The way website is defined, “a group of World Wide Web pages usually containing hyperlinks to each other and made available online by an individual, company, educational institution, government, or organization” according to Merriam-Webster, has led to the general consensus that websites are static works of technology…a project finished once launched. However, for food and beverage marketers, their websites mean more than that to consumers.
Food and beverage brand websites are visited by 60% of consumers, who are influenced by website content in making food purchasing decisions, according to a recent Nielsen study of 29,000 consumers with internet access. In a recent Hartman Group study, 45% of respondents indicated that they visit food and beverage websites at least once a week, while 17% claimed they visit such sites daily. Sorry Merriam-Webster, but clearly it’s time to redefine website.
Back in the 1990’s, websites were developed as online brochures, typically augmenting or sometimes even replacing the printed counterpart. However, with the explosion of social media and interactive online capabilities, consumers have come to expect a dynamic experience with the websites they visit. Once developed, websites become organic, continually evolving spaces that capture new visitors as well as retain past visitors through dynamic content. For food and beverage marketers, a static online presence, essentially a brochure, is not adequate to sustain a brand in today’s marketplace.
Marketers tend to view website development as an expense, but once the website goes live, they often don’t make the transition to viewing the website as an asset. In order to thrive and bloom by achieving ROI goals, websites, like any garden, need to be tended. Content needs to be continually refreshed, and features and functions need to be updated and added. Food marketers have a wealth of relevant content to draw upon to keep their websites fresh and interesting, from new products, line extensions, serving suggestions, recipes, nutritional information, coupons, promotions, contests, and news.
Since websites are never really “done”, it’s time to think differently about defining them. They really are dynamic digital spaces, created by organizations to support defined objectives, that are continually adapting to changing information and marketplaces through interaction between people, objects and places. Food marketers need to think in these terms to keep their brands and products relevant.
