For food and beverage marketers, connecting with and engaging consumers has become the major thrust of most marketing initiatives. Online advertising, email, and particularly social media, have proven themselves to be much more than the promotional “flavor of the year“, and with good reason. They facilitate personal, one-on-one interaction with consumers, and foster brand awareness and trust. But there is one very big caveat marketers need to know: it is not the quantity of content a brand puts forth . . . it’s the quality of that content that drives successful marketing.
In food and beverage marketing, what defines great content? Here are three key questions to ask in developing content that will build and strengthen brands through consumer engagement with a brand’s website, online advertising, email and social media marketing campaigns.
1. What’s the value?
If a brand is going to ask consumers to read and respond to its messages and content, that content has to be of value to the consumer audience. For food marketers, it’s more than claiming superior product attributes. What’s in it for consumers? Content of value provides useful information and unique insights into the food product and its variety of uses. Recipes, serving suggestions, targeted nutritional information…all of these subjects provide food marketers with a rich source of content that is of value to consumers and can enrich their experiences in using food products. Great content is written from the perspective of consumers’ interests and needs for relevant information. While incentives to purchase a product can be incorporated into audience-focused content with a direct response mechanism, great content is not simply a self-serving sales pitch.
2. Where’s the audience?
In developing great content, it is important to understand where the target audience is “hanging out” online. This knowledge not only ensures that the target audience will actually have an opportunity to see a brand’s content, it also sets the tone and feel of the content. A food brand’s choice of venue for its content speaks volumes about the brand’s understanding of its core consumers and how to reach them. Misplaced content serves no purpose no matter how good the content may be. The right venue is one that the target audience already regularly visits and trusts, allowing a marketer to leverage existing trust between the venue and the audience.
3. What’s the purpose?
Food marketers should consider this question from two perspectives. Developing content that is meaningful and engaging to the target audience is the first perspective, but it is equally important to consider the brand’s strategic goals. Food marketers need to be cautious about topics that might garner a great deal of attention, a sensational headline or topic for example, but the content does not really align with the brand’s strategic goals. The purpose of great content is to provide relevant information to the target audience while supporting the brand’s core strategic goals. Generating an audience of “curiosity seekers” through content that does not really align with brand values serves no purpose.
If you can answer these questions, you’re on your way to developing content that will engage your consumers and differentiate your brand from competitors. In food marketing, there is a need for both self-promoting advertising and content marketing. What’s really important is understanding the difference and using each of these tools effectively.
