Simple Tips to Market Your Ecommerce Food Business

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While starting an ecommerce food business may not be easy, running it successfully is more complicated. If you do not have the right strategy in place, you'll probably be using marketing tips and tricks in vain.
According to a consumer survey, 10-15% of food and beverage sales will be online by 2025. Comparing it to 10 years before, i.e., food and beverages ecommerce market share in 2016, that's almost ten times higher.
With competition increasing every day, you must stay a step ahead. So, here are some marketing tips to boost your ecommerce food business.

Tips for a Successful Ecommerce Food Business

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1. Make Sure Your Idea Is Unique and Relevant to the Present Scenario!

With such high competition and countless other food and beverage businesses, you must have a unique selling point. You need to identify a gap in the market and position your products or services to fulfill the same.
Most buyers are attracted by need more than mere want. You need to develop that sense of need, and a unique product takes you one step further. While it is not an easy task to identify unique products or services, it's a necessity.
So, consider this - product A has seven variants in the market, while product B is sold only by two brands. Now, in the case of 'A,' the consumers have a high buying power. This leads to lower prices and high competition.
On the other hand, 'B' is almost unique. We have only two choices, and the brand which provides higher quality at a reasonable price will capture a higher market share. Even better if we introduce a product 'C,' which didn't exist earlier!

2. Recognizing and Understanding Target Audience

When you market online, there's an added advantage. You can target a specific set of audiences. With digital ads, you get better reach and engagement as well. Yet, for the best results, you need to target correctly.
Businesses must conduct market research. It helps in identifying suitable customers for your product/services.
You must know the right people you'll sell to. Once you've identified them, consider what moves and motivates them. Use these emotions in your advertisement to connect with them.
Different platforms have contrasting tools for targeting audiences.
On Google Ads, for instance, you can target via age, gender and demographics. You can choose interests or device types that may also work. Facebook, on the other hand, offers multiple options.
You can segment your ads with target demographics or other parameters. Additionally, use groups to market to a niche audience with specific interests. Tailoring marketing and promotion to the relevant audience can improve sales substantially.

3. Understanding How Social Media Works and Choosing the Best Platforms for Your Business!

Social media platforms offer a great place for marketing your products. You can use community groups for some niche products.
There are also plenty of opportunities to display appealing visuals. Yet, it is essential to pick the channels most suited for your business. For the food business, LinkedIn might not be a great choice.
You cannot transfer the mouthwatering fragrance via online means. The next best thing about food is its visual appeal. So, you can post plenty of pictures. Instagram and Facebook are among the most relevant platforms for this.
Additionally, you can join community groups on Facebook to discuss the benefits of your food products.
Another interesting platform to use is Pinterest. Pinterest draws about ten times more shares and likes for food/drinks compared to Facebook.
If you wish to start a blog, you can work on health/wellness topics relevant to your product. You can also share some recipes which will go well with video content on YouTube.

4. Focusing on Website, UI, and Design

Your website and online store represent your business on the internet. It is important to have a fully functional, mobile-responsive, and clean website. The design must be simple and appealing.
Navigation needs to be easy. When people visit your website, they will most likely leave within 20-30 seconds if it does not hook them.
The design of your website is just as important as your product. You must focus on aesthetic designs, which showcase your food products.
If potential customers do not like your website or find it difficult to explore, they might end up not purchasing. Additionally, if you offer a host of products, you can add an ecommerce element, giving interested customers a convenient point of purchase.
In short, your website enhances your brand image on the digital front. Creating a good first impression is extremely important. Another equally important aspect is search engine optimization.
While most businesses have a good website, it is not ranked high on search engines.
To stay a step ahead of competitors, you need to attract the customer before them. While digital ads can help, technical and on-page SEO also assist in this process.

Related : Importance of UX for an eCommerce site & How it Impacts your SEO?

5. Producing Engaging & Interesting Content

Content is king - we've heard this a million times but fail to implement the correct strategies. To engage visitors, you need to have a strong content game. You can focus on thought leadership or simple informative content which your target audience may appreciate.
For instance, if you're a health foods brand, you can regularly publish about the benefits of healthy eating. Additionally, the content on the website can include the benefits of your products. Adding such content improves on-page SEO and also adds credibility to your brand.
People can make an informed decision when they understand the benefits of a product. It is essential to focus on content that adds value. Some basic content categories include benefits, how-to guides, appropriate user guides, and studies to support your claim.
Appropriate use of keywords can help in the better ranking of the website. Additionally, the visitors may connect with it and share them with their social circles. This gives you an opportunity for organic marketing and higher visibility.

6. Offering Free Shipping

While free shipping might not be possible for a new business, it can be added value. When you do not charge for shipping, you make consumers feel that they are only paying for the particular product.
Additionally, your competition online are the ecomerce giants, which already offer free shipping on most products.
Shipping might be perceived as an inconvenient and unnecessary cost, leading to lower sales on your ecommerce website.
In fact, according to a study, almost 31% of people who add products to a cart wait for a free shipping offer before completing the purchase. It just shows that you're ready to go the extra mile for customer satisfaction.
Especially if most of your competitors offer free shipping, you need to consider this. You do not want your customers bouncing away to a competitor just because of a negligible additional shipping cost.
As sales increase, you can always factor in the shipping cost due to volume purchase. If you're just beginning, try to find a shipping provider or courier service which offers low rates with a decent delivery time. You need to strike a balance between the cost and time to ensure a better customer experience.

7. Getting Genuine Testimonials and Customer Reviews

People often trust a user's review or recommendation more than the brand's claims when it comes to health and food. Of course, if your product delivers what it promises, you'll have plenty of good testimonials in no time.
How much value users see in your product is essential for a successful ecommerce food business. We see plenty of food businesses fail each year simply because of a mismatch in perceived value.
People value feedback, and good testimonials improve your online reputation. Additionally, they add a trust element to your business. You must invest both time and effort in customer satisfaction. Ensure that you have a responsive customer care system to promptly take care of queries and resolve any issues.
A good service can often override an isolated bad experience. So, ensure that you keep customers happy.
As a token of thanks, you can offer small discounts to individuals who share feedback and testimonials. This is a good way to go for new businesses, which might not have plenty of user reviews to share.

8. Understanding the Importance of Pricing and Inventory Strategies

Pricing is an important element, which decides the perceived value of a product. Any consumer considers the value delivered and the cost of the product to decide whether or not it was a good purchase.
You need to also consider competitor pricing and quality to decide.
Food businesses may have a lot of additional costs that come along with the preservation of the products. If you need to refrigerate the products in inventory, it adds to the bottom line.
Similarly, having and managing stock or inventory can be pricey for a new business. On the other hand, if you plan to sell fresh products, you need to have a proper space for packing and preparation.
To avoid high storage costs, you can always consider a dropshipping service. Yet again, it depends on the growth stage of your business.

9. Announcements and Promotions

Your marketing plan should be such that it excites prospective buyers. You need to ensure that promotions and announcements come along continuously. This keeps the buzz about your brand alive.
You cannot sleep on competitors promoting their products vigorously.
Such announcements and promotions can be included in a coming soon section on your website. Alternatively, add regular posts on social media. You may also use email marketing to ensure that your previous buyers stay updated. Such efforts ensure that you penetrate the minds of your potential and previous customers.
As you stay in the limelight, it improves brand recall. Hence, whenever they need a product you offer, there's a high chance they'll choose you.
New products, best sellers, and promo codes are some types of promotions and announcements you can use.

10. Preparing an Online Growth Plan For Your Business

Once you have your pricing, product, and marketing strategy in place, you need to gear up for growth.
While an ecommerce website can help you build a distinct brand, you must offer on some common seller platforms. These may include ecommerce giants like Amazon. You must be omnipresent. More the number of sale points, the higher sales you make.
You can now also use social media platforms to sell your products. The idea is to be available at every touchpoint that a potential customer may use. Once you launch, you need to work on promoting the brand.
Potential customers need to be aware of your offer to make a purchase. Additionally, make sure that your accounting and tracking are in place.
Once the ball gets rolling, you might have trouble tracking everything. You must also invest in digital marketing methods like email marketing or digital ads to improve lead generation and conversions.
Upselling products, automating email marketing for abandoned carts, scheduling social media posts, and automating product or review follow-up must all be a part of your growth strategy.

11. Making use of Influencers

In the age of social media giants, influencers can help improve brand image and visibility to a great extent. The best part is that you can find influencers in all cost ranges.
No matter how big or small your business is, you can harness the power of influencer marketing.
You can offer either free samples, monetary benefits, or even discounts to onboard influencers. Alongside review videos or posts, you can go live with influencers on their channel to promote your brand.
A critical element in choosing influencers who don't just have a good following but also high engagement with their followers.
Influencers who interact with their followers are more likely to convince them to choose a brand or product. You must also pay close attention to the demographics of their follower base. It must match your target audience to improve lead generation or conversions.

12. Your Brand Voice is Your Product's Personality

Every brand needs a voice.
Look at any food brand - burger king, dominos, wendys. They have a strong brand personality, and all their content resonates with the same tone of brand voice.
While your product might not be revolutionary, you can always use the marketing content to your advantage.
For instance, have you seen the moment marketing done by Zomato?
Or, check out how Durex uses humor and information to promote its products.
A marketing personality is essential for every brand to make it unique. Also, who doesn't love being the talk of the town with witty promotions?

13. Including as Many Images as Possible!

Visuals are probably the most important part of any ecommerce food business. As the customer cannot use the fragrance to make his pick, you must add tempting images. Images not only describe the product they also boost your SEO.
Written content can only help once you grab attention. With plenty of brands flooding the market, the customer's attention span is low.
Tempting images help grab attention fastest. Not to mention, good images can make people feel hungry, increasing chances of impulse purchase (we're just saying, market and sell food using the best possible way).

5 Ecommerce Marketing Tools You Must Know

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Related : Ecommerce SEO Tools

1. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a convenient SEO tool that you can use to promote your ecommerce food business and improve traffic to your website. You can use this tool for searching keywords, doing a competitor analysis, and even check backlinks.
All in all, it helps you improve your search engine optimization, both on-page and technical.
Once you are aware of the metrics, you can take steps to improve your search engine ranking. You can also find the type of content which performs better and conduct keyword research for ecommerce giants like Amazon.

2. Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics is a web analytics tool you can use to gain insights into user behavior and interaction. This data is further helpful in devising your marketing strategy and improving your website.
Using the tool, most businesses improve their traffic to conversion rates. It gives you data that helps improve the overall growth of your ecommerce website and business.

3. MailChimp

MailChimp is a platform that you can use for marketing your products effectively. It is perfect for small businesses. You can use this email marketing service provider to promote your products.
Additionally, make announcements and send promotions. It also gives you insightful data about your email marketing campaigns. Hence, it encourages improvement in future campaigns. Although it is comparatively costly compared to other similar services, it provides useful data, an unrivaled benefit.

4. Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor is another email marketing tool. It has an easy-to-use interface and plenty of useful features. It is a powerful email marketing software that offers great customer satisfaction.
You can schedule emails for your email marketing list and also analyze campaign performance. The data metrics help improve future campaigns or tweak current campaigns for better open rates and click-through rates.

5. Omnisend

Omnisend is also an email marketing software. Yet, it combines emails with SMS and hence, offers another means to reach potential customers. This marketing automation platform is highly beneficial for ecommerce businesses.
It focuses on business growth and can help you automate and customize email marketing campaigns based on campaign engagement and the behavior of individuals on your email list.