Food and beverage marketing is a hot topic in the current industry playing field. Especially as it expands, companies use smart tricks to get people to buy their products over competitors.
Furthermore, the global food and beverage market is set to grow to $8,905.5 billion by 2026. This means there's a lot of revenue to be made, but also a lot of competition.
To stand out, brands need good marketing plans.
These plans help them find new customers (and keep old ones coming back). Popular ways to do this include using social media, making great-converting ads, and getting people to talk about their products online.
Keep reading to learn more.
What Is Food and Beverage Marketing Strategy?
A food and beverage marketing strategy is a plan to promote products or services to customers.
This helps companies sell more and stand out from competitors. Ideally, a good marketing strategy is one with a return on investment in mind.
Companies that have good marketing strategies also use different ways to reach people. This can include ads, social media, special events, and much much more (don’t worry - we will cover them all).
Knowing your customers is key. If all of your customers are online, doing local marketing won’t make much sense for your business. AKA, you’ll need to go where your customers are.
Other things to think about are:
- Budget
- Campaign spending
- Manpower
These are three critical factors that will dictate how creative you need to be with your marketing. The more budget and manpower, the more things you can cover. It’s possible to do everything on a smaller budget, but you may sacrifice quality.
Similarly, cutting the budget on a poor-performing campaign might be what is needed.
Why Is Marketing Important For the Food and Beverage Industry?
Marketing plays a crucial role in the food and beverage industry. It’s how customers will find your company instead of your competitors. That’s why doing great marketing is how you can stand out and make a better first impression.
Effective marketing strategies can boost sales and increase market share. A good strategy can double the size of your revenue year over year (or even sooner).
Measuring results is a must in marketing. Companies track sales and customer feedback to see what works best. Doubling down on a high-performing campaign or marketing strategy is super important.
Another key benefit is brand awareness, as good marketing makes products recognizable to consumers. Over time, this lowers your cost per acquisition and actually makes it easier to get newer customers.
For companies planning on reaching profitability or scaling/doubling in size, marketing is crucial to be able to do that. Without it, sales can be harder and harder to come by - putting a lot more stress on your internal team and operations.
The Best Food & Beverage Marketing Channels To Utilize
There are tons and tons of channels to choose from - but you need to go to where your audience is.
So when you see this list, consider where you think your market might be hanging out to prioritize those:
- Emails and newsletters
- Social media
- Communities and forums
- In-person events
- Conferences
- Podcasts
- Advertising platforms
- Local places and events
- Blogs & informational sites
15 Things to Include In Your Food & Beverage Marketing Strategy
There are some key ingredients (pun intended) that always go into a successful food and beverage marketing strategy. Take a look below.
Posting On Social Media To Your Customers & Audience
Social media is key for food and drink companies.
It lets you engage directly with your customers and potential prospects. Even if you’re strictly a B2B company, a platform like LinkedIn could help you connect with people who might need or use your services/products.
Post often on the platforms of your choosing (find where your audience is likely to be first). Share behind-the-scenes looks at your business. Use case studies, things happening in your business, and industry secrets. Ask others questions to get them talking.
Track which posts do well, do more of what works - you know the drill!
Blogs That Drive Engaged Visitors
Blogs bring people to your website, it’s just that simple. People searching for top-of-funnel queries and things in your industry may be able to find you if you post relevant blogs to your website.
Write about topics your customers care about, share specific industry tips, or things people can do themselves. Give insights on your company, what happens in your business, what is happening in the industry right now, and anything else prospects might find appealing.
A great example is Jackson’s Chips which shares blogs that help their customers decide which products are right for them.
Want some more tips? Here you go:
- Use keywords people search for
- Add photos to make posts more eye-catching
- Link to your products when it makes sense
PS: Invite guest bloggers to write for you, as this brings in new readers.
Short Form Videos on Different Platforms
Short videos work well on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The food and drink industry sees a lot of heavy engagement on these platforms, and it could be super critical to capture some of those eyeballs.
Make quick clips showing how to use your products. Film best practices videos, things to avoid in the industry, or just some fun things that people might find entertaining. Share fun facts about your brand or what you’re working on.
Keep videos short, but always still include some sort of action for viewers to follow.
Use trending sounds or challenges to get more views and add captions so people can watch without sound.
It’s possible to partner with influencers or other companies to further your reach on these platforms as well. Otherwise, post videos often to stay in people's feeds. Try different styles to see what your audience likes best.
Manage Your Reviews & Reputation Online
Good reviews help sell your products and build trust with new customers.
Ask happy customers to leave reviews. For negative comments, offer to make things right. This shows you care about customer service.
Watch what people say about you online. You can set up Google Alerts for your brand name. Sometimes it can be useful to actively do PR campaigns for better brand image.
A good example is Siete Foods which manages to keep its reviews above a 4.5-star rating with thousands of reviews across all stores and platforms.
Furthermore, fix problems quickly when they come up and share positive reviews on your website and social media.
Use Local Strategies Like Google My Business
There’s a reason Google is so important, it’s because customers use it.
If you have a physical store, use Google My Business as well - it's free and helps local customers find you.
This is especially key if you’re a local manufacturer or sell directly to consumers locally. Take it from us, the ROI from local Google marketing will speak for itself.
Fill out all the info about your business, add photos of your store and products and post updates about specials or events to stay on top of things.
Additionally, always keep your hours and contact info up to date. This helps you show up in local search results and is great for attracting new customers.
Have a Good Referral Program For Customers
Happy customers can bring you new business. As a reward, set up a referral program.
Many new companies have innovated this feature so that customers can get their own referral link and bring in as many new customers as they want. It’s a win-win for both the business and your happy customers.
A superb example is Tabs chocolate, which has customers film a video, use their own code, and make money from any sales that come from said code.
Tell customers about your program. Put info on receipts and packaging. Share it on social media too. Thank people when they make referrals.
Utilize A High Converting Website For Your Business
Your website should turn visitors into buyers, so make it easy to navigate on phones and computers!
Have clear photos of your products, showcase testimonials, and include the benefits that customers get when buying. Write descriptions that answer common questions. Make the checkout process simple and fast. These details add value to the user experience of a site and will encourage visitors to come back.
Consider these additional best practices:
- Add customer reviews to product pages
- Use pop-ups to offer discounts to new visitors
- Show related items people might want to buy
- Make sure your site loads quickly
- Slow sites lose sales
- Test different layouts to see what works best
All of these are best practices when it comes to making the best website.
PS: You might need to invest more in customer experience to find out how to improve your site even further.
Have Good SEO Practices For Your Website
Speaking of investing, SEO may be one of the best investments for your brand. It helps people find your products, blogs, and brand on search engines.
There’s a lot of potential with search engines, just make sure you are targeting things for your potential customers and industry in order to attract the right leads/visitors.
Create pages for your products, collections, and bundles to draw in potential customers and use blogs to tell them about the informational side of your business.
Additionally, you can use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to view data as well as find and fix SEO issues.
If you know what your doing, SEO can help lower your costs and more. If you’re not sure where to start, consider working with a food and beverage SEO company.
Use Email Marketing For Your Existing Customers
Email allows you to talk directly to people who like your brand.
In newsletters, you can send news about new products, offer special deals to subscribers, share recipes or tips using your products and also ask for feedback on what customers want to see.
It’s always a good idea to use eye-catching subject lines, which will help boost open rates. What’s more, including a clear CTA will help guide the reader to any next steps.
Also, remember to segment your list to send targeted emails - new customers might want different info than long-time fans.
Use Innovative AI In Your Business
AI can help in many parts of your marketing.
Tools like chatbots on your website can answer customer questions. AI can also help you write better product descriptions and can even suggest social media post ideas based on what's worked before.
AI tools can analyze customer data to find trends and also predict which offerings shopper prefer.
Whatever it is, don’t sleep on it. AI can be one of the best things to improve your existing processes.
Use Paid Advertising On Social Media
Social media ads help you reach new customers and help you scale your business.
You can target people based on their interests and behaviors, show ads to people who like similar brands, and retarget people who've visited your website but didn't buy.
You’ll probably need to test out different ads to see what works best, so start with a small budget and increase it as you see results. Once you’ve chosen a platform, you can use each platform's tools to track how your ads perform.
A great example of a small business doing great with paid social ads is Uglies Snacks. They’ve got a simple approach using video to find more people who might be interested in their products.
Have a Great Paid Search Marketing Strategy
Paid search puts your products in front of people looking to buy. Usually, paid search has an average of 200% ROI which is great for any business.
You can bid on keywords related to your products and write ads that match what people are searching for. Using ad extensions to show more info like your phone number or store address will also offer more exposure.
Take a look at these other tips:
- Create different ad groups for each product type
- This lets you write very specific ads
- Adjust your bids based on which keywords perform best
- Always link ads to relevant landing pages on your site
- Use negative keywords to avoid showing up for irrelevant searches
And don’t forget to use best practices and to test, test, and test more!
Utilize Both In-person and Online Events
Events help you connect with customers face-to-face. A lot of companies even pick in-person events as one of their highest-performing marketing channels.
Here, it’s crucial to network and find people related to your business or people who could benefit from your services. Even related businesses or companies can be a partner later down the road.
Use social media to promote events, share photos and videos during and after, and follow up with attendees to get feedback. Lastly, you can offer special deals to people who come to your events.
Record Long-Form Videos For Your Branding
Different from short-form videos, long-form videos have always been a key part of marketing and branding. These will have different goals from your shorter videos.
Longer videos should aim to showcase what you do as a company/brand, how you help or have helped customers, and share relevant information about your products/services.
A common example of a great long-form video is a case study or behind-the-scenes look at a company’s processes.
Encourage Employees To Become Part Of Your Brand
When you’ve built out the right team, it can be great to get them involved in your business. A lot of the times star employees might even push you to post more on social media platforms.
It shows a strong brand presence and gets your employees involved if you’re having them post alongside you or work on social media presence with them.
They can also pitch ideas that they know have worked for similar companies, trending ideas on social media, or even testing things that have worked for them in the past.
It's critical to not ignore or forget this step since your employees will be one of your biggest marketing assets.
Pro tip: Promote your company’s culture. People appreciate and gravitate towards businesses that have happy, thriving employees.
Why You Should Invest in Food & Beverage Marketing Today
Consumers want new and exciting products, and marketing helps brands stand out in a crowded market.
They're also looking for healthier options, eco-friendly packaging, and unique products. With so many choices, good marketing can make the difference between success and failure, even from the initial impression.
Digital platforms offer new ways to reach customers. Social media, apps, and websites let brands connect directly with their target audience.
Investing in marketing can also boost sales and build customer loyalty. It also helps create a strong brand identity that people recognize and trust.
Ultimately, innovation is key in this industry. Good marketing helps introduce new products and educate consumers about their benefits.
Contact Our Food & Beverage Market Research Company
Our team has the knowledge and tools to help you craft the ideal marketing strategy for your products. Using customer data and insights, we will work with you to ensure you receive actionable results specific to your brand.
Interested in learning more about our market research services? Get in touch with us today!
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Austin Parker
Austin has an extensive background in SEO as he's been blogging since 16 years old back when the internet was in its infancy. As fitting, he holds a Bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in creative writing.
Learn more about Austin, here.
