If you’re an SME food/drink producer, the chances are you don’t have a lot of time to devote to marketing. But yet you already know how crucial content marketing is. And you need to start with your blog! Here’s four ways to kick-start your content marketing drive without spending too much time or money.
- The story…the process – what makes food produced on a small scale so special is the unique story behind every provider, baker or brewer. Whether it’s a family recipe, a longstanding tradition or a unique way of making your food or drink, tell the story in your blog. It might be a strikingly individual cooking approach, a unique way to roast, simmer or ferment. Your story is interesting and it can add so much to the personality of your brand.
- Imagery, videos – it’s true that you cannot taste online, but you can build anticipation and this is where imagery and video comes in. Video and photography can bring your food to life because it gives vibrancy and colour. With quality cameras and video equipment now available at reasonable prices, this is something you can start doing straight away.
- The destination – so much about food marketing rests on the story as we already spoke about above. Your product may hail from a desolate mountain top in the west of Ireland, a family bakery in a famous village or a bustling city suburb. Often your location is your identity in a food marketing context. Irish beef and lamb has been marketed for years on the strength of our ideal climate for breeding and producing award-winning livestock.
- Cooking, eating and preparation tips – your blog or online resources is all about helping your customers get the most of your product. If your product needs cooking and specialist preparation, you need to make sure everyone knows how to do it. If you’re a small food producer, this is easy. A video blog with a cooking demo can be put together pretty quick – just make sure and prepare a script first! Or if your product is of the ready-to-eat variety, talk about complementary products. For example, if you brew specialist ale, talk about the best foods to go with it. Perhaps you can even co-operate with another producer on a mini joint venture….
If you’re a small food producer, you’re pretty busy with suppliers, equipment and so much more. Intelligent content marketing need not be time-consuming or expensive. With a little thought and a practical approach, you can get your content marketing drive up and running with ease. And if you need a hand writing content or coming up with ideas, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me – an experienced marketing communications freelancer.