With intention in foodservice marketing, comes clarity. The stripping of subjectivity. The purpose behind the effort. Without intention, it’s all random. And that is a marketer’s worst nightmare.
Marketers, you ask:
- What does my buyer care about?
- How do I get in front of them?
- How do I know which channels or platforms are best?
- Should we be on [insert the latest social media magnet]?
- How do I manage my limited resources to do all the things?
It’s likely your managing supervisors and stakeholders are asking you the same questions, among others.
The answer to these questions is two-part:
One, you need a brand experience plan.
And two, OPE! You need a well-constructed approach to the big three: Owned, Paid, and Earned.
- Owned: Those over which your brands have the most control. Your content! And channels like your website, blog, ENLs, collateral – even your sales force.
- Paid: Those you funnel some funds into to amplify your owned and earned channel work and break through the noise. Channels like trade advertising, digital SEM and display, paid social, influencer marketing, lead generation, follower acquisition, and so forth.
- Earned: Those where you need to earn brand engagement. Mostly social media, PR, and buzz-building. Podcast guesting and speaking engagements. Spaces where you don’t get all the say in your brands’ meaning to buyers.
OPE!
It’s one thing to name and list out all your opportunities. It’s another to decide how to prioritize which you’re going to use to methodically accomplish your marketing objectives and winning strategies.
Here are 10 steps to consider:
- Segment your audience and narrow your experience plan to ONE primary target at a time.
- Do the research and insight development to understand what your targeted buyer cares most about.
- Know which designated market areas (regions, states, cities, etc.) present the most growth opportunity.
- Get all your options down, in terms of the OPE channels – what’s possible, no resource constraints considered just yet. Where is your targeted buyer spending their time?
- Construct the buyer journey.
- Understand the value of a new customer so you can begin to narrow your options, based on performance expectations and conversion flow by channel. (This is important as you sell in the investment needed or speak to ROI.)
- Layer on your resource outlook – budget available, team resources, key partners. (It’s OK if you don’t have all the answers … ahem … that’s what your agency is for!)
- Identify seasonal and occasional opportunities, based on buyer planning cycles, sales cycles, etc.
- Make decisions on where you’ll start, what goals you’re going after and how you’ll make decisions to optimize your efforts. Avoid the set-and-forget!
- Document your plans. Share with your stakeholders. Win.
With the right intention, comes clarity. And results.
