Brand Strategy can feel like a topic that is reserved for big food businesses more than emerging food businesses, but the concepts matter to brands of all sizes and make a big difference if you take the time to get clear about who your brand is at the core, who you serve and how you meet your consumers’ needs in a way your competitors can’t, or won’t, to set your brand apart.
In this episode of the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast, host and Food & Beverage Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva explains how to use Brand Strategy to evolve from making a good product to building a great brand.
Moving Beyond a Good Product
In the food and beverage industry, we spend a lot of time focusing on getting the product just right. If we just tweak our recipe, or change ingredients just a bit, or introduce line extensions, then we will be set up to take over our category and knock it out of the park with consumers and buyers. While having a good product is critical, the problem is that these examples above are all typically based on product features, not consumer benefits.
When building a strong brand you want to also focus on what your product does for consumers—the benefits it offers and how it fits into their story because they’re the person you need to attract and delight. We’re talking about remembering to think about “what’s in it for me?” from their point of view, not only talking about your product features. As Katie says, “If people don’t know what’s different about your brand, what do you think they tend to use to compare? Price! And 99% of you don’t want to play that game.”
Adding Value to Your Brand
People often ask Katie how they’ll know when it’s the right time to build their brand? The answer is always the same: now. And you don’t need to spend money on an expensive agency to get there if that’s not in your budget yet. Instead, work through the three Cs (and use previous episodes of the Real Food Brands Podcast to help – see links below) to answer one question: how can I meet my consumers’ needs in a way your competitors either can’t or won’t?
You can always work on your answer to that question over time. It’s a process, and you’ll be learning and taking in new information along the way. The important thing is that building your brand consistently leads to building a connection over time, and ultimately brand equity. That equity gives you trust and credibility with consumers, even if you make a few mis-steps here or there.
We get much more in-depth in the episode about the actionable steps you can take to get started shifting from a good product to a great brand today, so be sure to listen for some key tips.
Don’t forget to visit realfoodbrands.com/strongbrand to get on the list for a free 5 day training the week of 2/1/21 to help set your brand apart.
Now, let’s go shake up shopping carts!
In This Episode:
- The event that sparked Katie’s interest in brand management.
- Why a good food product is necessary, but not enough.
- Why the time for brand strategy is always now.
- The danger of focusing only on product.
- How building a strong brand is like a bank account.
- Why clarity and confidence are so important for building a brand.
- How a strong brand can help you build brand recognition and word of mouth marketing.
- How having a strong brand can help you with new product launches.
- Where to sign up for a free 5-day training starting 2/1/21
Quotes:
“When you have a great product, your product is at the center of everything you do. A lot of your focus is on execution and operational tasks. When you are building a strong brand, your product is also great, but your consumer is really at the center of everything you do.” – Katie Mleziva
“I like to say that my brand strategy process makes it simple but not easy. It IS hard work, but that’s why it can help set you apart…not everybody knows how to do it or takes the time to do it!” – Katie Mleziva
“If people don’t know what’s different about your brand, what do you think they tend to use to compare? Price! And 99% of the time, you don’t want to play that game.” – Katie Mleziva
Resources:
- Ep #56: Meeting Consumer Needs – What Are You REALLY Selling?
- Ep #64: [Brand Strategy Series] Setting Your Food Business Apart Step 1: The Competitive Snapshot
- Ep #65: [Brand Strategy Series] Setting Your Food Business Apart Step 2: Identifying Your Ideal Consumer
- Ep #66: [Brand Strategy Series] Setting Your Food Business Apart Step 3: Company Strategy
- Ep #68: Turn Your Marketing Plan into a Consumer Connection Plan
- Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group
- Connect with Katie on Instagram
- Brand Strategy StreamlinedTM Course – NEW!
- Get Your Free Brand Strategy Checkup
