They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. In a world where the internet practically rules everything, sadly, it’s not always the case anymore. In fact, there are multiple ways to a consumer’s heart than just his stomach. Moreover, in a saturated market like the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry where consumers are constantly spoilt for choices, there can be many challenges faced by the F&B Industry in Singapore. But good news for you — there are also many highly effective marketing strategies for f&b businesses in this digital age. This is where a creative agency is essential for your business. So if you’re looking to explore digital marketing in Singapore for your f&b business, sit on tight.
1. Get Social
Like it or not, social media is a double-edged sword. To start things off, there are 2.1 million Instagram users in Singapore. You don’t have to look for consumers on Instagram, your audience is already right there for you. Plus, social media is an effective way to build your online presence. Here’s a quick run-down of what social media platforms can do for your f&b business:
- Boost your online presence
- Earn free publicity by users (when they post pictures of your food)
- Tap into influencers and their followers to expand your consumer base
- Inexpensive & effective digital marketing strategy to reach a wider audience
So in case you haven’t realised — social media posts wield a strong influence in the discovery process of your brand.
2. Ace Your Website Design
Your storefront is not the only face of your company. The growth and proliferation of the internet have honed consumers’ into forming judgements based on the outlook of your website alone. Moreover, with the hit of the coronavirus pandemic, many companies were forced to uptake digital solutions to keep their businesses afloat. A website never proved to be handier in reeling customers in than before. So if you’re looking to engage a creative agency for website design in Singapore, then we got you. Be it a website revamp to designing a website from scratch, we can do it all.
3. Grab a Partner
When the government announced that there’d be no bubble tea shops open during the circuit breaker, many Singaporeans were devastated. But the bubble tea businesses did not falter. Food businesses and bubble tea brands took this opportunity to pair up and ensure that Singaporeans could still get their daily dose of boba. In no time at all, there were various alternative bubble tea delivery options in Singapore for consumers to get their boba fix. This way, bubble tea shops didn’t have to suffer a loss in revenue and food businesses could ride on bubble tea cravings to boost their food sales as well. Here’s our favourite collaboration from the circuit breaker period:
From copies to visuals, we loved this whole collaboration. Working with brands that resonate your brand values and share a similar target audience is a great way to drive awareness for both brands. More than just a meaningful partnership, both brands can stand to gain from a collaboration (like the UNIQLO x KAWS collection where people went ham). A win-win situation, if you know what I mean.
4. Personalise Your Content
The most genuine form of communication is when it’s personalised and tailored for each consumer. Just like how most clothing websites have a ‘You May Also Like’ section on every other page, many food applications tailor their content to appeal to consumers by offering them just what they like. I mean, who doesn’t like to feel important right? Brands are taking personalised marketing to the next level with various methods like eCommerce marketing automation or loyalty schemes. Here’s an example of how Grab never fails to tempt users into opting for GrabFood for just one more time:
5. Amp Your Photography Game
Consumers are becoming more visual by the day. It is also proven that people only remember 10% of the information they hear 3 days later, while they remember 65% of information from a visual in the same time frame. Visual content can be extremely powerful in your marketing strategy, as long as you know how to use it. Plus, images can be used over and over and in multiple ways. From websites to physical marketing collaterals or even social media, photos can be adapted and utilised in several ways to enhance your brand image. Thus, investing in good photography can stand you in good stead in time to come. I mean, who wouldn’t be tempted when you present some tantalizing photos of your new bakes?! This is how @chouxbysa kills their food photography game:
6. Get acquainted with Search Engines
In a world where you Google everything for answers, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this. You’ve heard of Search Engine Optimisation and Search Engine Marketing or the terms SEO and SEM. But you’ve never really tried to find out what it is before and what it could possibly do for you. So here’s a peek into what SEO and SEM offer:
- SEO — Search Engine Optimisation refers to improving your website ranking on Google and driving traffic to your website — ORGANICALLY = via non-paid means. Imagine being on the first page of Google search results when you type “best cafe in Singapore”. Crazy right? But absolutely possible and we can do that for you. 😉If you’re keen to know more, drop us a message!
- SEM — Search Engine Marketing or SEM, on the other hand, refers to paid advertising where companies pay to enhance their online visibility through optimisation and Google ads.
If this is all too technical for you, just know that SEO and SEM are powerful tools to increase your website’s traffic and that they both can garner the eyeballs you need. Remember, Google is a man’s best friend (and your business should definitely be best friends with Google too!).
7. Prioritise Reviews
The influence that word-of-mouth marketing has on consumer buying decisions has been tested and proven too many times that anyone would know it can yield amazing results to get your brand known. So if your f&b business is online, you definitely want to allocate space for reviews on your website or food app. With Singaporeans constantly on the hunt for “Instgrammable food” or “Instgrammable cafes”, you can’t deny a 5-star rating for sure. So if you want to be the talk of the town, allow consumers to leave reviews online in order to lure a wider audience in.
The (digital) world is your oyster! Don’t be afraid of digital disruption, but instead, embrace it with loving hands. The internet has shaped consumers to be seasoned critics with information being so readily accessible. That also means f&b businesses would have to be at the top of their game in order to shine and cut through the noise. If you’re looking to cook up your digital marketing recipe, hit us up. Our brand guardians would be more than eggcited to help you!
