Dan MoyleCPG brands—producers and distributors of consumer-packaged goods— face quite a marketing challenge today. The biggest brands in the CPG space seem to have unlimited advertising budgets to increase brand awareness.
While it’s not true, and we’ve seen advertising shift, it still feels very real.
Plus, the inbound marketing movement just doesn’t seem like it will work for a CPG brand in today’s ultra-busy world.
While the old-school brand affinity world may be turned upside down, brand awareness is still critical today. Modern consumers have the opportunity to discover new brands they align with easier and faster than ever before.
If you’re not using inbound marketing to bring people to your brand, you’re missing out.
First, a refresher on what inbound marketing is.
According to industry leader HubSpot, inbound marketing is a business methodology where you attract customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. Outbound marketing interrupts your audience with content they don’t want. Inbound marketing forms connections they’re looking for and solves problems they already have.
So basically you’re creating content that matters to your ideal customer, getting it in front of them when they’re ready, engaging with them and delighting them, analyzing what works and then making happen again and again.
Most of this work happens online, but it spans both digital and face-to-face interactions. So let’s dive in.
Using Inbound Marketing for Brand Awareness
From content creation to email marketing to social media and beyond, the inbound marketing strategy can— and does— actually work quite well for CPG brands.
When you take into account the various platforms used with inbound marketing, you can begin to see the pieces of the puzzle coming together. A website, blog, social media, email campaigns and video all help CPG brands build brand awareness.
Showcase Use Cases of Your Product
Maybe you sell mushrooms to both consumers and restaurants/supermarkets. Those are two different client profiles with different concerns.
However, they’re both people. And people love to eat. Putting together mushroom recipes complete with great photos and printable recipes will reach people through their stomachs!
If you’re a CPG brand that sells natural soaps, showcase how moms and dads are keeping their allergy-laden children clean and healthy with your products. Maybe they’re willing to go on video and show off their kids playing in a beautiful yard.
However you can show off your products with real users, give it a try. And if possible, make it a downloadable resource like a full guide or recipe book!
Tell the Stories of Your Partners (Farmers, Truck Drivers)
From the farmers who help you grow the ingredients in your all-natural baby food to the hard-working truck drivers delivering your healthy snack bars to grocery stores, the behind-the-scenes stories connected to your CPG brand are nearly endless.
Imagine telling those stories through blog articles, videos, social media posts and even podcast episodes and connecting with an audience who falls in love with your brand.
Building brand awareness through stories, especially stories of everyday heroes, is a great use of inbound marketing for CPG companies.
Create Videos
Video creation isn’t inherently inbound marketing. TV ads and social media ads are outbound. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, according to a 2019 report on video marketing, 80% of people surveyed video ads are more relevant to them than any other form of advertising. So, video ads aren’t out of the question.
However, when we talk about video marketing in an inbound way to build awareness, we’re looking more at strategies like answering questions your customers have and sharing stories that matter to them. Who doesn't love story time?
A CPG brand could create videos showing how to use their products, again like how-to videos of recipes. You could tell stories of employees and partners.
Another great use of video to create brand awareness is to use personalized 1:1 videos in your marketing and sales. You can record someone talking directly to a business partner prospect explaining a side to your CPG product that would help them understand the power of working with you.
Video will definitely take your inbound marketing for brand awareness to the next level.
CPG Brands Can Use Inbound Marketing to Build Awareness and Grow
When you attract people to your website through great content, build a sticky website that keeps them involved and turn viewers into leads, you’re using inbound marketing.
When you establish your social media presence and get people to engage with you, your team and your brand, inbound marketing is working for your brand awareness.
Then you can create effective email marketing campaigns to help further engage and build relationships, turning leads into delighted customers and even further, ambassadors.
Plus as you collaborate with industry influencers to create even better content, you’re really putting this modern digital marketing strategy we call inbound to work for your CPG brand.
Welcome to the new world!
Grocery photo by Peter Bond on Unsplash