The 5 hottest foodservice marketing trends

It wasn’t that long ago that a robust foodservice marketing campaign consisted of trade ads, sales materials and an operator rebate or incentive. And, while many of these tactics are still viable, today’s operators are busier than ever and it takes a more thoughtful approach to engage (and convert) them. Here are the biggest trends we’re seeing in foodservice marketing campaigns:

1) Data-driven planning

With the amount of data available to manufacturers today, it’s not surprising that savvy marketers are leveraging it in their planning process. For example, if you’re seeing seasonal search trends for a particular product or recipe, why not capitalize on it by proactively building an entire campaign around those key search terms? Leverage the wide variety of tracking metrics available, including website analytics, click-through rates and A/B tests to name just a few.

2) An authentic, emotional approach

For years, most foodservice marketing messages focused either on generating profits or reducing labor. While these are important benefits, meeting operators on an authentic, emotional level takes your message to a completely different level. Social media is a great place to test this by sharing behind-the-scenes photos and showcasing the stories of the people behind your products. For example, what is your culinary team working on? Where do they get their inspiration? Those are the kinds of stories that connect operators to your brand on a more meaningful level.

3) Solution-oriented promotions

Gone are the days when promotions were limited to cash back rebates or trips. Manufacturers today understand the challenges that operators face and are creative with prizes that bring long-lasting value to the operation, such as free publicity, culinary training or items that can help drive profits or increase efficiency, such as new equipment.

4) Content-first campaigns

Building long-term relationships with foodservice operators takes more than a product-centric, sales-focused approach. By nurturing the relationship through valuable trend or recipe-focused content, you’re demonstrating you want to offer solutions, as opposed to just moving cases. Each channel has its own unique challenges, so develop content that addresses those. For example, sharing creative participation-building ideas for K-12 operators, or dessert ideas that could build delivery revenue for a pizzeria operator.

5) Sampling made easy

We all know the power of trying a new product in the grocery store and immediately deciding to purchase it. Foodservice operators are no different, and they’re passionate about what they serve. By making it easy for them to sample your products, there’s a good chance you’ll earn their business. We talked to one operator who sampled a bottled sauce years ago, and it’s now a staple ingredient on their menu ­­– so much so that they switched distributors in order to get it!

Looking to grow your foodservice business? With nearly 25 years in B2B food marketing, we bring expertise and experience to heat up your sales. Contact Anita Nelson directly at 612-353-3410.

3 ways foodservice manufacturers can help operators take on delivery

Takeout and delivery have become table stakes for restaurants. Since 2013, digital orders have grown at an average annual rate of 23% according to The NPD Group, and are expected to triple in volume by the end of 2020.

Yet, because of this rapid growth in the delivery sector, there is little information out there to help operators navigate this new territory. Operators are forced to juggle between driving traffic to their restaurant and developing an off-premise plan – whether that means managing a new delivery partner relationship or understanding how to staff with this new revenue stream – all while remaining profitable.

Here are 3 ways foodservice manufacturers can support their operators in taking on take-out:

  1. Provide suggestions on how to serve your products so they taste just as good at home.

Not all delivery food is created equal. Pizza and Pad Thai often last the car ride much better than French fries and tacos. How can you help your operator ensure their food makes the trip, and still tastes delicious? Consider creating specific preparation instructions and recipe inspiration for your products so that they work well for delivery. These can be communicated via case inserts, follow-up emails after orders, or sales sheets.

  1. Incentivize purchase with on-the-go packaging.

Packaging is an important piece of delivery – not only does it ensure the safe (and tasty!) arrival of food, it also gives diners their first impression of a restaurant. Utilize rebate redemptions or limited time offers to incentive purchase by offering delivery containers, napkins and cutlery that work well for your products. Get inspired by Lamb Weston, who not only developed a specific recipe for delivery, but also a special container to ensure their fries are always as crispy as when they are served fresh. Bonus points if you use compostable containers!

  1. Create customizable marketing materials to promote delivery options.

If a restaurant is investing time and money in a delivery system, menu and process, they need actual sales to justify the costs. Ease the burden of promoting takeout and delivery options by offering some value-added marketing materials for your operators. Ideas include:

    • Digital and social templates that restaurants can easily add their logo to
    • Customizable flyers that restaurants can deliver to their local neighborhoods
    • How-to sheet for advertising with major restaurant delivery partners
    • Email template that operators can copy and paste to notify their customers
    • Customizable menu inserts to encourage future delivery orders

Delivery is a fast-growing trend and presents a golden opportunity for foodservice manufacturers to position themselves as true partners with their operators. Consumers are informing operators’ priorities by increasingly asking for takeout options, and in turn operators are relying on YOU to help them make takeout easy and profitable. Of course, helping operators delight their patrons is in your best interest too! Build the collaborative partnerships that will keep operators coming back for your products by helping them expand their business into the delivery space.

Navigating Trade Show Season 2018

Tradeshows can be expensive and overwhelming, but they are also an excellent marketing opportunity. If you’re on the fence about participating, read on! We’re laying out the reasons trade shows could be advantageous for you, tips to make your show a success, and a list of upcoming shows where you can make your splash in the industry.

Why attend a tradeshow?

Participating in a tradeshow means multiple days in the same room as thousands of people who have the potential to grow your business: buyers, sellers, distributors, influencers, packaging experts, marketers, etc. It also provides the unique and valuable opportunity to network with other food companies, see new trends in the biz, scope out the competition and build new friendships.

How to make your show a success?

Be as prepared as possible.

Just when you think you have everything on your list, there’s something else, right? Each tradeshow comes with a learning curve and it’s good practice to get as prepared as possible ahead of time. Note: printing materials, shipping, and set-up can be more time consuming than you think. It’s important to plan ahead and make sure you have enough time to set yourself up for success. Shipping a pallet? Make sure to throw an extra roll of shrink wrap in for its return.

Other musts on your packing list:

  • Display materials (signage, tablecloth, banners, etc.)
  • Business cards (and a pouch to collect the ones you get)
    • We recommend writing a few notes about the conversation you had on the back of the card, so it’s easy to recall who you spoke with when looking through your stack of cards after the show.
  • Samples and small giveaway items
  • Sales sheets
  • Company information
  • Comfortable shoes – Trade shows make for lots of standing at the booth or walking around the show. Plus, if you’re traveling, you might want to do some celebratory sight-seeing after the show!

Staffing

This is a balancing act. You need enough people to allow breaks and help with set-up, but you don’t want your booth to feel overcrowded. Three people manning the booth at a time is usually a good number (depending on how large your booth is). Other hands on deck can walk the show, checking out trends and competition.

Stand out

With hundreds of other vendors, this can be a tall order, but above all remember that it’s important to create an experience and remain true to your company. Pro-tip: Samples, freebies, and demonstrations attract an audience. Also, a lot of people get full (can you imagine?) from all the samples, so hand-outs and on-the-go samples are important to consider.

Know your talking points

What is the main message you want to promote? How does it align with your business goals for the year? Have this prepared ahead of time to keep your conversations on track.

Smile!

Be approachable. This should be obvious, but tradeshows are a lot of work and exhausting. No matter how many cups of coffee it takes to get you through the day, keep a smile on your face and be ready to talk to anyone… you never know how far a good impression can go.

Convinced you want to exhibit?

Check out these upcoming shows!

Foodservice

Retail

Planning for a trade show?

Let’s work together.

The Lowdown on Pizza Expo 2018

Pizza Expo 2018 in Las Vegas was one for the books – walking between booths with increasingly full bellies and slightly less-full wallets (what’s a trip to Vegas without a round of video poker?) we kept our eyes peeled for the very latest trends in pizza. Here’s what we saw…er, tasted:

  1. Get on board with charcuterie. Booths everywhere displayed boards of artfully arranged cured meats, both alone and with honeys, nuts and cheeses. The message was clear: simple, elevated appetizers are in. Many pizzerias are choosing to create signature charcuterie boards with flavors that represent their operation, while others switch it up weekly in order to drive diner interest and use up extra ingredients they have on hand.
  2. Health-forward options are turning the tables on tradition. Besides “Non-GMO,” “Made with real ingredients,” and “Organic” signs everywhere, new companies are popularizing innovative ways to freshen up pizza. Cauliflower pizza crust, made with cauliflower as the first ingredient and thickened with almond flour, appeared at several different booths. We were pleasantly surprised by the taste of this unconventional crust, but the familiar texture is what really won our hearts. Who knew cauliflower could be such a satisfying alternative to traditional crust?
    • Another plant-based variation on the classic ‘za appeared at Pizza Expo in the form of vegan cheese. This trend isn’t entirely new to us since it’s already begun making its way around the Twin Cities (check out Parkway Pizza’s partnership with the Herbivorous Butcher!) but our hunch is that pizza lovers everywhere will be offered an increasing number of vegan cheese options in the future.
  1. Your booth makes a difference. Well-designed, well-staffed booths attracted more visitors, especially if samples or demos are involved. From one food industry expert (and bona-fide pizza fanatic) to another (you wouldn’t have read this far if you weren’t also obsessed with pizza, right?) here are some quick do’s and don’ts:
    • DO create a welcoming atmosphere. Try making a small café- or diner-like space in your booth. Not only does it give people a place to rest, it’s a great conversation starter.
    • DON’T overstaff sales reps. Balance the space you have with a non-intimidating number of personnel—no one wants to feel ganged-up on, even if that’s not your intention! If you have several team members at an event, take shifts. While some reps handle the booth, others can scout for new trends or competitive insights around the expo.
    • DO get interactive. Show what you know! Experiment with hosting a live demo or get conference attendees up close and personal to interact with your product. People need an enticing reason to stop by your booth.
    • DON’T forget water or beverages. Pay attention because this is important. There’s no way that we were the only Pizza Expo attendees searching for a water fountain between bites of pizza. While EVERYONE had mouthwatering food samples, there were no liquids anywhere! Try branded water bottles and cups to serve refreshments with your savory treats – trust us, attendees WILL find you.

Here’s to next year! (And no, we’re not sick of pizza).

B2B Social Media Do’s and Don’ts

With over 20 years of foodservice marketing under our belt, we know a thing or two about the B2B space here at IN Food. And, as social media plays such an enormous role in marketing and brand awareness today, we would be remiss not to share some of our tips, tricks and trade secrets. Here are 10 things to consider when leveraging social media for B2B marketing:

DO:

  • A/B Test. Social media channels are a great way to conduct A/B testing—you can post variations on the same content more than once, it’s easy to review analytics and paid social actually encourages A/B experimentation. Plus, you’ll be generating more content for your followers to enjoy. (Can you say win-win?)

Test different types of posts to find out what gets people to your website. What types of images work best? Do certain calls-to-action generate more clicks? Do questions perform better than statistics? Compile and analyze your results, and then use the data to inform other parts of your business: email subject lines, paid media headlines, article titles and more.

  • Be creative. Show your company’s personality! Social media is a casual space, and the more personality your brand conveys, the more authentic appeal you will command. This isn’t to say that all companies need to be delivering hysterical one-liners 24/7 (see @Wendy’s hilarious twitter account), but with a strong brand identity you can push the boundaries of conventional business messaging, whatever angle you take.
  • Interact with other accounts. There are millions of users on social media, to differentiate yourself from the masses, you need to make—and interact with—friends. Say it with us: The key to good social media is engagement. It’s imperative that you reach relevant accounts—interact with influencers, customers and industry publications to build your following and your credibility. Respond to their posts, share their articles, and tag them in your posts.There’s a reason social platforms are referred to as communities. By definition you can’t create a community on your own. Reach out! Be social!
  • Offer something of value. Why should followers care about what you’re saying? People at work are busy and not eager to add extra clutter to their days. Think about how you can make following your accounts worthwhile for target audiences by sharing industry statistics or trends that will make their jobs easier, providing a free downloadable item or even a rebate.
  • Repurpose content. Not everything that you post needs to be brand new—your team will burn out. Conduct a content audit and find new ways to share existing content. You can even experiment with new ways to position the same article to find out what makes people click. For example, we could share this article in the following ways:
    • 10 Ways to Maximize Your B2B Social Media
    • The Do’s and Don’ts of B2B Social Media
    • Here’s how to reach your B2B audience without paying a dime
    • 5 things to avoid when you’re a B2B social media community manager
    • The list goes on!

DON’T:

  • Be a megaphone! If you’re constantly sharing your products, your ideas and your news, your platform is all about YOU, not your audience. Cultivate authenticity and build credibility by making it all about THEM. Share industry articles that make their jobs easier. Lead with the benefit, not the product. B2B social media best practices suggest that you have no more than 30% of your content promoting your products or services.
  • Forget analytics. Track, track, track everything! Benchmarks vary so much from industry to industry, company to company—you are your own benchmark.

Where do your followers live? You won’t know until you start tracking. A few basics to watch: followers, likes/favorites, retweets/shares, comments and mentions. You should be keeping an eye on these at the bare minimum, but you should also consider incorporating tracking URLs for even more detailed analytics on your posts.

  • Plan out everything for the year. Social media is real-time and current. It allows you to respond to things as they happen. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you like to fly by the seat of your pants!) this means you can only prep so much in advance. We recommend planning posts in two-week intervals, supplemented by regular community monitoring and sharing of articles in real-time. Sharing and posting about industry events in a timely manner (preferably while they’re happening) is also a great way to engage with your followers.
  • Allow just anyone to post. Give thorough social media training to whoever is in charge of posting. This helps ensure that brand standards are maintained and messaging is appropriate. Nonetheless, it’s wise to have an escalation plan in case something goes wrong. Involve your PR team and leadership in addressing problematic situations.
  • “Set it and forget it.” Have a dedicated community manager who monitors notifications and is responsible for responding to people who interact with your brand.

Use these Do’s and Don’ts to increase the impact of your B2B social media. We’re confident you’ll be impressed with the results.

That said, keep in mind that social media is an ever-changing beast. Skilled wranglers of social platforms must be flexible, adaptable and open to new things—an attitude we’ve adopted and embrace every day here at IN Food.

Build food sales in 45 seconds or less.

With over 600,000 restaurants in the U.S., it’s virtually impossible for a food manufacturer to call on more than a small fraction – even with a robust direct or broker sales force. And with a typical sales call costing around $400, it’s imperative to find cost-effective ways to reach highly profitable independent operators. That’s where video can come into play. Here are just a few stats to show the power of video in your B2B marketing mix:

  • More than 70% of B2B buyers view video product demonstrations before making a purchase.1
  • A video on a B2B landing page can increase conversion by 80%2
  • 48% of B2B buyers use their smartphone to watch video3

Whether you’re using video to introduce a new product (such as our Yoplait® SmoothiePro™ example below), or using it to show new uses for a mature product category (such as our Marzetti® Dressing example), it can be a powerful way to extend the reach of your salesforce.

A single video can be leveraged in multiple ways to drive engagement and sales — from paid and social media, to your website, tradeshows, e-mails and blog posts.

Sauceibilities

Interested in exploring videos for your business? Contact anita@infoodmktg.com

1 IT Business Edge

2 Demand Metric B2B Video Marketing Benchmark and Best Practices Report, 2014

3 EMarketer, 2014

Leverage content marketing to drive B2B food sales

Content marketing is the technique of creating and distributing relevant, consistent content with the goal of attracting customers and driving profitable action. So what are the best ways to get started if you don’t have a plan in place?

1. Employ a range of tactics: An effective strategy requires a mix of different tactics that work together to support your message. A blog linked to your website can be an effective hub, with posts pushed out through social media channels. In fact, companies that blog 15 or more times per month get 5 times more traffic. Make sure your blog content is relevant to the audience, considering topics that hit on your customers’ pain points. Other top tactics are e-newsletters, website articles and case studies.

2. Leverage social media: LinkedIn is the #1 B2B content marketing tactic, and is ideal since it is a purely business-driven site. Here are a few other ways to leverage LinkedIn with your content marketing strategy:

  • Create a LinkedIn company or channel page and optimize the content for the keywords you want associated with your brand.
  • Leverage SlideShare to post presentations or PDFs to your LinkedIn page.
  • Become a LinkedIn group thought leader in your category and share your blog posts and other relevant content.

3. Think long-term: It’s tempting to focus on tactics that drive immediate case sales, but investing in content marketing will pay bigger dividends over the long-haul by positioning your brand as a relevant, solution provider.

Have you implemented a content marketing plan? If so, we’d love to hear how it’s working for you or help with any challenges you’re facing. Contact anita@infoodmktg.com for more information.

5 ways B2B food marketing is different than B2C

As food marketers, it’s critical to understand the potential challenges and opportunities each sales channel brings. Here are 5 ways the B2B channel varies from B2C, and how you can leverage the difference for maximum success in foodservice.

1. Sales volume: When you think about an individual consumer in the B2C world, the transaction size is minimal compared to a B2B customer. That means it’s critical to have sales systems in place to protect high-value relationships.

2. Number of buyers: Although there are fewer buyers in B2B, their influence is broad. Imagine the cost ramifications if your company lost favor with the person in charge of your chain account contract. Having a solid CRM system and strong sales accountability are two critical factors in customer retention.

3. Buying influences: In the B2B world, there’s no such thing as an impulse purchase since there are often multiple decisions makers. Ensure that your sales team has relevant information to share with all points of contact. For example, what’s important for a chef may be very different than a dietitian.

4. Buyer-seller relationship: Unlike the B2C market, foodservice sales are much more hands on, meaning your salesforce is critical to your success. But with over a million U.S. foodservice establishments, there’s no sales team that can effectively build so many relationships. One way to augment their efforts is to communicate directly to operators through e-newsletters, blogs and social media.

5. Decision cycle: The buying cycle is much longer in B2B, and it’s often not as easy to measure a campaign’s effectiveness. With that in mind, make sure you’re not abandoning your marketing efforts too soon. Unlike a consumer-focused campaign where a sales spike can be instantaneous, a foodservice campaign generally works at a much slower pace.

What other differences have you seen in B2B marketing? We’d love to hear about your recent successes, and are happy to help with any challenges you’re facing. Contact anita@infoodmktg.com for more information.