With the snack food market in India growing at 25% CAGR, its no secret that the average Indian consumer is shifting the focus from junk food to healthy packaged snacks. Interestingly, it is not just an increased awareness about the lack of nutrition in junk food that has led to this shift. Multiple growth factors like the fact that millennials lead increasingly busy lives and cannot always account for meals, along with an increase in fitness culture in India have led to more and more consumers choosing healthy snacks over junk food like chips.
Market giants like ITC are also expanding into this market by launching sub-brands like Bingo! Starters, which offers legume and grain-based snacks. Similarly, larger names like Haldiram’s and Bikaner have dominated this market segment for decades. Thus, if you are planning to get into the healthy snacks market, it is essential to take concrete measures to ensure your success. So, with that in mind, keep reading to find out how to build a strong healthy snacks brand in India!
Establish a credible online presence
Tech-savvy consumers of today are more likely to Google a brand on hearing about than any other consumers, and since Millennials do make up a considerable part of today’s market, it is crucial to take their needs into consideration. A great way to establish your healthy snacks brand would be to begin with the basics – get your website up and running, invest in SEO services, and make sure you rank on search engines like Google. Once you’ve covered the basics, you can start with active measures to increase brand awareness.
Invest in Digital Marketing services
Digital marketing helps your consumers learn as much as they can about your brand. In today’s world, many experts believe that digital marketing is no longer an option avenue for brands to explore – every brand must have a strong social media presence if nothing else!
A comprehensive digital marketing plan would include most of the following:
- Blogging and article creation – consumers looking for information about your brand and products should be able to find the same easily. This means that you need a host of the article on your own website, as well as on websites that allow guest posting.
- Social media campaigns – social media campaigns can be varied. For instance, if your goal is to increase product sampling, you can use social media influencers for free give-aways or distribute coupon codes for discounts. Apart from campaigns, your social media activity should be regular, with new posts and shared content displayed on your profile daily. Do not only focus on brand-related content as it can turn your audience off.
- Youtube videos – Youtube is the second largest search engine in the world, right after Google, and that is no small feat. In fact, Google prioritizes video content during searches and displays the same right at the top of all search results. There are many ways that you can get your content up on Youtube from brand ads that play before each video to collaborating with content creators who spread the word about you on their channels.
- Quora presence – Quora is another great tool for boosting your SEO. By answering consumers’ questions about health and healthy snacks (and subtly plugging your product in the answers), you can increase brand awareness and ensure that more people are likely to try your product than before! Ideally, you should have a few Quora accounts held by ‘regular people’ instead of only having one account that’s made in the name of your brand.
One thing to keep in mind is that the content you create should focus on health and the positive impacts your product’s ingredients have on the same, rather than only focussing on your own brand and what you have to offer. Remember, fear is a great motivator, and reminding consumers why they choose to live healthier lifestyles is a great way to inspire them to buy your product.
Be transparent
Today, with social media playing such a huge role in the lives of your consumers (and even your product), being transparent and honest about your products and ingredients is the best way to win over hearts. Consumers these days are quick to call out brands for what they may believe is unethical, which can ultimately lead to scandals, falling stocks, and even brand boycotts. Brands that survive and thrive today are the ones that are upfront with their consumers and create positive conversations around their products.
With these simple steps, you should be able to establish your healthy snacks brand in no time. All it takes is a credible online presence with the help of a strategic digital marketing campaign to help your target audience understand that you are a name that can be trusted!