Your seafood business relies on regular business in order to not only survive, but thrive. Integrating the right online marketing tactics is one of the best ways you can harness opportunities for reaching and engaging with both potential and existing customers.
Here are 15 ways to market your seafood business online.
- Know who your customers are.
Before you can market to anyone, you need to know who your seafood company is marketing to. Do you tend to deal with local customers or tourists? Are most of your customers men, women, or both? Do you have a lot of customers who buy raw seafood or prefer cooked meals? - Understand how you stand out.
What does your seafood business have that no one else has? What makes you different and worthwhile for customers to come to instead of your competition? Talk about your value proposition…and talk about it often. - What problems do you solve?
Take your value proposition a step further by understanding the problems you solve for your customers. Do you provide fresh, local seafood that keeps families eating healthy? Do you provide other businesses with fresh catches at a fair price? - Work hard to keep existing customers.
Marketing doesn’t mean simply to new customers; it’s also vital for your existing customers. According to Forbes, it costs five times as much to acquire a new customer than keep an existing customer. Consider how your seafood business can continuously keep existing customers engaged so they keep coming back time and time again. - Create memorable branding.
With your target audience and value proposition in mind, design (or have branding designed) that speaks to you as a seafood company. Ensure your branding (logo, coloring, fonts, tagline, etc.) appear on any and all marketing materials to keep total cohesion. - Create an online hub for customers: your website.
It’s beneficial for any form of seafood business – from fishermen to distributors to restaurants – to have a website that gives potential customers information that they need to do business with you. Your website should be user focused and user friendly, highlighting clear calls-to-action (or what you want visitors to do next). - Consider content creation.
Creating regular content that brings in new customers and engages existing customers will help establish your seafood company as the go-to business in your niche. It also adds incredible value for your customers. Post articles, recipes, and even videos to engage with your audience. - Optimize your online presence with SEO.
Harnessing the power of Search Engine Optimization will help your seafood organization be found through the search engines. Since a whopping 93% of online interactions start with a search, it’s critical you’re there. Use the same keywords your audience is searching for on your website and gain as many relevant incoming links as you can. - Don’t forget about local search.
If you’re a local business, it’s also imperative to show up in the Google “snack pack” (or local search results). List your seafood company on Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, and other local listing sites that make sense for you. - Promote with ads.
When your organic promotional tactics need a little help, ads such as Google ads or social media ads, are a great way to attract even more potential customers. - Engage with social media.
Seafood companies have a unique opportunity within social media: food images are powerful, can be very beautiful, and are a great way to engage your audience. Platforms like Instagram, which is very image-focused, is a great way to attract a following. - Follow up with emails.
An email newsletter is still the most high converting form of digital marketing, with averages around 4%. Touching base regularly reminds your customers you’re there and adding a great resource (like a fun recipe) will help you stand out. - Never stop measuring.
One of the greatest aspects of digital marketing is that you can measure everything you do. Pay attention using tools like Google Analytics to better understand how your digital marketing efforts are engaging customers. - Pay special attention to what’s working.
It should go without saying that you should continue doing what’s working for your seafood company, but it’s just as easy for many business owners to overlook! Using your online analytics data to determine what marketing tactics are bringing in business. - Change what’s not working.
Similarly, be sure to change, adjust, or simply stop doing the digital marketing tactics that aren’t working for you. If Instagram isn’t the place for you, try different types of content altogether, then move on to another social media platform.
Start checking off items on this list and your seafood company will be successful online in no time!
If you need help checking off some items and creating a digital marketing presence that represents your seafood business and reaches your target market, contact us at OSC Web Design.
