influencers by Papaya, yet nearly half identified an inconsistency or lack of quality on social media.

The Papaya Food Blogger Appetite uncovered insights into Sydney’s food scene from those with a combined following of close to 1 million across multiple platforms.

With five million monthly users on Instagram in Australia, Papaya’s Director Catherine Slogrove said that savvy venues and food brands who showcase a journey in a cohesive way will ‘win’ on the platform.

“It’s not enough to be active on Instagram, you need to approach it in a strategic way to do a product or venue justice. Think about who you are targeting, the imagery that will appeal, the bloggers you can leverage and how it fits in with your overarching marketing strategy,” she said.

“It’s also important to get familiar with the platform, understand the hashtag rhetoric and its targeting capabilities. If you’re going to invest in social media marketing it’s worth setting yourself up for success.”

When it came to finding venues to visit, 50 percent of the food bloggers surveyed said they discover venues and products through direct outreach, either by a trusted PR agency or direct contact from the business.

For those hosting bloggers, 60 percent urged the venue to consider lighting to assist influencers in taking “Insta-worthy” food shots. A further 35 percent had been on the receiving end of breakdowns in communication with venues causing their experience to be tarnished, so clear boundaries of what is included in the offer and expected in return was identified as being helpful.

The survey also uncovered ‘poke’, the fresh Hawaiian fish dish, as the trend to watch in the coming months. There was some contention around 2016’s biggest trend, the burger, and whether it would continue to rise or had reached saturation in the Sydney food scene.

When it came to identifying what was missing from the Sydney food scene, the largest percentage claimed ‘nothing’, while 10 percent each identified ‘late night dining’ and ‘lobster rolls’ as areas of opportunity.

Participants in the survey included 2 Hungry Guys, Hello Miss May, Simon Food Favourites, Once Upon A Wine among others. The full report can be downloaded for free from https://papayapr.com.au/food-blogger-appetite-2017/