Why Businesses in The Food & Beverage Industry Need A Digital Marketing Strategy.

With so many businesses in the food and beverage industry, it’s hard to make your business stand out and attract customers. If you’re trying to drum up more business, make sure previous customers keep coming back, and build up a strong community around your business, you’re going to struggle without a digital marketing strategy.

In the last year, due to the pandemic, we’ve seen unprecedented numbers of people signing up to social media and spending more time on the internet. Businesses have had to alter their typical ‘real-life’ marketing strategies, and digital marketing has become a vital part of business survival and growth.

So, although 2020 was a testing year for businesses in this industry, it’s also been a year of realisation and change - your business has to be present online and on social media platforms for it to succeed. Even more so, you have to have a digital marketing strategy in place.

In this article, we’re going to explain why businesses in the food and beverage industry need a digital marketing strategy, as well as provide some ideas that you might want to incorporate into your digital marketing strategy!

Being Online Allows Customers To Know Your Business Information

Having a website and social media profiles allows customers, and potential customers, to know information about your business. For example, if you have a restaurant, you can show opening times, your menu, your location, and special offers online. This information being online isn’t just beneficial, but it’s essential!

Digital Marketing Increases Business Visibility and Reach

Whether you decide to use paid ads, put efforts into SEO, or have a bulletproof plan to grow your social media organically, digital marketing increases your business’s visibility and reach. As soon as your business has an online presence, you’ll attract people that would’ve otherwise never stepped foot in your restaurant, or worked with your business, simply because they didn’t know you existed.

Social Media Allows Fast Interaction With Customers

Social media accounts are important, and one of the best (although seemingly small) reasons for this is because it allows you to have quick interactions with your potential customers. If someone has a question about your business, they can simply drop you a direct message and you can get back to them ASAP. This is obviously much less time consuming than an email or a visit to your business, and it improves the customer experience.

Diners Check Online Reviews and Social Media Before Deciding To Dine

Research shows that 94% of diners will check online reviews before choosing a restaurant to dine at. So, it’s important to focus on review management. In addition, nearly 50% of diners are influenced to go (or to not go) to a restaurant by social media. So, it’s important that you’re not only on social media but that you have a strong profile that engages and entices potential customers.

Working With Food Bloggers and Influencers Increases Reach and Popularity

Although influencer marketing might have a bad rap, in the food and beverage industry, it’s extremely useful. Food bloggers and influencers genuinely influence their followers, with studies showing that 84% of consumers make purchases after reading about a product or service on a blog, and 92% of consumers trust the recommendations of friends, relatives, and influencers more than any other form of advertising.

Digital Marketing Allows You To Stay Fresh In Your Customer’s Minds

A strong digital marketing strategy doesn’t only help to bring in new customers, but it also strengthens and improves the relationship your business has with existing customers. By interacting with customers on social media, sending a regular newsletter, or running online customer loyalty programs, you strengthen the relationship with existing customers, hopefully turning them into loyal supports of your business.

Ready To Get Online and Put Together Your Digital Marketing Strategy?

Now you’re aware of how vital it is for businesses in the food and beverage industry to have a presence online, and a digital marketing strategy, you should be raring to go.

If you’re unsure how to navigate around the world of digital marketing, or you need help with boosting your brand’s visibility, reach and online presence in general, get in touch with us, and our team can help expand and grow your business.