Best Social Media Marketing Strategies for Healthy Snacks & Drink Brands

On Facebook, Wonderful Pistachios used video content to engage their audience, tapping into Facebook’s robust video ecosystem. This focus on video helped increase engagement exponentially.

In fact, their video-based content led to a 17.5% increase in followers and a staggering 2,448 hours of consumed content. By creating longer-form, more detailed videos around topics like healthy eating, fitness, and snack ideas, Wonderful Pistachios provided value to their audience while keeping them engaged for longer periods of time.

Meanwhile, on Instagram, Wonderful Pistachios capitalized on the power of Reels, Instagram’s short-form video format, to reach a wider audience. The use of Reels led to an impressive 57% increase in impressions, as the snack brand’s content became more discoverable through Instagram’s algorithm.

Reels were perfect for showing off the fun, snacking moments that their audience could relate to, helping the brand appeal to the health-conscious crowd looking for quick snack options that fit their lifestyle. With over 1.1 million Reel plays, the brand harnessed Instagram’s visual storytelling to keep their followers engaged and drive massive reach.

Key Takeaway: Tailor Your Content to Each Platform’s Strengths

For healthy snacks and drinks brands, the key takeaway here is simple: don’t treat all social media platforms the same. Each platform has its unique strengths, and by crafting content that aligns with those strengths, you can significantly increase engagement and expand your reach.

3. Using the Power of Influencer Marketing and Paid Social to Boost Brand Awareness

When done right, this strategy has the power to establish trust, capture attention, and directly influence consumer behavior. For healthy snacks and drinks brands, it’s the perfect recipe for showcasing product benefits and creating authentic connections with health-conscious consumers.

Why rely on traditional ads when you can combine the reach of influencers with the targeting precision of paid social? Let’s take a look at how Pipsnacks nailed this approach to skyrocket their brand.

Pipsnacks, known for their healthy and unique snack options, including the beloved Pipcorn line, was looking to boost brand awareness and drive online sales in a competitive market. To stand out, they took a two-pronged approach, combining Influencer Marketing with Paid Social.

First, Pipsnacks partnered with health and wellness influencers who already had the trust of their followers. These influencers were provided with Pipsnacks’ products to try and share their authentic experiences. The influencers created a mix of content—Instagram stories, YouTube reviews, and blog posts—showcasing how Pipsnacks fit seamlessly into their healthy routines.

They highlighted key selling points such as the non-GMO, gluten-free nature of the products, all while demonstrating how delicious and easy it is to enjoy Pipcorn. This content didn’t just push products; it built trust by showing how Pipsnacks could fit into a health-conscious lifestyle.

Next, to amplify this influencer-generated content, Pipsnacks launched dynamic ads across Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. These ads were visually vibrant, featuring stunning images and videos of the products in action. The carousel ads showcased the different flavors of Pipcorn, while video ads demonstrated the unique, snackable experience of enjoying the product.

Targeted ads were tailored to health-focused audiences—those interested in fitness, wellness, and healthy eating. Interactive elements like swipe-up links and shoppable posts made it incredibly easy for potential customers to explore and buy directly from the ads.

The results? Incredible. Thanks to this integrated strategy, Pipsnacks saw a 60% increase in brand awareness and a 45% increase in online sales. Influencer marketing helped establish Pipsnacks as a trustworthy and credible brand in the health space, while paid social ads increased visibility and drove direct sales.

Key Takeaway: Integrate Influencer Marketing with Paid Social Ads for Maximum Impact

For healthy snacks and drinks brands, combining influencer marketing with paid social advertising can create a powerful, integrated approach to both building brand awareness and driving direct sales. The key is using influencers to build authentic connections with your target audience while using paid social to expand your reach and encourage immediate action.

4. Use Creative Campaigns to Boost Engagement

Ever thought about turning your product’s ingredients into a work of art? If not, it’s time to start thinking outside the snack bag. Creative campaigns that blend product features with visually striking concepts not only reinforce your brand identity but can also skyrocket engagement.

This isn’t about just showing your product on a plate or in a bowl. It’s about connecting with your audience in a way that feels organic, authentic, and, yes, even a little artistic. When your content matches the vibe of the platform you’re using and aligns with user expectations, the result is engagement that blows traditional benchmarks out of the water.

The campaign, built around the theme of “Snack in TERRAcolor,” used the vegetables in their chips as the foundation for a stunning visual twist, turning them into actual paint. Yes, you read that right. They took their colorful vegetables and turned them into pigments, creating vivid artwork that was as visually engaging as their chips are to the tastebuds.

Here’s where it gets genius: The campaign didn’t just feature pretty pictures of vegetables. Terra Chips turned this creative process into shareable content. They posted videos showing how the natural pigments were made and even how the paints were used to create artwork. These videos were then shared as promoted posts on Facebook and Instagram, aligning perfectly with the platform’s visual nature.

On Facebook, the campaign received a jaw-dropping engagement rate of 47.76%, far surpassing the benchmark engagement rate of 5%. On Instagram, the results were equally impressive—static images boasted an engagement rate of 21.44%, while the campaign video reached a phenomenal 55.28%.

To put it in perspective, the static image alone had an engagement rate 16 times higher than the average Instagram benchmark of 2.95%. This wasn’t just engagement; it was a clear sign that creative, visually appealing content can outperform typical ad formats when done right.

Key Takeaway: Turn Your Product into a Creative Story That Resonates

If you want your healthy snacks or drinks brand to stand out on social media, it’s time to think beyond basic product shots and get creative. Use your product’s natural features or ingredients as the foundation for something visually striking. Whether it’s turning your ingredients into art, showing them in action, or simply highlighting their vibrant colors, the key is to align your content with the visual preferences of your audience and the platform.

5. Turning Your Product Into a Daily Habit

Let’s face it: in today’s fast-paced world, convenience is king. If your healthy snacks or drinks brand doesn’t align with the on-the-go lifestyle, you’re missing out on a huge audience. Healthy living isn’t just about promoting the benefits of your product—it’s about showing people how easy and seamless it is to incorporate it into their daily routine. When you meet your audience where they are, both in terms of lifestyle and mindset, you create a connection that goes beyond the product itself.

One of the smartest ways to do this is through targeted content creation. By tailoring your content to reflect the diverse needs of your audience, you can demonstrate how your product fits into various lifestyles. This approach goes beyond just showcasing your product’s benefits—it’s about positioning it as a must-have in everyday life.

Quaker’s strategy centered around targeted content creation that resonated with the diverse lifestyles of their audience. Through in-depth market research, they identified key personas—health-conscious mothers, busy professionals, fitness enthusiasts, and creative cooks—each with their own needs and preferences.

To engage these personas, Quaker created YouTube videos that showed how easily oats could be integrated into traditional regional breakfasts, making them more accessible and appealing. These videos demonstrated not only how quick and easy oats are to prepare but also how versatile they can be, working in both savory and sweet recipes.

The campaign included multiple formats for different platforms, with full-length videos for Facebook and Instagram, along with shorter cutdowns optimized for Instagram Stories and feeds. These videos featured relatable characters preparing quick, on-the-go Quaker breakfasts, making it easy for viewers to envision oats in their own daily routines.

Additionally, Quaker developed a year-long content library featuring recipes, fitness tips, and lifestyle shots, ensuring the brand remained top-of-mind for its audience even after the campaign ended.

Key Takeaway: Position Your Product as a Daily Essential

For healthy snacks and drinks brands, targeted content creation is a powerful way to position your products as daily essentials. Rather than just focusing on the health benefits of your product, show your audience how easily it can be incorporated into their busy lives. Create content that speaks to different personas and their specific needs—whether that’s a quick breakfast for a busy mom, a post-workout snack for a fitness enthusiast, or a convenient snack for the office.

6. Use Humor and Relatability to Build a Strong Connection with Your Audience

One effective strategy for standing out amidst a sea of competition is using humor and relatability in your social media content. When done right, this approach humanizes your brand, makes it more approachable, and fosters a sense of community with your audience. Instead of pushing a hard sales pitch, you’re creating an experience that resonates with your followers’ everyday lives.

The key here is to balance entertainment with a subtle reminder of what your brand offers. When your content feels like a friendly conversation, rather than a corporate message, it builds trust and loyalty. Humor also makes your brand memorable, and when paired with relatable content, it can lead to higher engagement rates and increased brand awareness.

@innocentdrinks This filter is part of our identity now. #buysmoothies #seriousmarketingstuff #fypシ ♬ original sound – Samantha Clement

Rather than pushing sales, Innocent leaned into the everyday struggles of their audience, especially those of social media managers trying to create engaging content. Their TikTok content often presented humorous scenarios, tackling the challenges of being creative while keeping up with ever-changing trends.

@innocentdrinks You can find our shots in Costa*. We definitely knew about it. That’s why we made this very real photo of our Matt drinking one.  *Ends 2.4.25. Participating Costa GB stores only. Won’t apply if only shots are bought. No additional discounts. Subject to availability. FOR OUR ALT TEXT USERS Here’s a screenshot of a text chain we had with our boss. Boss: How’s the content for shots coming along? Us: Good, filmed it last night. Even got some lime in there as well.   Boss: What? Us: You’re always asking me to post more about fruit and veg. We then send a photo of some lime wedges next to a pile of salt with the caption “See?” It’s a really nice photo of limes if we don’t say so ourselves. Boss: I’m talking about our immunity and gut health shots you can get in Costa for £1. What are you talking about? Us: Erm… Yeah, same thing. Boss: Send me the photo. NOW. This is the photo we sent our boss. Our Matt’s drinking a shot with a group of us cheering him on, and a lime wedge in his hand. The shot Matt’s drinking is our immunity shot, but it’s worth saying we photoshopped that one in after. Although if our boss reads this, we definitely asked Matt to drink our immunity shot. Not a totally different, only for adults kind of shots. #fyp ♬ オリジナル楽曲 – 厚揚げろが。

By staying consistent with this playful, warm, and personable style, Innocent Drinks created a social media presence that felt more like a conversation with a friend than a traditional brand.

The result? Engagement rates exceeding 10% and a 10.33% follower growth rate over the past year. These results were achieved with a content strategy that prioritized relatability over product-heavy messaging. Their success came from making people smile, rather than just making them buy.

Key Takeaway: Focus on Relatable, Light-Hearted Content to Build Lasting Relationships

For healthy snacks and drinks brands, the key takeaway is simple: make your content relatable and fun. Move beyond the hard sell and instead focus on creating content that connects with your audience’s daily experiences. Infuse humor, highlight shared struggles, and don’t be afraid to show the lighter side of your brand. By doing so, you’ll create a lasting relationship with your audience, one that goes beyond the product and builds brand loyalty.

Winning Social Media Strategies for Healthy Snacks & Drinks Brands

To thrive in social media marketing, fitness and nutrition brands must create engaging, relatable content. Leverage tactics like influencer partnerships, platform-specific content, and surprise giveaways to build community and boost engagement.

By focusing on authenticity, creativity, and customer connection, brands can drive lasting loyalty and visibility. Implement these strategies to take your brand’s social media presence to the next level and see long-term growth and success.