Holidays are slam dunks for social media posts. For the fresh produce industry, tweaking a post this way is obvious, easy and timely — especially for Valentine's Day.
But you can pick less celebrated holidays and have fun with them like President's Day. Find a president who loved a fruit or vegetable your company carries. Go nuts (or cucumbers). Be smart, though. You may want to pick a long-ago president to avoid snubbing half your audience.
Also, no shame in capitalizing on all those “holidays” such as National Peanut Butter on Celery Week. [Note: We just made that one up.] But Artichoke Heart Day on March 16 is a real thing, according to Spoon University — which is also a real thing.
*Although not an actual university.
You know, strawberries get all the love around Valentine's Day, and blueberries can get left behind. Southern Selects gives the little blueberry the attention it deserves in a simple, yet effective, post. The post is basically a Valentine's Day card to the world at large. And our elementary school selves are delighted to get a card from this classmate. No need for excessive words in the caption, and good job with tossing in some hashtags for good measure.
Find them at @southern_selects on Instagram.
Dylan Terwilleger, produce manager at the Plano, Texas-based Central Market, did a two-for-one holiday post, if you count the Super Bowl as a holiday. And we do. [Did you even see that Avocados from Mexico commercial set at the Roman Colosseum games? And that halftime show?!] He knows how to use LinkedIn to engage the industry audience. Photos of beautiful produce displays, themed to Valentine's Day and Super Bowl Day, did well. In 17 hours, almost 60 people from the industry liked his post. And 60 people from within the industry is like 600 from elsewhere. He, too, kept the text short and sweet, with a bunch of hashtags.
Find him by searching “Dylan Terwilleger” on LinkedIn.
@magalis_sweets Scream … but make it cute ? #scream #ghostface #chocolatecoveredstrawberries #valentinesday #strawberrytutorial #fyp #fypシ ♬ Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
TIKTOK
Looking for new customers? If you're open to alternative foodservice options, consider chocolate shops. Magali's Sweets, based in Fairfield, Calif., is all about the strawberry decorations. This is no basic chocolate-dipped berry. The company takes it next-level, in true Valentine style, with strawberries dressed in all sorts of decorations, ready for their big date. This “Call Me” strawberry gets treated like those chalky-tasting message hearts. But you can bet it tastes loads better. Magali's also places the decorated strawberries in heart-shaped chocolate boxes, treating them like the true treats they are. Take note, produce merchandisers and industry social media users.
Find them at @magalis_sweets on TikTok.