Top tips to successfully market your brand

In the 1980s, British food-to-go brand Pret A Manger launched with a bang. Its happy, chatty approach to marketing had never been seen before, which allowed it to stand out on a crowded high street.

“At every touchpoint – whether it’s on a recruitment poster, on a napkin, or on their website – you get a real sense of Pret A Manger's brand personality from their tone of voice,” says Heather Atchison, founder and director of brand consultancy, Enough Said.

So, how can your brand be the next Pret?

How to successfully market your brand

First, decide who and what your brand is.

“Build a list, even if it’s just in your head, of what you are and what you are not,” Rachel Kettlewell, founder of jam brand, Fearne & Rosie, told FoodNavigator. “Be clear about what makes you you, and that will help you ensure your marketing in a way that will be true to your brand. So, for instance, Fearne & Rosie started because I was a teacher, and I wanted to provide healthier jams for school breakfast clubs.”

Once you’ve established your brand, identify your target market. Identifying your target market will allow you to have direct communication with your customers.

“Identifying your audience allows your business to focus marketing efforts and [money] on the groups that are most likely to buy from you,” says Raven Dreibelbis, founder of marketing firm, Raven Creative.

This approach could also help in competing with major brands.

“In the current economy, small businesses can compete with large businesses by marketing to defined audience groups,” says Dreibelbis. “Focusing on the needs of your current consumer helps your business to develop an effective marketing strategy while saving time and money along the way.”

It's important to have a tight communication strategy that's tailored to your demographic's interests. Having too broad an appeal risks appealing to no one.

For example, if your brand's customers are likely to be older, then you’ll likely use different language to if your customers are Gen Z​.

“Targeting a specific audience may seem exclusive, but it doesn’t mean that you are eliminating people that do not fit your criteria,” says Dreibelbis.

How to market your brand when budgets are tight

Marketing your brand before you launch is a great way to raise awareness and encourage interest in who you are and what you do. Social media is an easy and cost-free way to do this.

“Our marketing started organically with Instagram,” says Fearne & Rosie's Kettlewell. “When I started our business account, I reached out to people that I followed on my personal account and explained what I had made, what I was trying to do, why it was important and asked if it would be ok to send them some samples.”

Engaging with customers and even other brands on social can help to develop your brand. The food and drink start-up community is historically supportive, offering feedback and advice.  

“It’s still the first place I start when I’m testing new concepts or sharing new ideas,” says Fearne & Rosie’s Kettlewell.

But there's little comparison with the marketing power of being seen on shelves.

“For the first couple of years, we focused on building retail listings and establishing our place on shelves,” Huib van Bockel, founder of drinks brand, Tenzing, told FoodNavigator. “Rather than diving into major ad campaigns, we invested heavily in sampling, getting Tenzing into as many hands as possible.”

This is where branding becomes incredibly important. You want to appeal to customers who may never have seen or heard of you before. So be bold. Whether that be through colour, packaging design or branding.

And that doesn’t mean garish, but it does mean strong. You need to be recognisable, even if it’s by omitting any branding from your packaging design at all. Have you seen To Ol 1 Ton of Blueberries beer in the shops? You actually might have without even realising it. How you ask? Well, because this new Danish offering comes in word-free bottles and cans, featuring nothing but fluffy white clouds against a black background.

“I read somewhere that 70% of purchase decisions are made at shelf. So, investing in packaging and at shelf promotions will deliver the strongest ROI,” says Fearne & Rosie’s Kettlewell. “Your packaging is a marketing asset.”

Good luck!