Brandamentals Academy™
Virtual Brand Mentor
This is the place to download FREE marketing and branding tips,
tricks, and insights to grow your business!
Connecting With Consumers Beyond Your Products
Download the Recipe for Successful Brand Workbook.
Brand Positioning That Tells A Story
Connect With Consumers Beyond Your Products
Creating a personality and lifestyle branding for your food & beverage company can be complicated. But with a few defining guardrails your company can stand out against the competition. I believe there are six simple topics that will help your company connect with consumers beyond your products.
Vision, Values, Mission, Target Audience, Reasons to Believe and Brand Personality
When building your business it is important to go beyond your products features and benefits and connect with your consumer through a bigger story. Maybe as a lifestyle brand that is part of your consumers everyday life as a friend who shares ideas, connections and inspiration. I have outlined a few key topics that can help you build your story.
- Define the vision and purpose of the company. What is the reason the company was started and what inspiration do you want to share with the industry and consumers?
- What values or traits do you know to be true no matter the situation? Wellness? Sustainability? Giving back?
- What is the mission of the company? What specifically does the company do (type of product or service)?
- Who is the target audience and what problem are you solving for them?
- What are is the #1 reason consumers will believe in you? What is the company's uniqueness? What makes you stand out from the competition? AKA the company’s unique selling proposition.
- What are the key personality characteristics of the business that you can capitalize on? Is the company fun or educational; friendly and approachable or rebellious and innovative? Is the company family oriented or young and trendy?
Download the Recipe for Successful Brand Workbook. It’ll give you some ideas for where to focus your storytelling and connect with your audience.
Let’s brainstorm ideas together and create the brand of your dreams. Schedule for a complimentary discovery chat.
New Hope Network State of Natural & Organic - 2022 Expo East
Download The State of Natural & Organic
2022 Expo East
New Hope Network State of Natural & Organic - 2022 Expo East
Highlights
Below are a few highlights from the New Hope Network Key Note presentation at Expo East, September 2022 - State of Natural and Organic with Carlotta Mast, Nick McCoy and Kathryn Peters.
- Top trends: sober curious, upcycling, purpose driven climate solutions, functional food
- Functional F&B continues momentum across categories
- Top growth categories: Beverages, Desserts, Snacks
- Hot functional conditions: Hydration, Energy, Focus, Digestion, Sleep
- Theme: how do we all prosper while we build a healthy and just industry (business) while helping the plant regenerate. The earth needs our help.
- By 2023 with natural and organic eco system will be $300 Billion dollars
- The Covid boost - consumers tried all kinds of natural and organic products during the pandemic to stock their pantry or fill a need where the conventional shelf was empty. That introduction has opened their eyes to a better-for-you world of products. Realizing taste and function are there for them and changing their behaviors.
- Across all retail outlets, shoppers continue to buy natural products at an increasing rate (62%) and outpacing other product sales growth in conventional 38%
- Post pandemic online sales are slowing with 59% of 21 sales coming from Brick and Mortar retailers. Consumers want that in-store experience and ability to discover new products.
- Private label products growth is 50% faster than national brands - consumers are trying new items based on PL value. If a brand competes with a PL product it could mean that if the brand keeps their price = to the PL consumers will look/buy/try the brand's product - opening up new customers.
Kerry 2023 TASTE AND NUTRITION CHARTS
Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers & Identify Your Target Consumer.
Download The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers & Identify Your Target Consumer.
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers & Identify Your Target Consumer.
Brand positioning creates clarity and guidance around what you do and who you serve.
It also defines to your target consumer why you are the best company for them and gives them reasons to believe in you and your products. Knowing your target audience is an important step to building the right messaging that connects with your customers and that connection builds engagement, conversion, loyalty, and ultimately advocacy. And that is something every brand owner is looking to achieve.
When you know your customers, your most loyal fans, then you can smartly craft specific messages that will connect with them right away. Your goal is to be focused on your Ideal Customer and then start to build look-alike customers to expand your reach.
I am sharing two exercises that you can do to identify your target audience. One is outlining the key identifiers to understand what is driving your consumers to purchase or not purchase. The second exercise is to conduct Validation Calls with your customers. These calls are In-depth, real-time conversations you have with your current and potential customers - consumers and retailers. You can uncover insights, fears, concerns, challenges, wants and needs of your target market.You can download the workbook “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers” that provides more details and offers you a space to brainstorm and outline your Ideal Customer. Enjoy.
Read the full article in the Brand Guide Journal.
- A Creative Brief Roadmap
How To Write A Creative Brief That Gives You The Best Results
Download the
Brand Guide
Creative Brief
Template
Starting the creative process for any branding or marketing project in your business can be a daunting task - if you let it. But if you have a roadmap and outline of what you need and your expectations you can manage the process with ease and have a little fun while you do it.
The job of a creative brief is to provide insights to help the creative team - graphic designer, copywriter, artist, web designer, or social media manager. You want to provide the right amount and the right data points for the team to provide you with “on-brand” creative and content that is consistent and authentic for your business. Don’t let your creative brief be a data dump of research and information that the team needs to sift through. Provide concise info that will help them gather the insights they need without getting too far into the weeds.
Download the Creative Brief Template to help you down the path to your best creative development.
Read the full list of recommendations and insights on the Brand Guide Journal.
- Setting Your Marketing BudgetTo Get Results
A simple budgeting template to prioritize and allocate your spending.
Download the Brandamentals Academy
Marketing Budget Template
Setting your marketing budget can be challenging and you don’t want to play with your business money like it is Monopoly money. It is important to set up a budget with key objectives so that you can prioritize and measure your success. Where do you start?
Start with your marketing strategy - what is your plan of action to attain your company vision and mission
Set your marketing budget
Prioritize your marketing tactics
Be realistic with the tactics and resources you are allocating - people and dollars. What categories of marketing tactics are most important to connect with your target audience? I have included a downloadable excel spreadsheet that I have bucketed the different categories you should consider for your business. When determining your priorities look at this as an evolving process, not a one-time exercise. Your marketing strategy should be focused but it is also a test and learn model. You should always be learning and adapting to what is and is not working.
Read the full list of recommendations and insights on the Brand Guide Journal.
- Consumer Path to Purchase GuideA mini-guide for you to learn focused steps to engage and interactwith your customers in a meaningful way.
Understanding the journey your customers take from your brand being an unknown, to brand loyalty can be a winding road. The goal is to invest in each turn along the journey and invite your consumer to hop in for the ride. What is paramount for any brand is to build products and experiences that connect with your customer. It is these experiences and touchpoints that engage consumers and keep them coming back for more. Building lasting relationships that shape your brand and bring loyalty and advocacy to the forefront are critical in today’s market.
Path to Purchase
360° Journey
Download the Guide
- Authentic Content Guide
Content Success starts with Triple E
Execute, Engage and Excite
Excite your fans and influencers to do the talking
Engage and be a part of the conversation
Execute with original and curated content
The goal is to bring together the right elements and grow this interaction through a network of information, opinions, and conversations
Authentic and personalized relationship bring trust and support
Engage and be a part of the conversation
- Content engagement is crucial as a connection to your fan
This workbook is filled with starter questions to get you in tune with your fans, exercises to help you outline your strategy, objectives, and tactics, reminders for topics related to a 30/60/10 content strategy, and hashtag starter ideas.
A content management tool to organize your partnerships, themes, holidays, promotions, trend highlights, and weekly inspiration. An annual and monthly calendar to keep your consistent messaging organized.
What you will learn:
- Content strategy, objectives, and tactics
- Goals for leveraging your content
- The 30/60/10 content strategy rule
- Why a content calendar is important
- Where to post all your great content
- Why authentic and consistent content is your goal
Watch the video and download the workbook and calendar template.
- Packaging Checklist for Food LabelsA checklist that will help you get the right "stuff" on your food label -while keeping your messaging consistent and “on brand”.
You have your packaging design consistent and “on brand” now you need to create packaging specific to each product. I’ve created a checklist that will help you think through all the details for your product label. Use this document as a starting point to be sure you have all the right information related to the FDA requirements and also to allow your Company “Reasons to Believe” statements and brand voice to be consistent and encourage purchases. I’ve include FDA Guideline links and be sure to add elements that are specific to your company and your products. Make this checklist your own.
Download the Checklist
FoodPreneur E-Book Excerpt
FREE 30-Minute Discovery Call
I understand your biggest struggle with inconsistent brand messaging
& the execution of that messaging.
I can help you find a clear path to spark a change in your communication strategy.
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Brand Ideas for Your Business
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