Food marketing professionals are using new techniques to help their clients reach consumers while still catering to the specific needs of food consumers.
The food industry is a billion-dollar business. It’s also one that has seen significant changes in recent years with the health and wellness movement.
If you want to learn more about what it takes to succeed in this competitive environment, then keep reading for an overview of today’s trends, strategies, and more.
What is Food Marketing?
Food marketing is getting people to buy more food through a range of marketing techniques that add value to a food product and persuade the consumer to purchase.
Food companies invest heavily in research, development, and marketing, starting long before the physical product is developed. One aspect of this is understanding consumers with focus groups and developing food products that resonate with the target audience.
Companies spend a lot of money on brand development, allowing them to generate more demand for their products, making consumers willing to pay more.
Product Development is what comes before any good campaign.
- Understanding the target market, segmentation, and positioning.
- Market research: Surveys focus groups on understanding what consumers want in a product for their needs.
- Brand development through marketing campaigns like advertising on billboards or TV commercials. Branding is important because it creates an emotional connection with consumers who are more likely to purchase your product.
Top Food Marketing Strategies
Take a look at some food marketing techniques you can implement for a successful food marketing campaign.
Food Marketing (Manufacturer to Retailers)
This is the first stage in food marketing. The food manufacturer’s first marketing move is to convince retailers (i.e., grocery stores, supermarkets) to sell their products and get them on board by providing incentives like a profit margin, free samples, or trade shows. This process can be quite lengthy because of its many steps, from negotiating contracts to ordering products for retail placement.
Food Marketing Packaging
The packaging is one of the most important aspects when it comes to marketing food products. The color, design, and logo all significantly affect how consumers perceive your product in the market. Packaging needs to be enticing enough to stand out from the competition on the shelves.
Social Media Food Marketing
The best way to advertise food products in the world of social media is by using hashtags. Hashtags are a quick and easy way for people to search for their favorite foods on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. For example, if your company makes chips, you could use #chips so that anyone who types “chip” into either Twitter or Instagram can find your product. Relevant #hastags should also be used.
When marketing food products, it is important to be creative and think outside the box. Another strategy is to post content that integrates food with pop culture.
Related Article: Instagram Food Marketing: Power & Influence On The Food Industry
Add value and improve the perception of a product through marketing
A food product that doesn’t add value to consumers is likely to have failed marketing campaigns. Food shoppers are savvy and want products that offer added convenience, longer shelf life, nutrients, or enhanced flavors or appearances.
A successfully executed marketing campaign should change consumers’ perceptions of a given food product and/or create the sense that your product offers more value than the competition’s.
Added value is the reason people pay more for a food product. A food’s value is not just in its taste but also in how it makes consumers feel and what it can do for them. This is why you pay $5 for a box of crackers that have been lovingly crafted and labeled homemade, even though the same crackers at your local grocery store are just $1.50.
Marketing to Children
One of the most important aspects of food marketing is marketing to children. They tend to be easily influenced by the media, advertisements, friends at school, and more.
Children often influence their parent’s decisions, which can lead parents to make more impulse purchases. A good marketing tactic is to make sure you place the food products they like at eye level and include a “sale” sign to catch their attention.
Food Labeling Marketing
A good food labeling marketing campaign that complies with FDA guidelines should draw attention to the key aspects of your product’s selling point. It should also serve as a comparison point where consumers can tell why your product is better than your competitor’s products.
Studies show that shoppers rely on front-of-package claims instead of reading the Nutrition Facts.
The Messaging
Another key element of marketing a food product is the message and tone of your audience.
The messaging should be displayed that resonates with the needs of your target customer. A concise, easy-to-digest messaging is key.
Customers perceive product messaging positively or negatively, so there’s a fine line between mediocrity and greatness. This is why you need to nail your product messaging.
Why is product marketing important?
Marketing is all about creating brand awareness for a particular product and generating sales.
There are also questions you will have to ask yourself and reflect on your products.
Knowing the answer to these questions will help you ensure your product is a success.
- How is this product unique from similar products to our competitors?
- What’s our competitive advantage?
- Is this product suitable for the market?
- Does this product solve a necessity others don’t?
- Is there a way to further differentiate this product from those of our competitors?
- Is it safe for consumption?
Identifying the consumer’s unmet needs and solving those needs with your product is the key to marketing food to consumers.