When most people think of marketing, they think about promotion—pushing out your message to people and hoping they’ll decide to buy. But who wants to be “marketed” to anymore? Instead, what if we thought of marketing as connecting?
For this week’s Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast, host and Food & Beverage Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva lays out a 6-step framework for the journey our end consumers go through – from when they first hear about your product to deciding to buy it, try it, buy it again, and (hopefully) recommend it to others. We look at all of this through the lens of connecting: creating a two-way conversation with consumers that gets them just as engaged as you are.
1. Awareness: The consumer has some skepticism
People are understandably skeptical about new brands because good food can often cost a little more, and let’s face it – they’ve been burned in the past. When you get specific about who you’re talking to and why they should pay attention, you messages will resonate and get people interested…you don’t have to shout the loudest to get someone to notice you. This is why it’s so critical to put in the work on your ideal consumer definition.
2. Trial: They’re intrigued
This is the first moment of truth to take your connection to the next level. How can you get someone intrigued about your product? Taste tests are hard these days, but what about smaller sampler packages, or bundling with another product to offer value on that first purchase? Or testimonials from people like them, to reduce the risk? The key concept here is to create intrigue and curiosity so they’ll decide to take the next step.
3. Purchase: They’re hopeful
The second moment of truth is when you actually end up in their shopping cart and they make a purchase. The key mindset shift you need to make is to see a purchase as the beginning of a long term connection. How can you create a relationship that continues after they bag you up and bring you home?
4. Usage: They’re delighted
The third moment of truth is when they actually give your products a try. Can you delight your consumer and meet or even exceed expectations? While a lot of this comes down to your product living up to the promises you’ve made, there are opportunities to connect with copy on your packaging, recipes on social media—whatever you can do to show how your product fits into your consumers’ lives. Remember that they are the hero of this story, and your product is something that helps them along the way.
5. Repeat Purchase: They’re excited
If we’ve played our cards right so far and your product’s a hit, the next step is for your consumer to decide to make another purchase. How do you make that easy for them? How do you tell them you appreciate their business? So many business owners spend so much time working to get new customers that they forget about the ones they already have. Reply on social media, mine your data to identify “frequent fliers” and do something special for them. You could even show you anticipate their needs by creating a subscription service. The key here is to nurture your connection so your product is an automatic purchase, rather than a decision that has to be rethought every time they’re in the store or online.
6. Referral: They’re bursting at the seams to share
This is where your connection is so strong that you start to generate that incredible word-of-mouth marketing everyone talks about. The key here is to get so clear about what your brand offers and why it’s valuable that your customers can’t help but repeat your message.
Climbing the connection ladder relies on a clearly defined brand strategy. If you need help with that, Katie’s new Real Food Brands WorkshopTM Series is the place to start, with the first on-demand workshop being Brand Strategy Fundamentals. You’ll get a video series with her step-by-step process, along with a workbook and a private online community hosted by Katie to help you actually get the work done. This is a workshop after all, and we’re looking forward to getting started with you to set your brand apart!
Visit realfoodbrands.com/workshop to get started.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out at katie@realfoodbrands.com.
Now, let’s go shake up shopping carts!
In This Episode:
- Why we need to shift our mindset about marketing to think broadly, and from simply promoting to actually connecting.
- How to think about marketing as a two-way conversation throughout the consumer lifecycle.
- How to overcome the skepticism people might have when they first hear about a new brand.
- Creative ideas for driving trial and getting your product out into the hands of your ideal consumers.
- Why a purchase is only the first step in your long-term relationship with your consumer.
- How to turn a first-time purchaser into a repeat buyer and eventually one of the biggest fans of your brand who tells their friends.
- How a clear brand strategy can your products find their way into more carts.
Quotes:
“Instead of a Marketer, what if I said I’m a Connector? Doesn’t that just immediately give you a different feeling and make you think more about an interesting and engaging 2-way conversation? ” – Katie Mleziva
“When you know who you’re talking to and that your message is dialed in, you don’t have to shout to drown out the other kids, or brands in this case, because the right people take note.” – Katie Mleziva
“Strong connections are built on trust and mutual benefit—how are you going to live up to their expectations and delight them?” – Katie Mleziva
“Many business owners, not even just in food, spend so much time working to get new customers and they forget how much upside potential there is in nurturing their existing relationships.” – Katie Mleziva
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