Vegan Social Media Is A Thing Now

If you feel like veganism is getting more airtime lately, that is because it is.

The no-meat 🥩, no-dairy 🥛 regime is now a household name. There is little doubt that veganism is increasing in popularity. Brands are looking for ways to meet the trend head-on, just like many social movements in history. So, what might have caused this rise in vegan coverage online, and especially at its prominence on social media? Here is what marketers can learn from these social media trends. Let us check it out!

The vegans are taking over

What was once a fringe movement has become so mainstream that big brands have been forced to create new products. Yes, companies have always been eager to jump on new trends. However, unlike other recent food movements, veganism 🌱 is not seen as just a passing fad.

Why veganism is growing on social media

There are countless reasons why veganism might be trending, and we cannot pin 📍 the rise of any movement solely on a few factors. However, after some thorough social data research analysis, here are the main reasons behind veganism’s explosive 💥 growth:

🌿 The vegan movement is controversial

Although the vegan movement is mainly driven by health and environment conscious advocates, not all social conversations around the topic are positive. A lot of people are skeptical 🤨 about the benefits and impact of the diet, and advocate against it.

As this controversial topic touches upon health, environmental, social, economic, and political aspects of many people's and animals' lives, debates over whether veganism is good 👍 or bad 👎 abound on the internet.

🌿 The vegan movement is led by young people

Advertisers have always coveted the 18-34 age demographic. This group has money to spend, and has not yet settled into firm shopping 🛍️ habits. In other words, we can win these people over. So, any trend that favours this demographic needs to be taken seriously, and veganism is one such shift.

Citing a 2017 study, Forbes argued that “the shift toward plant-based foods is being driven by millennials.” Younger consumers are more likely to care about animal 🐾 welfare, the environment, and supply chains when purchasing food. This is a simple confirmation that what matters to young people will matter on social media, and what matters on social media can be used by brands for marketing campaigns. 

🌿 People look to social networks for information 

Veganism is a relatively new and controversial topic. Despite its popularity, veganism is still not widely understood. Perhaps people recognise the term, but they still have common questions that are not always easy to answer. 

For young people these days, social media has become a major source of information and answers. They may not trust advice from company websites, and the news is quickly losing trust with people of all ages. However, they do trust 🤝 their friends, and they love to watch users who have already transitioned to veganism. Since veganism favours young people, and young people use social media in part to find information, the vegan message spreads quickly on these platforms. 

Vegans want to make the lifestyle look good

There is a clear desire to prove that veganism can be fun and interesting - not restrictive ⛔. Most importantly, that food can be just as exciting and delicious 😋. As if responding to a challenge, vegan chefs (professional and amateur) create colourful food that looks as good or better than the classic (omnivorous) version. 

This lends itself especially to visual 👁️ platforms like Instagram and YouTube. In fact, one independent article directly linked the rise of Instagram with the growth of veganism. As Instagram becomes more popular, so does veganism.

These image-based social platforms let vegans prove that the lifestyle is not as hard as it looks. The clichéd vegan is preachy, tired, and annoying; however, social media has let this community show that it can be interesting and enjoyable as well. 

What does this mean for brands?

The takeaway here is not to start producing exclusively vegan products. Although, clearly there is a market out there. Instead, there are three clear lessons we can learn from the vegan movement:

1️⃣ Find out 🤔 what matters to your audience

Social media lets you speak 🗣️ directly to buyers and prospects. You want buyers to love and be proud of your messaging. That means you need to know how to build ⚒️ the right messaging for them. Learning about the values and issues your buyers care about helps you do this. If you stand for a cause, your customers will fight for you. 

2️⃣ Find your social media communities and speak to them

You may already know who you need to reach, but good social listening 👂 tools can help you spot patterns based on topics you care about. If you are able to speak to these communities, you will be able to market your products to the right people more efficiently. 

3️⃣ Visual 👀 content is still incredibly important 

So much of the rise of veganism comes down to its Instagram-friendly appearance. A movement that is about restricting what you eat has appeared exciting and beautiful. If brands can present themselves as desirable, social media can become a major growth 📈 stream.

The key here is the same as it has always been: if you want organic social media traffic, you need to create throngs that people want to share. More and more, this means image and video content.

Visual social content, especially video, is pretty much essential if you want to have your posts shared. This is exactly the kind of content that speaks to communities. If your image or videos gets picked up and shared by the right people, you will be able to achieve the kind of reach that every brand dreams of. 

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So what does your social media audience look like, and how can you reach them most effectively? Here at AK47™, we would love to help you out 🤩😎.

Reference:

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