As manufacturers, how do we utilize the power of social media to help promote our brands? That’s a question I have been asking for over a year.
If I had a retail brand, the answer (I feel) would be simpler. As a foodservice beverage company though, how do you open the lines of communication with customers? Is it even important to a foodservice operator to have some type of communication with the manufacturer?
From the manufacturer’s perspective, I KNOW we want open communication with the operators who use our products. We want to feel like we are part of the operators’ success – a resource they can call upon when they need something outside of ordinary. We love the challenge of creating unique flavor combinations, or developing a product to meet a specific application. We also like hearing from operators when they have problems…it gives us a chance to resolve the issue and, sometimes those resolutions lead to completely new products. In any event, the communication leads to a stronger relationship and better understanding of each other’s business.
I’m pretty sure the operator would say it is important. With open lines of communication, an operator who has a specific need can communicate directly with the manufacturer to have a specific flavor profile developed. Or, if the operator had a problem with a particular product, wouldn’t it be easier to resolve the problem directly with the manufacturer?
If operators think communicating with manufacturers is important (and I know manufacturers think it’s important) where does the breakdown occur? Why are we not having more direct communication with each other?
From my personal experience, the breakdown appears to happen from the distribution side. Now before my distributor friends jump all over me, let me say this - not all distributors are the same. There are some progressive, modern thinking foodservice distributors across the country that have embraced social media as a way of solidifying the relationship between operator and manufacturer. By being a conduit and opening direct lines of communication, those distributors have strengthened their relationships with BOTH the operator and manufacturer.
But there are other distributors who (as I was reminded at a recent conference) feel they need to “own the relationship with the operator.” I can understand the sentiment, and the desire to keep the relationship private, but in doing so transparency is eliminated and trust is broken.
We’re all in this together –operators, distributors and manufacturers. Transparency is happening all around us via social media. If we become overprotective of our relationships, and don’t foster an environment that promotes open communication, we run the risk of alienating ourselves as the rest of the world rushes by at Internet speed.
