Now that we’re well into the 21st century, effective digital marketing is essential for any company. This couldn't be more true in the CPG business.
The CPG market is continuously growing, which is great for consumers. But, as you know, that means it's also becoming increasingly competitive.
Staying relevant and top of mind for consumers
The bottom line is, digital marketing is vital for CPG brands.
In 2021, CPG brands have increased their digital ad spend by more than 30% –– which takes the yearly average up to nearly $31 billion in ad spending!
If you’re not well-versed in the world of digital marketing, it can feel daunting to spend so much money on an ongoing campaign. But with a little guidance, you’ll soon see that digital marketing is the very best investment you can make for your brand.
So what are the golden rules for getting it right? In this post, we're covering the dos and don'ts of digital marketing for CPG brands, to give you a deeper understanding of its value and different approaches.
Why is digital marketing important for a CPG business?
Let’s briefly go over the benefits of digital marketing for your CPG brand. Why is it worth your investment?
- Tell your brand story and give consumers a peek behind the curtain.
- Open two-way conversations with your customers, to make them feel heard and understood.
- Reach different audiences on different platforms, then tailor your content for each one.
- Gain insights into your followers and what they like.
- Stay top of mind and trigger brand recognition.
- Analyze multiple campaigns to figure out what your customers most respond to.
As you can see, the benefits are pretty overwhelming. And that’s not even to mention the increased ROI and conversion rate that come from your social media followers.
But having a digital presence and nailing your marketing strategy are two very different things. Let’s go through some of the biggest dos and don’ts –– starting with the things to focus on.
Best practices for digital marketing for a CPG business
Interact with customers
The best thing about the internet, for brands, is the immediate connection you have with your customers.
Through social media and online chat tools, you can really open yourself up to customer feedback and questions.
Getting quick and helpful responses from a brand will make a customer feel important, like you actually care about their needs and not just a sale.
You can build on this by adding a comment section to your website, hosting Q+A sessions on Instagram stories or Facebook Live, and replying to direct messages as fast as possible.
Go multi-platform
When setting up your social channels, follow your audience. These days almost everyone uses a wide range of different social media platforms, with each one serving a different purpose.
It’s important to keep your brand identity strong across all platforms, in terms of tone, branding, names and handles. But you’ll soon see that audiences will respond better to certain content when it’s on Facebook, say, over Instagram –– and vice versa.
Keep up with trends
Internet culture moves quickly and it can be hard to keep up…we get it! But one of the quickest ways to stall growth is by being out of touch with what’s going on.
Invest time and energy into your social presence. Look at what your competitors are doing, how your audience interacts with brand posts and learn about different apps and technology that other CPG brands are using.
You’ll find more success with digital marketing if you understand what’s going on in the digital world!
Encourage user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the best (and most cost-effective ways) you can market your brand. By encouraging your customers to share content about your brand online you:
- Increase the share of voice on social media
- Improve trust in your brand and products
- Get content that you can re-share (with permission!)
- Create an identity around your brand that is understood by your audiences
Get an expert opinion
As we’ve said, digital marketing is an excellent investment...but only when you know what you’re doing.
It’s a great idea to ask for outside help if you find online marketing and social media to be a little too much for you to manage on top of running your company.
There are plenty of digital marketing strategists who can help you nail down your goals and grow your brand online.
Understand your audience and analyze insights
Most social media platforms have excellent built-in tools to help you analyze exactly what happens with everything you post.
You can’t just set it and forget it. Use these insights to help inform future campaigns, learn more about your audiences and adapt your content for each platform.
With just a little extra work, you can get much more return on your investment for your digital marketing campaigns.
Mix up your medium
Don’t just stick to text posts. The beauty of social media and the internet is the endless number of ways you can get your message across.
Photos, short-form video, galleries, podcasts, blog posts, live video, Instagram stories…the list is endless!
It can actually be pretty fun to experiment with different media and see what works best for your content and your audience. Test everything out and see what sticks.
Things to avoid in digital marketing for your CPG brand
Don’t get caught up in SEO
Often when we’re creating content for the internet, it’s easy to get lost in all things SEO and keywords.
Yes, you want to show up in Google searches. But it’s more important to remember the real people who will be reading your content.
From blog posts and website copy, to Instagram captions and Facebook posts, write in an engaging and natural way. It’s so easy to tell when something’s been written solely for SEO –– and that’ll instantly turn customers away.
Don’t use spam
Think about how annoyed you get when your inbox gets filled with spam. Yes, it might be a quick and cost-effective way to contact people, but you’re better off putting time and effort into creating digital content that people actually want to see.
Don’t forget about mobile content
Even if you’re crafting your digital strategy on a computer, you should definitely be optimizing your content for mobile devices. Of the 4.5 billion social media users around the world, 99% access these platforms on their mobile phones.
So when you’re creating images, video, text posts, and even your website, always be sure to check how it will look on a phone screen!
Don’t overly promote
Yes, the end goal of digital marketing is to promote your content. But that doesn’t mean every single thing you do has to be a sales pitch.
People will follow your social media and visit your website to learn more about your brand.
Give them content that serves them, entertains them and educates them. They’re more likely to stick around for this kind of content over a constant barrage of CTAs and sales pushes.
And please – don’t like your own posts!
It’s tacky! There’s not much else to say about this one.
Are you just getting your CPG company off the ground?
If you’re looking for innovative ways to grow your customer base and get eyes on your product, you’ve come to the right place.
At Buffalo Market, we’re passionate about working with mission-driven and planet-friendly brands, to give them a chance to thrive in the mainstream US CPG market.
Our direct store delivery and merchandising services take the burden off you, so you can focus more on branding, marketing and hitting all your additional goals.
Get in touch today, and we’ll get back to you ASAP with a plan for how we can work together.
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