By Luke Chapman, Managing Director of Vale Pet Foods [1].
The industry has seen a real boom over the past 10 years, making it an extremely attractive market to venture into and, therefore, when you do so you need to make sure you have a strong product and can stand out amongst the crowd.
Whilst it can be tempting to mimic the habits of successful established brands, this may not be the best direction for your business. Here are 5 tips to ensure your brand is unique in this very crowded marketplace.
- Look for a sub-niche
In the pet industry, it's important to look out for and identify niche sub-groups that you can cater for specifically. For a sub-niche to be profitable, you need to be sure that people are looking for that niche and are not finding it in the existing market. Remember, you can only be profitable from a niche if someone is looking for what you are planning to sell.
To find a profitable sub-niche in the pet industry, you should look at where competition is at its lowest. Choose your battle wisely and only pick something that you are sure will meet a certain demand and is not teeming with competitors.
- Provide excellent customer service
One of the main ways successful pet brands stand out from their competitors and generate brand loyalty is through prioritising customer service. If you can completely understand your target market's needs and desires, whilst providing them with impeccable customer service, you're on to a winner.
When establishing your brand, ensure customer service is heavily embedded into your company ethos and your employees uphold this high standard of service.
Word of mouth is a great marketing tool and if you're known for your amazing customer relationships, this will speak for itself. In addition, providing top-notch customer service will cultivate a loyal following who are more likely to provide you with great testimonials and reviews.
- Think about your brand's values and be purpose driven
Solid brand values can give you an edge over bigger competitors. Think about what really matters to you and how you want your brand to be perceived by customers to ensure you have well-aligned brand values that appeal to your target audience. Perhaps your brand is more eco-friendly than others in the market, or caters to specific needs of the customer's pet, such as special dietary requirements.
If there are several companies that offer the same product or service as yours, consider whether they can all make all the same promises you can. Your brand's values help you stand out from the crowd by attracting similar, like-minded clientele who appreciate your values as they align with their own.
To be truly passionate and purpose driven, you must believe in your brand's values as they are inevitably an extension of your own personal values. This means you should never compromise on these values, as you always need to stay true to yourself and your brand.
- Consider influencer marketing and your online presence
Never under-estimate the power of influencer marketing. Influencers can help increase brand exposure and awareness through product promotion. When an influencer recommends or endorses your brand, their followers are likely to take notice.
It's important to pick the influencers you work with wisely, and to ensure they are trusted by their audience and their recommendations appear genuine. Collaborating with the right people can help you cut through the noise and attract the right audience for your brand, as well as start a meaningful online conversation about it.
Many consumers discover businesses online first. Therefore, nowadays it is essential that most businesses build a strong online presence to be successful, and that their websites and social media accounts follow the same consistent branding and key messaging.
When customers are researching online, they value transparency and up to date, relevant content on a brand's website and social media channels. Having a strong online presence can also help build strong customer relationships through interaction. Statistics show that when consumers interact with a brand via social media, they feel a stronger connection and are more likely to buy from that business.
- Perfect your branding
A customer's first impression of a business is formed from the very outset by the initial branding they see, whether this be in a store, on product packaging or on the brand's social media channels or website. That's why it's crucial that you get your branding right.
When coming up with your branding, you might look to other companies in the industry for inspiration, but it's so important to differentiate yourself from competitors in order to be seen.
Remember to stick with consistent colours and fonts, as these are two of the main elements that will make your brand memorable. In addition, ensure you have a strong, easily recognisable logo, which can be linked with your brand without any context.
Brands that are easily understood, have strong online and shelf presence and focus heavily on customer service have the best chance of creating meaningful relationships with their target audience, and are more likely to build customer loyalty. For any brand in the industry, these customer relationships can lead to significant success and put you ahead of the rest.