FMCG: Online Customer Acquisition Strategy FMCG Online Customer Acquisition Strategy CopperBridge Media Strategy team Edited By: Vineet Singh
2 Education: Launch, Reputation & Visibility Overview FMCG segment can be a marketer s delight as well as a nightmare if the realities on the ground or the online footprints are not interpreted correctly. There are various positions and schools of thoughts on the 360* view of marketing, particularly when the channels of online marketing are trying to blend into and complement all the other marketing avenues that were considered the benchmark just a few years ago terms like Integrated marketing, Cross-Channel and Multi-channel marketing find their way into the marketing strategy meetings very frequently. But, is it that linear? Where some of the highest ROI channels are opted and the campaign kicks off? FMCG sector is known for its extreme scrutiny and brands cannot be created in a hurry by applying and assembling some of the known and time-tested marketing channels. 2 Confidential & Proprietary: CopperBridge Media
3 Education: Launch, Reputation & Visibility FMCG Campaign Planning The growing competition amongst the global providers presents a highly competitive industry. With supply far outweighing the demand, the campaign planning (for service providers) is built on the foundations of a threadbare analysis of business opportunities and market landscape. Audience segmentation in the FMCG segment Understanding the whims and whereabouts of your potential customers is essential to carve out a compelling message. Apart from the regular demographics, insight of the gender, age and consumption footprint of the consumers are indispensable for an objective and ROIbased market campaign. Consumers have become as knowledgeable as the marketers themselves and this opens up the door for the business owners an avenue where unadulterated views about your product or service can be heard at zero cost. It lets you know what and when to deliver and the most important of all whom to deliver. The ground reality Competition Good performance is always hinged on a good measurement process. An effective marketing metrics can be put in place if the relevant data from market, consumer consumption pattern, needs and objectives are on the drawing board Did we forget competition? These are the most valuable business information available to a marketer considering that a considerable amount of time and resources have been invested by your competitors in order to get where you want to be. In order to better your competition, a dashboard of all the details and insights about your competitors will provide the right intelligence to the campaign planning not to forget that the major players in medical tourism segment are innovating at a rapid pace. 3 Confidential & Proprietary: CopperBridge Media
4 Education: Launch, Reputation & Visibility Customer Value Proposition Every business is trying to sell their dream product / service to the customer, but a few of these are extremely successful while majority of the businesses are defined by mediocrity FMCG segment is no exception. The distinction might just be the value proposition that we are offering to our consumers. The top 2% of the online sellers are dedicated to selling the preferences and needs of the consumers, while the rest of the seller community is busy selling their own version of the customers needs. Consumer mindset Any segment associated with work-life balance, wellness, travel, health, nutrition and education demand a greater attention to customer value proposition. In the FMCG industry, the following sentiments play a major role in the decision-making. The consumers usually prefer to go with a trusted brands name (even if it is comparatively costlier) Affordability is a big factor, but not at the cost of quality Good and approachable references make a major difference Accreditations and recognized certificates are crucial for generating business This equates to a FMCG brand that is built around the needs of the customer and which resonates a delightful experience for the customer. FMCG segment The finer details Transparency is critical to establish a long lasting bond between the consumers and that too in the quick span of 10-15 seconds. Based on customer surveys, a few things on top of the transparency chart are Elaborate details of the offered product accompanied by a comparative pricing table Picture and video supported information Ingredients, Side effects and other health related information shared with clarity 4 Confidential & Proprietary: CopperBridge Media
5 Education: Launch, Reputation & Visibility 360* Online Campaign & Positioning There are various positions and schools of thoughts on the 360* view of marketing, particularly when the channels of online marketing are trying to blend into and complement all the other marketing avenues that were considered the benchmark just a few years ago terms like Integrated marketing, Cross-Channel and Multi-channel marketing find their way into the marketing strategy meetings very frequently. But, is it that linear? Where some of the highest ROI channels are opted and the campaign kicks off? FMCG sector is known for its extreme scrutiny and brands cannot be created in a hurry by applying and assembling some of the known and time-tested marketing channels. This over simplification seldom results in an effective marketing script Think Audience The only constant in this vibrant economic landscape is the pole position of your audience from where they dictate the longevity of a brand. Identify the leisure place as well as the play ground of your audience Perform a survey where your potential customers spend their time with their online buddies and where they invest their energies in seeking or contributing their wisdom. Bracketing your audience into age-group, gender and demography will be crucial to identify their communities. This becomes your base camp for creating a marketing channel mix whether it is the likes of Facebook, itune Apps, LinkedIn, YouTube music videos, Tweet campaigns and slideshare presentation. Think Channels With wireless technology moving fast and furious and moving towards the 5G technology in a hurry, the usage pattern of internet has changed dramatically. Web is being browsed in greater numbers on hand-held devices and on different mobile operating systems Blackberry, iphones and mini Notebooks have started replacing laptops in a major shift. But, the traditional media has not entirely been forsaken TV, radio and print media marketing still occupy a sizeable chunk of the marketing strategy and budget. Awareness campaigns through search engines (paid & organic) are complemented by the social media optimization, which in turn offer the perfect foil for the traditional marketing mix for FMCG industry. 5 Confidential & Proprietary: CopperBridge Media
6 Education: Launch, Reputation & Visibility Consumer Demography and Profiling The brand positioning in the FMCG sector demands more than a good insight about the customer behavior and lifestyle trends. Highly integrated with the field of psychology, consumer behavior profiling takes a new meaning in the FMCG domain. Capturing the consumer voices The new breeds of consumers are active on the sharing web Research and information sharing is a regular chore for the new web savvy consumers. In many cases, consumer sentiments enable the marketers to make concrete and businessworthy modifications to their products and services. In order to tap the knowledge and needs of customers, a listening mechanism should be enabled in the online and offline world which brings the voice of customers to your drawing table. The knowledge network The last decade has witnessed the advent and gradual maturing of a slew of community-based, professional and niche social networks. The volume of customer voices and market intelligence available on these networks is staggering and waiting to be leveraged and put into action. Apart from the regular joints like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, FourSquare and instagram, every industry segment can dive into their specific industry networks managed and administered by experts in their fields. 6 Confidential & Proprietary: CopperBridge Media
7 Education: Launch, Reputation & Visibility New Business Prospecting Today, majority of the consumers have access to internet and to the exhaustive information about the products, brands and the relative value proposition. Transparency and ease of accessibility is expected and anything less than this can result in a negative image about the brand / product. So, a trusted brand means a credible and exhaustive information model. This sets a solid foundation for new business prospects and a sustainable customer acquisition practice. Listen to your customers Competition in the FMCG sector is extremely high and the market leaders will be established by dint of superior product quality care and personal attention to customers. Branding is a very simple process in this Fast Moving Consumer goods segment and this is directly related to the information sharing between the consumers and the manufacturers / brand demanding a complete alignment of products with the expectations of the patient. Nurture and acquire More than any other industry, FMCG sector is marked by a high degree of sentimental persuasion and emotional engagement goes a long way in creating brand ambassadors out of your consumers. It is essential that the brands / product manufacturers offer the tools, technology, information model and simplified processes to the new generation of consumers. 7 Confidential & Proprietary: CopperBridge Media
8 Education: Launch, Reputation & Visibility 8 Confidential & Proprietary: CopperBridge Media