Social media in the world of nutrition

Since graduating from the San Francisco State University Dietetics program last spring, I have been working as the community and social media manager for Zipongo (zipongo.com). We are a San Francisco-based technology start-up that provides personalized meal recommendations to keep companies and their employees healthy. ~ Bobby Maknoon

Social Media in the Nutrition World

Social media and blogging are powerful communication tools for those in the food and nutrition industries. Consider the high quality recipe content available on Pinterest; it’s now the go-to website for culinary inspiration. Similarly, food bloggers have created an immense amount of content for readers that have similar lifestyles, dietary restrictions or health conditions. The internet has no shortage of readers who are looking for inspiration to eat healthier.

There are many ways that dietitians and future dietitians can utilize social media and blogging, like to establish a presence in the nutrition industry, communicate evidence-based nutrition information to the public, or expand their professional network. As a student, social media is a great way to stay up to date on food trends and interact with influential figures. Who knows, you may meet your next mentor or professional contact on Twitter.

Whether you are looking to establish a presence or revive an old account, here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Focus your time on one social media platform. Pick a platform that best represents you and your interests. Let’s say you’re interested in all things culinary. An image-centric platform like Instagram or Pinterest may be a better host for your content than Twitter. In general, it’s better to be very active on one platform than to be lightly-active on many platforms.
  

• Post regularly to maintain the attention of new followers. Create a posting schedule to keep your content ideas organized and to set deadlines for yourself.
  

• Be unique. Bring your own point of view to the content you create. Let’s say you’re writing a blog on high sodium foods. Research the blogs that are out there. What hasn’t been said yet about high sodium foods? What’s a unique angle you can take? Perhaps a blog on how to shop for lower sodium, budget-friendly packaged foods will  resonate more with your readers than a general blog post.
  

• Stay up to date. The social media landscape is constantly changing with new trends emerging each day. Staying up to date is essential for social media success. Here’s a handy trick I use: I have Google alerts set for social media topics that are relevant to Zipongo and I read a few articles every week.
  

• Keep it short and simple. The best content is short, sweet and digestible (no pun intended). Blog posts should have a minimum of 300 words to properly optimize for search engines; any more than 600 words and readers are likely to lose attention. This blog post clocks in at a reasonable 509 words.
  

• Promote yourself. List your social media profile in your email signature, Linkedin profile and business cards.
  

Follow Zipongo’s blog (blog.zipongo.com) and Twitter (twitter.com/zipongo) for healthy eating tips and trends, as well as company news and feature updates.