Friday, January 22, 2010

You’ve Got Mail – Tips for Successful Premium Food E-mail Marketing

E-mail marketing is an affordable and useful tool for premium food marketers, but like most successful marketing – there needs to be a focus on the customer.

 

Just like every step of the marketing process, it is important to plan and summarize how e-mail marketing will further your overall strategic goals.

 

Here’s what top marketers are saying about E-mail Marketing Campaigns:

  • Customers should be seen and heard – Michelle Kohanzo, director of marketing, Land of Nod
  • Ask and ye shall receive – Craig Calder, VP of marketing, Travelzoo
  • Customize it – David Almoslino, senior director of marketing, Trimble Navigation Ltd.
  • Social and e-mail are so very complementary – Gary Spangler, e-marketing manager, DuPont.

 DMNews http://bit.ly/5rtgXu

 

Some suggestions on how to incorporate E-mail marketing into your campaigns:

1.      Customize your messages to specific customer preferences by creating multiple customer lists based on past purchases.

2.      Timing is important – more consumers have smartphones and can receive e-mails at all hours. Try to catch your customers when they could be making purchase decisions to close the loop.

3.      Always link back to social media — use e-mail as a tool to promote your social media campaigns.

http://bit.ly/8xt TEk

 

email

 

Social media activities are becoming more commonplace in most everyone’s overall marketing channel strategy. The growth of links in e-mail marketing campaigns directing customers to the brand’s Twitter or Facebook page is staggering. http://bit.ly/8dtJT1

 

If you employ a social media campaign, don’t forget the vast opportunities to promote it — e-mail should be at the top of your checklist.

 

* Social media sites have gained in link percentage since first quarter of 2007:

http://bit.ly/8dtJT1

 

Above all, listen to your customers and take note of other premium food marketers past successes and failures to hone your e-mail marketing campaign.

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

5 Social Media Tips to Market Premium Food

Are you keeping up with the rapidly changing social media landscape? It’s changing daily.  

 

Inc. magazine created a list of 30 useful social media tips. Here are my Top 5 Social Media Tips from that list that are most relevant for premium food marketers.

 

Offer a peek behind the scenes

Are you proud of your operation? Let your customers take a step behind closed doors to see how your product is made. This can be particularly useful for premium food marketers because customers are increasingly interested in what goes into their food. Or, give customers a sneak preview of what products are to come. John Doyle, founder of chocolate company John and Kira’s in Philadelphia, posts photos of new products on Flickr and invites comments from customers.

Put your Web site’s content to work

Increase traffic to your Web site by encouraging visitors to share content they enjoy. For example, GotCast a Web site that connects television casting directors with aspiring actors, draws new visitors by posting audition videos on Digg and allowing others to share video links on the site. Another easy option is to enable users to easily share your Web site’s content by adding a widget like AddThis that automates linking to popular sites.

Interact with visitors – really

If customers feel like they’re engaged by your social media efforts, they are more likely to come back and share with their friends, which gives you social relevance. Matt Mullenweg, founder of blogging platform WordPress, lists not participating in comments as a surefire way to kill a community. Mullenweg and his team field the many suggestions users have for WordPress through his blog.

Reward customer loyalty

Bring your loyalty program into this decade by running promotions through your social media platforms. For example, Sprinkles Cupcakes, a bakery chain based in Beverly Hills, California, uses Twitter to send out daily promotional offers. The tweets, which ask customers to whisper a “password” to receive a free treat, have helped the company draw more than 17,000 followers.

 

sprinkles-cupcakes

Make amends with dissatisfied customers, quickly

Twitter can be a great platform for customers to share their experiences with your product, but that won’t necessarily always be positive. Be proactive and respond to your dissatisfied customer in a timely matter. The owner of an Ace Hardware store in Denver, once came across an angry Twitter update from a customer who had bought a tool that broke after one use. He resolved the issue in a matter of minutes by referring the customer to an area store and notified him of Ace’s lifetime guarantee.

 

To view the entire list, visit http://bit.ly/6UaYBa

 

Don’t forget – all social media efforts should return to your strategy. Treat social media like you would any other channel of communication.

 

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Monday, January 11, 2010

Four Premium Food Marketers Using Twitter To Connect

Still not convinced your premium food brand can successfully use Twitter?

Here are 5 reasons to try it:

·         Announce coupons, freebies, sales and other deals

o        Make specials exclusive to Twitter followers

·         Give followers advance notice of promotions and events

·         Introduce blog updates or breaking news

·         Followers will become brand influencers

·         Measure results instantly

 

There’s a lot to be learned from premium food brands that Twitter. The following examples are excerpted from the Franchises Go Social article in Entrepreneur magazine:

 

Subway: Subway’s Twitter presence, @subwayfreshbuzz, attracted more than 6,000 followers in less than six months. The sandwich shop franchise uses Twitter to interact with Subway fans two ways: sending out product and promotional news and monitoring Twitter for buzz about its brand.

 

McDonald’s: McDonald’s operates two main Twitter handles. @McDonalds, which has more than 4,700 followers, is used for brand news and information as well as customer service. (Internal research shows that the company is mentioned every 10 to 20 seconds on Twitter.) @McCafeYourDay promotes the company’s line of specialty coffees.

 mcdonalds

7-Eleven: Convenience-store giant 7-Eleven launched its first Twitter campaign at @7eleven in September, when it created an online game to promote its Brazilian Bold coffee to 18- to 34-year-olds. A few weeks in, the game has scored about 100 followers and counting, but it has also generated a wave of buzz online and will be followed by more promotions.

 

Dunkin’ Donuts: In a little more than a year, @DunkinDonuts scored more than 38,000 followers by creating a place where people can share their Dunkin’ Donuts experiences. The company focuses on creating a place where people can talk about how much they love Dunkin’ Donuts products.

 

Lure followers in by offering something they can’t get anywhere else. They’ll happily share with others.

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Monday, January 4, 2010

In the Midst of a Recession, Marketing Premium Food Gets Social

Are your clients and customers willing to pay for premium-priced food and dining during a recession? We say yes, but it comes with a caveat: you have to know what motivates them, their palates and their wallets.

Mary Ellen Slayter of Smart Blogs reported how restaurants are using social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook to promote their menus, deals and, in the case of highly sought-after Kogi™ BBQ, their mobile location.

Koji is Korean BBQ to go – literally. Driving around the Los Angeles area, the mobile food cart Tweets along their route, alerting hungry customers as to their locale. Lured by this digital age pied piper, customers have been known to wait for hours to nab one of their tofu or calamari tacos, quesadillas or tres leches cake.

kogi-bbq

·        Dining establishments such as City Winery in New York City or Freshii offer discounts if you become their fan on Facebook or mention their Tweets.

·        Upscale Madison, Wis. Harvest Restaurant posts their menu and specials on Facebook and even quaint cafes in the college town, like Mermaid Café and Café Soleil, are listing deals and asking customers for menu ideas.

o       A quick trip to these eating establishment’s “walls” illustrate that customers are indeed chiming in, and happily so.

Slayter notes, “To successfully market a restaurant, sitting on the social media sidelines won’t be an option. Social media will continue to foster strong, personal connections between restaurants and diners.”

Consider using the tools available to bring customers to your products.

·        Invite chefs or recipe developers to post new ideas, flavors and menu ideas via social media channels

·        Consider hosting a live Webinar on the various applications of your product

·         Since most social media tools are free, there is no longer any excuse to limit reaching out to your customers where they are searching for deals and discounts.

Even during a recession, people are hungry for tips, promotions and, of course, the food.

Read Slayter’s article here.

http://twitter.com/kogibbq

http://kogibbq.com/

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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

iPhone Apps to Market Premium Food

What’s your favorite iPhone app? Mine is the Zippo lighter. I use it frequently at concerts (saves on using real matches)!

 

The sheer number of food apps out there blows my mind. Take Grocery iQ for example. It features a database of millions of items, barcode scanning, list sharing, integrated coupons and a favorites list.

 

Need to know nutrition facts? Check out Calorie Tracker. And if you’re looking for a perfect spot for your next business lunch, there’s Urbanspoon to help you search local restaurants.

 

When creating an app for your brand, consider the following:

 

1.      Make sure it connects with your target audience. Sure, many of the apps our there are cool. But being cool for cool’s sake won’t create a meaningful connection with your customer.

 

2.      Promote, Promote, Promote. Just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come.

 

·        Use social media, like Twitter and Facebook to let people know about the benefits of your app.

·        Use PR to secure media coverage and drive traffic to iTunes.

·        Put it on your web site. On your packaging. On your ads.

 

Guinness recently created a successful app for its brand. The Guinness Pub Finder is a natural fit for the brand.

 

guinness-pub-finder

 

People who enjoy good beer are often looking for places that serve good beer. This app helps them find it, while also increasing sales.

 

Buzz about the new app was generated by using social media. And it worked. The app has enjoyed immense popularity, making a meaningful and enduring connection with Guinness customers.

 

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Monday, November 30, 2009

Smart Marketing for 2010 – Two Keys to Success When Testing the Online Waters for Marketing Premium Food

Thinking of dipping your toe into the online and social media pool to market your premium food? If so, you’re probably wondering how you can you be assured your strategy will maximize your marketing budget with the greatest impact. Regardless of the medium you choose, you can experiment effectively before you dive into the deep end.

social-media

Here are two major considerations before you test a social media strategy:

1.      All online and social media tactics are not created equal. For example, your objectives for using Twitter should be different than for using Facebook. Therefore, you can’t measure them the same. Your marketing team should create specific objectives for each online channel based on your specific target audience. Do your research. Understand not only the differences in each outlet, but your customers’ behavior in each medium.

2.      Be sure that your marketing team fully understands how to analyze the results. Online and social media tracking is constantly changing. Your marketing partners need to be able to objectively review the results against current measurement standards.

Testing and measuring using short-term marketing approaches can yield long-term gains if you are aware of the pitfalls in advance.

Designate a portion of your budget for testing.

Understand that the results will dictate how to modify your strategy to either improve upon what you just tested, or move on to test the next logical option.

Why does this work? The great thing about digital and social media is that you can monitor results immediately – think hours and days rather than weeks or months. And, you can test multiple approaches at the same time, microtargeting your audience to get immediate, real-time results.

Leverage this knowledge to develop a longer-term online strategy designed to reach your premium food marketing goals.

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Wisconsin Companies Embrace Facebook and Twitter

As more of our clients embrace social media, we wondered what the general trend was among Wisconsin-based companies. In order to find out, we developed an online survey and sent it to marketing executives across the state. A cross-section of industries responded: associations, healthcare, manufacturing, financial, food companies, legal, sports, attractions and non-profits.
What did we find? Among Wisconsin companies, 80% currently use social media in their marketing communications strategies. Social networking is the fastest-growing area and blogs are on the rise. Facebook, once a niche sharing site for college kids nationwide, and Twitter, a more recently accepted hyper-focused communications tool, ranked as the most popular platforms for Wisconsin companies to communicate their products and services.
Most respondents agreed that social media is an essential tactic deserving a position within the overall marketing mix. Budget projections for 2010 reflect that point with an average 2% increase over 2009.
As a complement to traditional marketing strategies, companies are using social media to:
• Build brand awareness
• Engage target audiences
• Build brand loyalty
• Gain valuable customer feedback
• Attract prospects
• Drive sales
But there are barriers to social media use as well. Social media is a tool that should be refined and refocused based on desired outcome. Survey participants indicated that they stopped using social media because:
• It demanded too much staff time and resources
• Difficult to demonstrate ROI
• Lack of audience traffic
• Regulatory issues within industry
But for those who see the benefit of social media activities, there are many ways to promote them. Interestingly, organic or grass roots marketing strategies rank ahead of advertising when it comes to increasing target audience awareness. The prioritized list includes: corporate Web sites (76%), public relations (73%), updates to the specific social media accounts (66%), corporate e-mail signatures (47%), advertising (39%), comments on other blogs (37%).

Social Networking is Fastest-Growing Area
As social networking for brands becomes an acceptable and essential marketing tactic, 79% of Wisconsin companies entered the arena within the last year. Which social media trail behind Facebook and Twitter in terms of overall use? Survey participants listed YouTube, monitoring and publishing blogs, LinkedIn, MySpace and Wikis.
Facebook is the clear leader in effectively reaching marketing goals according to the 46% of respondents. But it’s interesting to see where marketing resources are allocated and how each social media platform performs against goals.
Social Network How Many Use It Delivers on Goals
Facebook 81% 46%
Twitter 81% 14%
YouTube 61% 11%
LinkedIn 58% 4%
Flickr 26% N/A
MySpace 13% 4%

Even though the jury may be out on the true measure of Facebook’s marketing influence, companies are taking advantage of the most measurable elements the technology offers. The most popular being Facebook fan pages.

Twitter, on the other hand, has more specific uses:
• Product/service announcements and news
• Building brand awareness
• Media relations
• Coupons & offers
• Customer support
The Blogosphere is Expanding
Seems like everyone these days has a blog, and for good reason – they are easy to update and monitor traffic and reader comments. Blogs from Wisconsin-based companies are on the rise. Whereas 38% of marketers established a blog two or more years ago, 62% were launched within the last year.
More than 60% of companies are following industry advice advocating that readers of blogs be allowed to post comments. One company indicated it received up to 200 reader comments each month. Therefore, monitoring blog traffic is a high priority. It appears that blogs will continue to be supported, as 57% are successful in delivering on the goal to “enable engagement with our target audience.”
Idea Sharing and Information
The core of social media is information dissemination. The marketing challenge lies in how a company chooses to package and integrate its complete marketing package to its target audiences.
Whether you embrace or vilify social networking or blogging, learning how each of the technologies touches your customers is critical to marketing success. If it takes seven points of impact for a person to absorb a message, one of those seven should include social marketing.
Stephan & Brady is an integrated marketing communications firm with B2B and B2C clients based in Madison.

 http://www.stephanbrady.com_web
http://www.stephanbrady.com/food4thought| www.stephanbrady.com/bandworth _blogs
http://www.twitter.com/food4thought|  _twitter

-Kristina

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

“So, a PR professional walks into the room…”

“So, a PR professional walks into the room…”

Great start to a joke, huh? Well, it was no joke when I, along with @techpr, @mkaPR and @julieannwarner walked into the Drake Hotel in Chicago for the Ragan Unconference last Friday, a free conference focused on professionals learning about social media from one another. More than 400 people attended, and the afternoon proved to be worth our drive south.

Topics included using social media during crisis management, social media ROI, blogging and social media next steps. Lively moderators @ambercadabra and @jackserpa fielded questions across the vast ballroom and fingers frantically pounded out Twitter commentary via laptops, BlackBerrys and iPhones. By mid-afternoon #raganunconf registered as one of the top five trends on Twitter.

Many shared case studies about how a connection made with a TV producer or book publisher via Twitter landed us coverage for our clients, but more importantly, we all agreed that we were making real connections with people we might not otherwise have access to. Monica O’Brien (@monicaobrien), blogger of Twenty Set, says that 20 percent of her traffic comes from Twitter, and an Orbitz representative, @orbitzgal, commented on having better relationships with customers via Twitter.

What did I take away? That once again, social media is not Twitter or Facebook, but a conversation starter and community connector. Sure, Twitter receives a lot of attention these days, but it is simply one tool in a collection of professional skills we use to promote our clients.

But I continue to wonder if social media will continue to speak to all demographics – we know that older generations are signing on, but are socioeconomically disadvantaged and/or minority groups being asked to join at the same rate? While the Web remains an open source for all ideas, it still tends to invite a particular group.

What next? Keep the conversations open. Comment thoughtfully on blogs and Twitter profiles, offer value-added Tweets, and be open to new technologies. After all, I want to know the punch line, but not be it.

- Marlena

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