The world of marketing is like a restaurant menu – there are a lot of choices. Sometimes you pick an entrée based on how you’re feeling: “I’m in the mood for a juicy steak.” Other times, you seek out advice of your dining companion who has eaten there before. So goes marketing – gut reaction or research based.
If you know your customer well, it’s sometimes acceptable to go with your gut, especially in unchartered territory like interactive media technologies or social media.
You may be wondering how much and where to invest in online marketing for 2010. I came across a list from Entrepreneur.com written for small business, but I think it can apply to just about any size business. The interesting angle is that the author advises which strategies to Invest, Test or Rest. I’ve added my own spin to relate each to marketing premium food.
#1 Search Engine Optimization – Test
Marketing technologies are allowing for greater personalization and niche targeting. Add to your current SEO marketing by testing some niche audiences you’ve found through research or intuition. This also offers a low-cost way to test, as good SEO requires little more to execute than excellent, targeted web copy supported by appropriate meta data and a flexible website structure (to change page names and URLs as needed).
#2 Paid Search – Invest
Search is still the primary driver of consumer research for new products, services and ideas. You’ll face fierce competition for the most common premium food marketing terms, so think narrow—you’re not casting a net, you’re baiting a hook. The more specific you can be, the better your results. For example, “heat and serve bacon” rather than “pork products.”
#3 E-mail Marketing – Invest
This will remain a low-cost strategy to build qualified prospect lists and stay in touch with current customers—provided you have something interesting to say, or valuable information to provide. Look for improved services such as social media integration, search engine access to archived e-mails, auto-responders and new integrated applications.
#4 Social Network Marketing – Test
Depending on what your brand has to offer, this is an area with a ton of potential. Know your customer’s social media habits to best capture their attention on their own terms. Twitter may be hot right now, but it might not be the best way to reach your customers. Treat social media marketing like you would anything else—understand your target audience and develop a strategic plan, with measurable tactics and a clear understanding of what will be required to reach your goals.
#5 Blogging – Invest
The Entreprenuer.com author advised that blogging was a “Let It Rest.” Blogs are an excellent way to build relationships with your customers, provided you understand what kind of information they want—such as offers, discounts, news, etc.—and have developed a plan to communicate with them regularly. Once or twice a week is enough.
#6 Web Presence – Invest
Try the push method over pull. Find where your customers congregate online and reach them there. Make it easy for customers to find all relevant content related to the topic where your product or service fits in and feed them everything you have. Don’t forget online advertising as a tactic; this is your opportunity to make your dollars work hard, reaching exactly the audience you want.
#7 Mobile Marketing – Test
Niche marketing via smart phones will become increasingly important, but you have to know your customer’s mobile habits to take advantage of this medium for coupons, offers and more. The key is not to think mass consumption, but targeted applications. There are thousands of applications in the iTunes store, and many of them are meant for a very specific audience. Come up with a great foodservice application, market it, and your audience will find it—and use it.
#8 Podcasting and Online Radio – Let it Rest
People podcast, not brands. And chances are, you haven’t even invested in online radio, so continue to take a pass on it unless you know your audience is devoted to a particular online radio show.
#9 Online Video – Invest
This isn’t about “viral” videos. Smart food marketers can take advantage of this medium if their customer can truly benefit from a short (just whet their appetite) demo video. Another option are training videos. Secure, password-protected websites mean you can continue to provide this on a proprietary basis.
#10 Coupons, Discounts, Savings – Test
Use online incentives sparingly, or more so if you can afford it. But as fewer people clip coupons from an actual newspaper, put your money where the eyeballs are. And a recent study by Razorfish showed that online incentives is one of the primary ways people want to interact with brands online, particularly through social media.
The online menu for marketers will continue to evolve, so check with the chef for monthly specials – it just might be the one your customer ordered.
Labels: interactive media, social media
