January 26, 2023

3 Strategies for Getting the Most Out of Your Foodservice Marketing Agency

With manufacturers always focused on goals and sales targets, a crucial partner in these endeavors is your foodservice marketing agency. Here are a few strategies on how to maximize ROI with your agency and ensure everyone is set up for success.

Clearly Define the Scope and Problem to Solve

Whether you’re launching a new product or introducing a rebate to help a slow-moving item sell better, knowing your goal and clearly articulating it to your agency partner helps get everyone moving in the same direction more quickly.

Communicating known barriers to conversion can sometimes come as an afterthought, but being upfront about customer perceptions and challenges gives your agency new avenues to explore. These challenges are defined differently depending on the organization, but thinking of them as “uncomfortable truths” can lead to honest discussions about how to overcome known perceptions or obstacles.

“We love a good challenge. It’s exciting and strategically satisfying to be brought to the table to think through how we can help our clients succeed. We always make time for these sessions and do our best to facilitate them whenever we can.”

— Anita Nelson, President

Briefing Sessions with Key Stakeholders

Everyone’s time is extremely valuable, so when planning a project, a “fewer is better” approach might seem to make sense. But including everyone for whom the project has implications is a smart strategy. Not every person needs to be involved once the project is underway, but initially soliciting opinions or advice from a wider audience can bring in fresh thinking that may not have been included at the beginning.

We’ve often had amazing ideas come from members of the culinary or sales team that made a project much more effective in the long run. I’m glad we brought them into the process when we did.

— Beth Lube, Account Director

Many groups use the RACI method which groups people into different categories along the course of a project. The acronym stands for: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed. Making this distinction in briefs helps ensure due diligence within your organization and helps bring in fresh, new opinions.

Clearly Defined Budgets and Scope

With money being tight and everyone needing to get as much as possible from every single dollar, knowing how much is there to work with — and sticking to it — helps ensure there are no surprises down the road. This strategy is a tight collaboration between client and agency. Understanding and appreciating the budget upfront helps keep ideas practical and executional. Sure, drones delivering coffee at a tradeshow sounds amazing, but not when the budget calls for revamped display graphics and true sales-driving tactics.

When it comes to the scope of the project, it’s always a good idea to include your agency partner early in the process. You might have only one deliverable in mind (a marketing email, landing page, etc.), but it’s the job of your agency to help you think of tactics to amplify every project. Exploring other ways for your project to come to life earlier in the process helps you avoid “scope creep” and ensures more accurate timelines as well as budgets.

“We love to bring big ideas — that fit within budgets. You turn our creatives lose on a project and you’ll get some amazing ideas, but their experience and discipline keep them grounded on what’s possible and what really works.”

— Anita Nelson, President

Have questions about getting the most from your foodservice marketing agency? We’re standing by and always ready to talk about how we can help create success. Here’s to a delicious, profitable 2023!

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