It is an industry that deals with necessities for everyone. The food and beverage industry is enormous and diverse, ranging from major brands to restaurant chains, producers, and distributors on a local and national level. If we dig deeper, we have to consider not only the physical “goods” themselves but also more ethereal, experience-based aspects that, to put it simply, are more about pleasure than necessity. Just taking a quick glance at the displays of our smartphones and the posts made by our friends on Facebook or Instagram will make you aware of this fact: food and drink, in all of their forms, are hugely popular in the digital world.
According to a recent Accenture survey for Instagram, users find food and drink to be the most fascinating subject matter. The industry has undergone a revolution as a result of the digital transformation, including all of its intricate supply chains. The modification has caused trouble. Social networks are already used for reviews, making reservations both online and through apps, and ordering delivery services. Digital has had an impact on the very processes of production and distribution upstream.
Uses of digital marketing, in the food industry
When it comes to the various kinds of brands and businesses that operate digitally in some capacity, the beverage and food industries are among the most diverse. This spans from the most well-known global brands to prosperous restaurant and fast food chains, all the way down to the actual distributors and producers. It’s not surprising considering that they offer a necessary service whether they operate locally or nationally. There is, however, a finite amount of attention available for food products, and if you aren’t using digital advertising to drive traffic to your company, you’ll quickly fall behind. Why? According to an industry report, over 57% of customers now order their food online. You must participate in the online discussion if you want to succeed.
The impact of digital marketing on the food sector and food businesses
Like so many other industries, the food and beverage sector has been significantly impacted by digitization. In fact, over 40% of people acquire their knowledge of food through digital means. There are many review sites, booking sites, and delivery services to take into account in addition to the abundance of food and drink promotional posts and reviews on social media, especially Instagram.
Every aspect has been impacted. As a result of this change, digital marketing has emerged as the form of marketing that is most crucial to any company. Brands of food and drink like yours require it. You might feel a little out of place if your company is a food brand or operates in the food and beverage sector and you’re not using digital marketing. In this article, we’ll talk about successful digital food marketing strategies used these days.
1. Health and sustainability: Keyword
The words people use to describe food have changed for a while. In short, the mood of the population has changed. When it comes to production and marketing, this has had an impact on brand strategy. Two trends stand out in the midst of this as being very strong and constantly growing. First of all, there is a renewed focus on the issue of environmental sustainability; it is no longer a specialised awareness but rather one that is spreading throughout society, especially among younger people.
In this instance, it concerns both the packaging and the food and drink as a whole. Additionally, we must not overlook the significance of the word “health.” The influence of food on our lives is receiving more attention, along with issues like organic farming, food allergies, slow cooking, and fitness. Once more, we are surrounded by instances. Consider how some brands have changed over time, as have national laws, TV commercials, and social media trends. These changes may have occurred naturally or as a result of the determined efforts of influencers and micro-influencers.
2. SEO is crucial
The set of techniques known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are used to improve a website’s placement in the natural results on search engines. Understanding SEO will become increasingly important in this highly competitive industry’s digital marketing, where ranking among the top Google results matters. Some goods and services are essentially nonexistent for consumers if they are not searchable on Google. This applies to both producers and retailers, as well as restaurants in the food industry.
Since up to 56% of traffic to websites in the food industry comes from organic search. Directly target customers, target audiences, and personalise content. Personalization is crucial, regardless of the strategy you use, the social media platforms you use, or the other techniques you employ to target your customers and target audiences. Personalizing content and communications with customers demonstrates that you are aware of their needs. Numerous studies have shown that people are more likely to read and respond to emails. That are addressed specifically to them when you use email marketing.
It demonstrates to them that you are more than just not a nameless presence and that you care about them and want to assist them. In order to predict and influence your audience’s potential behaviours, a correct and useful analysis of big data helps you better understand both your current and potential audiences. Therefore, the first step is to split the target into portions. Then into segments that are increasingly specific and have traits that are aligned and constant. That’s not all, though. The frontier of personalization is a conversation that is truly one-to-one, interactive, and tailored, even down to the level of a single person.
3. Press statement
Press releases continue to be effective if you have the right connections or a sizable budget. Make sure your story is so newsworthy that it can’t be ignored if you want to be featured in a popular publication. What we consider to be newsworthy and what a busy journalist receives in their inbox frequently differ. Make the news as captivating as you can, perhaps by concentrating on a trend that includes some eye-catching statistics. Make a journalist’s job as simple as you can when publishing your story, to sum up. Expecting them to pursue you is unrealistic. Avoid low-cost press release distributors who frequently send your story to low-quality, automated websites for the sole purpose of SEO. Good food preparation either costs money or requires effort.
4. Email promotion
Despite being at the bottom of the list, this is not for lack of significance. Adding your devoted or potential customers to your email list is like finding gold if you have a website. Now you can reach out to them with special offers, intriguing information, competitions, or marketing in any way that connects with your audience. Due to the fact that they have already made a small commitment to you by providing their email address, people who are on your email marketing list are much more likely to make a purchase from you. You must take care of that relationship.
5. Virtual reality, augmented reality, and voice technology
Three major trends can be seen in the future as we look forward. First, voice recognition tools like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa For instance, McDonald’s recently disclosed that it had purchased a start-up with a focus on voice technology for drive-through orders. Virtual reality is the second component, and augmented reality is the third. In all industries, but particularly in this one, the application of these two technologies will be enormous. Consider the previously unimaginable opportunities for storytelling. Beginning with the packaging service in shops and restaurants, and ultimately for enhancing the overall consumer experience. As we stated at the outset, the food industry is concerned with the world that food and drink forge around themselves.
Also Read: How do Luxury Brands Use Social Media to Market Themselves
The use of AR and VR tools and applications is anticipated to enhance how the food and beverage sector conducts business. The advantages are endless, ranging from boosting employee productivity to reducing the learning curve. Enhancing customer satisfaction, and enhancing a company’s social media presence. Every aspect of conducting business in the food and beverage sector can be changed by augmented and virtual reality. As more manufacturers decide to join the game, we only anticipate that these efforts will increase by twofold in the future. If you work in the food or manufacturing industriesY you need to know how to combine these two technologies to increase your sales and market share.
Conclusion
Choosing one or two of these strategies for your new digital venture and mastering them before branching out into a new strategy are great approaches. Don’t be afraid to invest more in the strategy that is most successful for you because some may be more effective for your specific product than others. On the other hand, continue to support the other tactics as well.
