Health food stores are no longer a niche interest for a small portion of the population. The demand for healthy foods and alternative nutrition options has grown exponentially, and this is great news for any health food business owner.
But the market has now been flooded with new options, and it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Here are a few tried and true methods for marketing your health food business:
1. Be unconventional
Chances are, people aren’t going to find your brand online. Instead, they’ll be more likely to stumble on your products in the store. This means your brand must visibly stand out from the competition in order to get placed in the shopping cart. Brands like Dave’s Killer Bread have captured the eyes of shoppers by placing their brand’s story and mission directly on the bread bags. When there are 100 other options for a product like yours, whether it’s bread or green superfoods powder, standing out is the #1 way to successfully market to customers.
2. Get mentions
Anyone who is invested in a healthy lifestyle, AKA your target audience, is likely to be reading any reputable publications about the topic. A good strategy to get noticed by this audience is by being mentioned in these publications, whether it’s a round-up of the best organic oatmeal or a list of which protein powder to take on a camping trip. And a great way to make your product a viral one is by partnering with an influencer who will genuinely use your product and show the benefits to their audience.
3. Create a lifestyle
Healthy food is only one part of the overall goal your customers have in mind when they buy your products. They’re attempting to construct a lifestyle for themselves, and by identifying that lifestyle and catering to it, you can help them see how your product fits into that picture. This might mean catering to athletes or those who aspire to an athletic lifestyle, fitting into a niche diet with a large following, or even finding the particular aesthetic your product meshes with.
4. Be an educator
The consumers of this day and age are concerned with more than just the nutritional content of a product. A brand that is open about the entire supply chain of its products and is able to prove its commitment to sustainability and humane processes is guaranteed to appeal to a wide audience. Consumers who are concerned with these issues will be reassured by honesty, and are more likely to spend a little extra to get that reassurance. It can also pay to educate your customers about the benefits of your product, particularly if it’s not yet a popular part of the average diet. By having real research to back up any health-related claims made by your brand, you’ll appeal to the more critical consumer, and will quickly rise to the top of the heap in the health food industry.
5. Follow through post-purchase
Once you’ve made a sale, it’s easy to lean back and rely on your product’s virtues to bring them back again. But neglecting to follow up after a purchase is a great way to lose a potentially loyal customer. Whether you’re sending out surveys or just checking in on the customer’s experience, it’s important to continue receiving data from a customer once they’ve shown their willingness to give it. You can invite the customer to post a picture using your hashtag, enter food photography competitions, or join a rewards program. Using Customer Relations Management software is a great way to tap into this resource and continue reaping the benefits long after a purchase has been completed.
As a smaller business in the food industry, you have the advantage of being able to hop on new trends and be innovative and creative with your marketing. Use these tips to make the most of your advantage and start telling the world about your brand today.
