2-5 min read
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In every business, a marketing plan is important, especially in Food and Beverage brands. The F&B Industry is where customers can move from 1 brand to another in a jiffy, so it's essential to have a great marketing strategy and content plan, ensuring sales are kept on target.
This article breaks down how to create a general F&B Marketing Plan and the benefits of having one. Use this article as your guidance, and inspire your F&B Brand to grow from here.
What's a Marketing Plan?
A marketing plan is a strategic blueprint that outlines a business's goals, target audience, and the marketing tactics to reach them.
An effective marketing plan should include:
1) A Key point of difference and unique selling proposition (USP).
2) How you communicate key messagings effectively.
3) How you manage outreach towards stakeholders, what are your channels?
A F&B's marketing plan is designed to give businesses a roadmap of where it is and where is it trying to go towards.
This includes your budgets, resources, planning documents and external factors (local/world news and political events). Great marketing is not something that can be achieved in a day, month or year, it should be regularly tested against company's changing priorities, market conditions and constantly updated based on these changes.
What Should Be Considered?
Before diving down the marketing pipeline, it's important to prepare your company and educate your team about the journey. Keep the following considerations in mind:
1) Focus on Opportunities
Set the avenue of opportunities with stakeholders, considering your business goals, USP and key messages in the mix, find ways to connect and engage with them. This is where you structure a strategy to take advantage of those opportunities.
2) Plan your Growth
Without a concrete plan, its like going into a gunfight with only your fists. The time spent considering your opportunities and strategies supports the ability to make marketing decisions around these considerations.
3) Measure your Success
The highest-level KPI of a marketing plan, is around brand awareness, assessed through various survey means. In digital marketing, KPIs can be measured through Social Media, media coverage and various ads results.
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What are the strategies you can try?
A key element in a F&B industry, is that people will focus on strong visuals, branding and direct outreach. Use this as your key idea starter. Here's some strategies used in the industry:
1) Social Media
Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can be used effectively to bring an audience and increase sales. Both channels are visual and branding first approach.
This can be done through organic reach or paid advertising. Paid advertising can be very targeted to specific audience types based on geographical area and interests.
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2) Direct Outreach
Word-of-mouth is still King, direct outreach leverages on connecting with current and potential customers to build connections to different database of customers. Running in-store promotions and participating in communities can help you build this avenue.
3) Influencer Marketing
Now, if you mix the power of Social Media Marketing, with word-of-mouth marketing, you'll get influencer marketing. Influencer marketing refers to reaching out to Key Opinion Leaders to directly/indirectly promote your restaurant.
5 Top Marketing Tips for F&B Brands
1) The Impact
Customers in the F&B industry face the challenge of having multiple options. Having a sign of differentiation gives customers easier purchase decision. For instance, your restaurant's catchy/punny name, intriguing color palletes and standout plating design.
2) The Personas
Knowing your audience can bring you justice in the workability of your marketing plan. Businesses create "Personas" of the type of people they want to target. This resonates with the people. For instance, Ronald McDonald and friends target kids to eat McDonalds more often (especially getting Happy Meals).
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3) The Visual Element
Using beautiful visuals really catches the eyes of your consumers. Remember to research your audience to understand what colors/visual types they best respond to.
4) The Packaging
Similar to visuals, consumers generally respond to catchy visuals on the packaging. Your packaging is also key to getting your audience's attention.
5) The Results
Good marketing is all about improving from your results and improving from your competitor's results. Almost all marketing channels have metrics which you can view to improve and make your marketing trendy to your audience.
Seems like a lot of work right?
Yes, a good marketing plan takes time and effort to plan. From research, to strategy, to execution and all the way to your next marketing campaign. However, it's totally worth it as there's a huge potential to stand out from your competitor.
Hiring a digital marketing team who you can work closely with, is essential to improving your business's audience reach and improve sales. You can focus on constantly improving your business offerings while an external marketing team help you bring in sales.
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