With both food and retail, customers hand over their money in exchange for a product or service. But in many respects the similarities end there, as food and retail are completely different in terms of hiring and training staff, monitoring stock levels, licenses to operate, and profit margins to name just a handful of contrasts.
For these reasons, a unique approach must be adopted for marketing activity too. But how do you go about promoting and publicising these two niches?
Finding common ground
Irrespective of the differences between food and retail, businesses in both sectors need to find ways in which to communicate with customers that encompass each and every individual. Take SMS marketing from Global Messaging for example. Chances are, most consumers will own a mobile phone and be able to receive a text message, as there are now more gadgets in the world than there are people.
But in spite of this common ground, the content of text messages must appeal to the uniqueness of separate audiences. Retailers might want to utilise SMS marketing to launch seasonal offers that last for anything up to a month. However, restaurants and the like might feel as though this is too long-term and could give customers the chance to capitalise on a promotion for that evening or the upcoming weekend instead.
Due to the immediacy of SMS marketing, organisations concerned with foodservices might find this medium more appealing. But that doesn’t mean to say retailers can’t take advantage of text messages either. It is all about finding the right content and approach for each marketing method according to your niche.
Addressing the audience’s wants and needs
With an arsenal of promotional platforms at their disposal, such as social media, PPC advertising, and email marketing, there will be a temptation for both food and retail organisations to cover as many bases as possible by introducing a multi-channel strategy. However, this isn’t always the best way to go.
Consumers who shop online might spend hours on end looking for potential products to buy. This could consist of visiting specific websites, conducting a Google search to discover more products of interest and browsing social media to gain further inspiration or to split-up their browsing activity. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for retailers to target audiences through these platforms.
However, it is unlikely that online users will do the same when looking for somewhere to eat. These consumers may already have a preference in mind and start looking for suitable restaurants in the local area, which is where directory listings become so important. They may even be influenced by a previous email that publicised a special offer.
So, it is crucial for food and retail companies to recognise and address their audience’s wants and needs. Not just when it comes to launching new products or promotions, but also when choosing where marketing activity will take place. Niche marketingrequires brands tounderstand what gaps exist, develop audience personas, tend to the requirements of these characters, and implement promotional campaigns accordingly.
