Food Business Marketing Podcast - Strategy, Stories, and Tips to Build a Strong Brand

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to scale a business into a national brand. The answer definitely requires more than one podcast episode, but today we have an opportunity to talk to a food company founder who has done it and hear the lessons he's learned along the way. Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host and Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva sits down with Scott Demers, co-founder of Scott & Jon's premium frozen seafood meals. We learn how the brothers made the decision to leave their jobs to launch their business and start their journey to becoming a national brand. In This Episode: How Scott & Jon evolved their business and brand over time. Why having no capital can be a gift when you're starting out. Scott and Jon's simple litmus test for deciding to rebrand. How the brothers identified a white space they could occupy in the frozen food category. Why outsourcing their salesforce worked for them. The connections that helped them pivot their product. How to find the right brokers who will grow with you. Why Scott obsesses over the in-store experience. Resources: Natural Products Expo East Natural Products Expo West Summer Fancy Food Show Frozen and Refrigerated Buyer The Shelby Report Ep #23: How to Find Your Unfair Advantage Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Being an entrepreneur and building your food brand is not easy. Having a trusted circle of other entrepreneurs in your life to share your opportunities and hurdles to help you determine the best path forward can make all the difference. Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host and Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva tells us why building a peer community for yourself as an entrepreneur is so important when building your food brand. Katie is going to be offering a Food & Beverage Entrepreneur Mastermind group this Fall, and she wants you to be aware of that opportunity, however, the Mastermind won't be right for everyone and there are many ways to connect with peers to build your trusted circle! In This Episode: How building your peer community can help you build your brand. Why Katie is starting a Mastermind group for food & bev entrepreneurs. How local food and beverage organizations near you can help you get to the next level. Why you only get out what you put into local groups. The benefit of connecting with entrepreneurs across industries. How Facebook groups can help you find a community on specific topics. How to prepare to network at live events. Why making your own meetup can sometimes be the best way to connect. Resources: Podcast Ep #1: Why Real Food Brands is Launching a Podcast About Food Marketing Katie's LinkedIn profile Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Brand strategy and marketing can be really confusing for a lot of people. There are a lot of options out there, and in order to make the right decisions, you need to lay a strategic foundation for your brand. Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host and Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva talks through her 3-step framework for developing and implementing a brand strategy to make sure that everything you do helps you achieve your business vision and objectives. In This Episode: Why a brand strategy is essential for your business' success. The 3-step framework Katie uses when she works with natural food and beverage businesses to develop a brand strategy. How to identify where you meet your ideal consumer's needs in a way your competitors can't or won't. Why it's so important to understand the competitive landscape in your category. How to think about your brand's unique offer. The evolving ways that we think about ideal consumers. How to align your team around your brand strategy. Katie's tips and tricks to activate your brand strategy. The "one room test" you can do to look at whether or not all of your marketing is working together. Resources: Ep #23: How to Find Your Unfair Advantage Katie's LinkedIn profile Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

There's an old saying that if Henry Ford would've asked people what they wanted, they would've said, "A faster horse." Being a challenger brand in an established food category means you need to be willing to shake up the status quo and take the risks that bigger brands won't. Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host and Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva talks with Fred Hart, Creative Director and Partner at Interact Boulder, an entrepreneurial branding and packaging design agency obsessed with the food and beverage industry. We talk about what you can do to stand out as a small to mid-sized food brand, and the three design tips Fred has to differentiate yourself on shelves as well as examples of brands that have done it. In This Episode: Why brands need to think about more than just branding and packaging from the get-go. How to challenge the category, not the consumer. What BOOMCHICKAPOP did to stand out in a crowded category. The dangers of being different for difference's sake. Why people don't read, they recognize. How Boxed Water used packaging to differentiate themselves. How to take advantage of color to stand out. Why imagery is key to recognition. Resources: Interact Boulder Fred's LinkedIn Profile "The restaurant owner who asked for 1-star Yelp reviews" BevNet Nosh The Edible-Alpha Podcast Katie's LinkedIn profile Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Sometimes you get a brilliant, game-changing idea and the best thing is to get it to market as quickly as possible. The problem is that it's not as easy as coming up with a great recipe in your kitchen and then immediately scaling it. You need to source commercial ingredients, work around suppliers' and co-packers' limitations, and make sure you have the certifications your brand needs to reflect your values. Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host and Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva talks with Emma Nelson, Principal at G'Day Foods. She uses her expertise in commercial development to help brands make their products work at scale. In This Episode: How Emma got into the food industry. Her three biggest tips for getting a product to market more quickly. What makes for commercially available ingredients. Why you need a "gold standard" formula. The importance of understanding your co-manufacturer's and suppliers' timelines. Why working with suppliers is a give-and-take relationship. Why it's so important to know where you can make concessions with your formula. The factors you might not consider when you make a go-to-market timeline. Resources: G'Day Foods BevNet Nosh Taste Radio Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Building a relationship with grocery retailers is about more than just making a great product they can put on their shelf. You need to have a real understanding of who your consumer is, what else they put in their shopping carts, and why your food or beverage brand provides value to a store beyond the profit margin on an individual sale. Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host and Brand Strategist Katie Mleziva talks with Dan Lohman, a CPG and Natural and Organic Industries Strategic Adviser. His company, Brand Secrets and Strategies, helps provide brands with actionable insights and strategic solutions to get on more store shelves and into the hands of more shoppers. He's also the host of the Brand Secrets and Strategies Podcast. In This Episode: Why category management is so important for developing deeper relationships with retailers. What most people get wrong about category management. How to focus on market basket to help grow your retailer partners' total sales. The questions you need to ask to develop your brand story. What retailers want to see to justify stocking your product. Why you don't want to have to keep reacquiring the same customer. Why issues at the store ultimately reflect on your brand, not the retailer. How to get data and what to do with it. What Dan did when a competitor showed up with a big check to get his product off the shelves. Resources: Take a Course with Dan (If you enjoyed the podcast, please this unique affiliate link for Dan's courses!) Brand Secrets and Strategies The Brand Secrets and Strategies Podcast Secrets 115: SUCCESS = Brand Strategy + Execution With Michael J. O'Donnell From The Belmullet Food and Beverage Group Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Research and Development (R&D) is one area many brands need help with in order to bring an idea to life with new product samples or to scale your recipe to production level. In this episode of the Real Food Brands Podcast, host Katie Mleziva sits down with Lindsay Wisener, an independent beverage development consultant working on everything from baby formula to plant-based protein drinks. She's the Owner/Principal Consultant at WiseBev, and shares with us the ins and outs of product development. In This Episode: Hear Lindsay's path to owning her own beverage development lab. How small businesses can get what they need from R&D experts. Why flexibility is key to a successful development process. What you need to know when you work with R&D. The role packaging plays in which shelf your product winds up on. How to effectively develop new product lines and extensions. The key to great product testing. Resources: WiseBev Lindsay Wisener LinkedIn Food Navigator Katie Mleziva LinkedIn Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Where do you find inspiration? Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host Katie Mleziva walks us through what she does when she or her food and beverage company clients need to find new insights and innovations. In This Episode: How to prepare for inspiration when it may strike at any moment. Why getting out of your office or production facility is so important. Why traveling is a great time to find new ideas to bring back home. The best way to find inspiration in other aisles than your category. What to look for when you visit other stores your ideal audience loves. How a DIY food combination can represent an opportunity. Why kids are great people to ask for feedback. Finding alternative distribution opportunities, such as sporting goods stores. Resources: How Brooklyn Delhi Blends Cultures in Taste and Design podcast episode Key Insights From Natural Products Expo West podcast episode Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Getting started with your food startup, or scaling to the next level can be exciting. You get to share something you love with new people, and (at some point) make some money for your efforts. As you start making moves to make your passion into your career, however, you'll run into some problems if you don't have a clear idea of who you're marketing to and how you want to grow. Today on the Real Food Brands Podcast, host Katie Mleziva has a conversation with Sari Kimbell, Founder of Sari Kimbell Consulting and creator of Food Business Success, a consulting agency that helps food startups plan for growth. She shares with us the 5 mistakes she sees food startups make, and how to avoid them. In This Episode: Sari's path to becoming a food startup consultant. Why bootstrapping may be necessary, but can cause problems down the road. The reason belief in your product is so important when you're starting out. Why pricing correctly from the beginning is so important. How to factor in the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). The hidden costs selling on Amazon. Why it's so important to develop a clear plan for growth. Why you want to define your brand strategy from the start. Where to reach out for help. Resources: Sari Kimbell - Food Business Consulting Food Business Success Why a Clear Brand Strategy Matters When Seeking Financing With Tera Johnson The Food Business Success Facebook Group Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website (download your Brand Checkup Scorecard here)

Working with co-packers, co-manufacturers, and everything else required to get your brand onto shelves that matter can be a daunting task for the sharpest entrepreneur. Making sure that you're consistently delivering at the quality level you expect while staying within your budget is the secret to long-term growth. This week on the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast, host Katie Mleziva sits down with Sandro Gerbini, founder of Gatherer's Granola and Empire Co-Packing, to get into the nitty-gritty of how you take a product that works at small scale and make the logistical decisions you need to see wider distribution. In This Episode: How Sandro started a granola company, and why quality concerns drove him to start his own co-manufacturing business. Why consistent quality means everything in contract manufacturing. How finding the right contract manufacturer frees you up to focus on marketing your brand. What the difference is between contract manufacturers, co-packers, and private brand manufacturers is, and where there is overlap. Why geographic proximity to a contract manufacturer matters. How integrated ingredient sourcing, production, and packaging makes a difference to your bottom line. How you can make sure your contract with a co-manufacturer is rock-solid. What fees most contract manufacturers add to invoices and what they mean. What mistakes most brand owners make when they're trying to scale, and how to avoid them. Resources: Gatherer's Granola Empire Co-Packing FMI Emerge How FMI Emerge Helps Brands Find More Shelf Space Podcast Episode Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

The Natural Products Expo West show is an exciting gathering of people dedicated to shaking up shopping carts, and the energy was infectious. The convention covers 555,000 square feet of booths and brings in over eighty-five thousand people over the course of a week. Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast host Katie Mleziva is back with insights on where the industry is headed and what trends you can tap into for your brand. In This Episode: The Color Blocking packaging trend. Is CBD an ingredient or a brand foundation? How to start thinking about functional foods. Why functional carbonated beverages that replace soda have big potential. New trends to pay attention to in the plant-based foods and snacks space. How protein and snacking go together. The tricks and traps of sugar replacement. Why bars and balls are worth looking into, and how to stand out in a crowded market. Resources: Natural Products Expo West RFB Ep #23: How to Find Your Unfair Advantage Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

In this episode of The Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast, Host Katie Mleziva talks about why your brand strategy should come first as you launch or scale your food or beverage business. Katie shares four ways that documenting your brand strategy supports your business goals: clarifying your vision and setting your north star, streamlining decision making and aligning your team, preparing for buyer and investor meetings and saving you time and money. In This Episode: The Three C's of brand strategy: Competitors Consumers Company Why a documented brand strategy is so important Documentation clarifies your vision and helps with decision making Decisions are streamlined and more consistent Aligning your team with the vision becomes easier, saving time and money Buyers and investors can better understand your strategy, giving them more confidence in your brand's ability to win at shelf Resources: RFB Episode #2: How to Start Building and Documenting Your Brand Strategy RFB Episode #8: How to Define Your Ideal Audience Using Personas RFB Episode #23: How to Find Your Unfair Advantage RFB Episode #15: How to Activate Your Brand Strategy Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Kara Hanninen, Founder and CEO of Craveity Marketing, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss all things social media marketing, from choosing the right platform, to ads, to influencers...and more! In This Episode: Why Kara moved from digital marketing ad agencies to her own mission focused food related marketing firm. Seven important things to consider when creating your integrated social media marketing plan: Planning and strategy Choosing the right platforms How to approach influencer marketing What kind of social media content you should be posting Scheduling your social media posts How to use social media ads effectively Using social media as part of a larger integrated marketing plan Resources: Check out Kara's list of social media tools and resources here Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands Real Food Brands Instagram Good Food Expo

Alli Ball, Creator of Retail ReadyTM and Founder of Allison Ball Consulting, returns to the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss selecting the right food & bev industry trade show events and maximizing your trade show success, as well as tips to avoid common pitfalls. In This Episode: Why Alli decided to start Retail Ready Why industry trade shows are not about making direct sales How to determine if your business is ready to be at a trade show Why it is generally better to start with smaller regional shows Four common traps that businesses fall into: Being unprepared for questions Not having a sample strategy Not trying hard enough to collect buyer information Failing to follow up with buyers after the show How to prepare and strategize for a trade show Resources: Allison Ball Consulting Retail Ready Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Ainsley Moir, Founder and Chief Brand Engineer of Engineer Your Brand, joins Katie Mleziva on the Real Food Marketing Brands Podcast to discuss the value of consistency in everything you do in both the front end and backend operations of your business in order to build your food or beverage brand. In This Episode: Why Ainsley was inspired to start her own company while working in CPG at a large food company. How taking a brand management mindset will help you and your team build your brand. Why your brand is more than a logo, and your marketing is so much more than advertising and promotions! "The Four P's of Marketing" Pricing Product Placement Promotion Why you must have consistency in your branding across ALL areas of your business. How packaging consistency helps customers trust your brand more How small things matter, and simple tweaks can often lead to better brand consistency and building trust. A special deal for listeners to access Ainsley's Build Your Healthy Food & Beverage Business Virtual Summit. Resources: Engineer Your Brand Access the Build Your Healthy Food & Beverage Business Virtual Summit Branding Beyond Logos (book) Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands (scroll down to access the Brand Checkup Scorecard)

Join host Katie Mleziva as she outlines ways to identify theunique "unfair advantage" that sets your food or beverage brand apart from the rest of the market. In This Episode: Three ways of looking at your main strengths Your product: What is it that makes your food product stand out? Is it a completely new kind of product, or if it is a commodity product, what about the ingredients or the story makes it uniquely beneficial to your customers? Your people: Starting with yourself, what about your personal and professionalstory sets your brand apart from the rest of the market? Is there someone in your team who brings a unique benefit to your business, and if so, how can you translate that into a story for your consumers without focusing too much on that one person? Your process: What about your process, whether on the front end or behind the scenes, allows you to have an "unfair advantage" over your competition? Does your location provide a unique advantage or story? Examples of unique advantages from various businesses A sneak peek at Real Food Brands new Food & Beverage Mastermind coming later this year Resources: Katie's interview with Joe Henry of J. Henry Bourbon Katie's interview with Chitra and Ben of Brooklyn Delhi Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Joe Henry of J. Henry Bourbon joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss the importance of setting a brand strategy and then delivering on your promises through consistent operational and marketing excellence in order to help your company stand out in a crowded marketplace. In This Episode: The story behind the J. Henry & Sons Wisconsin Straight Bourbon brand strategy How J. Henry revived of a dormant heirloom corn to help create a unique mash bill Why J. Henry put quality over profit to age their bourbon for five years before their initial release How the wildly inconsistent weather in Wisconsin actually benefits the bourbon aging process Why sampling is so important for smaller food and beverage companies Why saturating your core market(s) is important before expanding too quickly How to turn onsite events and demos into memorable experiences that create brand advocates Resources: J. Henry Bourbon J. Henry Instagram (@jhenrybourbon) J. Henry Facebook Wisconsin Foodie Episode at J. Henry Farm Outstanding in the Field Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Join host Katie Mleziva as she discusses the ways a clearly defined brand strategy can keep you on track to meeting your goals and help you bring more value to your customers. In This Episode: A quick overview of what should be included in a brand strategy How a brand strategy guides you towards your goals Why action does not necessarily equal progress How to refine and update your brand strategy Why your brand strategy needs to be clear to your entire team Resources: How to Start Building and Documenting Your Brand Strategy Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Chitra Agrawal and Ben Garthus, founders of Brooklyn Delhi, join the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss taking inspiration from their personal backgrounds and leveraging their professional expertise in food blogging and packaging design firm to start their own food company. In This Episode: The story behind how and why Ben and Chitra started Brooklyn Delhi How Ben and Chitra educated consumers about their new product How choosing a product name can affect your target audience How Brooklyn Delhi got their product placed in Blue Apron meals Why Brooklyn Delhi takes a fusion style approach to their products rather than a more traditional Indian approach How Ben captured the cultures of both India and New York in their packaging design Tips for great packaging design Why a creative brief is an important part of creating package design Resources: Brooklyn Delhi ABDCs of Cooking Garden Haus Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Anna Sonnenberg, Owner of Sonnenberg Media, joins Katie Mleziva on the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss email marketing strategy as part of your integrated marketing plan, and why email is certainly not dead. In This Episode: Why email is an important part of your integrated marketing strategy Why email is the perfect place to share your brand's story How email can be used to drive sales both online and in brick and mortar stores How to use email to solicit customer feedback How feedback helps your customers feel invested in your brand Why email gives you more ownership over your audience than social media How often you should email How to balance the types of content in your emails Why you should link ecommerce with your email marketing service Ways to use automated emails Resources: Sonnenberg Media How to Get Started With Email Marketing Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands Connect with Katie on LinkedIn

Katie Mleziva, Host of the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast offers three simple ways you can engage your team to help you build a strong brand. In This Episode: How your team plays a critical role in building your brand The origin of the word "brand" and how it's still relevant today Three steps to help your team "ride for the brand" Define, document, and share your brand strategy Ask for input from your team Let your team know how important they are Why you should include your team in both celebration and problem solving Resources: Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Amy Zitelman, Co-Founder of Soom Foods, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss building awareness and trial of the tahini category in the US market. In This Episode: How Amy and her sisters started Soom Foods How Soom built awareness for tahini, a relatively unknown product in the US market Why it's important to have a diverse team with complimentary skill sets How to find and build genuine relationships with influencers, including bloggers and award winning chefs How Soom utilizes user generated content (recipes) in social media How to build associations with adjacent food categories to bring awareness to your own product How demos can help build your brand even if store traffic is slow that day Why Amazon can help small food businesses build an online presence How the Soom team uses social media to build something meaningful beyond sales What single # skyrocketed their visibility on social media Resources: Soom Foods Website and Instagram Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands Chef Michael Michael Solomonov -- Zahav restaurant and cookbook

Ryan Pintado-Vertner, Founder of Smoketown LLC, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss how solving problems for your customers fuels innovation. In This Episode: Why building an innovation pipeline is so crucial for food brands How food businesses can build their own innovation pipelines How to create empathy for your customers How to balance short-term wins with longer term disruptive innovation Why you should focus on solving problems for your customers Resources: HBR: What Your Innovation Process Should Look Like Smoketown Website Ryan Pintado-Vertner Linkedin Foodscape Group (the producer of Meta Trends report referenced by Katie) Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Join host Katie Mleziva as she discusses the importance of taking a Brand Management approach to integrate your brand strategy into every aspect of your food business. In This Episode: Why it is important to be present and engage with your customers face to face Defining the term "brand management" How every aspect of your brand is tied together Ways to align your business around your brand and activate your strategy for a better customer experience This includes: Marketing Product Formulation/Ingredients Operations Packaging R&D And more! Resources to get started creating an integrated brand strategy Resources: Podcast Episode #2: How to Start Building and Documenting Your Brand Strategy Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands Real Food Brands on Instagram

Carrie Arndt, Senior Research Executive at MMR Research Worldwide, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss ways good marketing research can help you stand out from the competition and connect with your ideal customers. In This Episode: Ways MMR Research Worldwide helps brands with qualitative and quantitative research Types of research businesses can conduct when developing food packaging Why chasing design trends can be detrimental to your marketing strategy How to balance standing out with fitting in with your category Why packaging design can have a significant emotional impact on consumers Quotes: "Format and structure have a huge influence on success." — Carrie Arndt "It is important to visually represent the experience of the product while staying aligned with the promise of the brand." — Carrie Arndt "Emerging brands need to ground themselves in their own identity." — Carrie Arndt Resources: MMR Research Worldwide website Carrie Arndt LinkedIn Profile (look for her posts about food packaging!) Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands website

Julie Pryor, Director, Emerging Brands at Food Marketing Institute, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss FMI Emerge and helping emerging food and beverage brands gain more shelf space. In This Episode: Why FMI Emerge was developed and how it can help emerging food and beverage brands Common struggles and opportunities facing emerging brands How FMI Emerge brings the industry together to ultimately benefit consumers Resources available through FMI Emerge Ideal subscribers for FMI Emerge Resources: FMI Emerge (including the 5-minute FMI Emerge Company Sales Assessment) Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands Brand Checkup Scorecard

Learn how to write a creative brief that helps align your creative team with your strategy in order to achieve your business goals. In This Episode: Why a creative brief is a crucial extension of your brand strategy when it's time to implement your marketing plan 10 sections to include in your creative brief Company background Project purpose Advertising objective Ideal audience and insights Brand personality and voice Message priorities Deliverables and format Executional mandatories Schedule Budget Resources: How to Start Building and Documenting Your Brand Strategy (they will need to request access to get into the group, so I'm thinking maybe delete this and keep what I added below?) Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group (click here to join the group and get access to the creative brief sample). Real Food Brands

Episode 11: Brainstorming a product or company name can be hard work, but having a process to inspire you and tie your efforts back to your strategy make your efforts more efficient and effective. In this solo episode, Katie explains how to develop a name that is both creative and strategic. In This Episode: How working within parameters can improve creativity when brainstorming 7 Steps for naming Set decision criteria for what makes a winning name Review your brand strategy and pull key concepts/words as inspiration Choose your top 5 concepts and begin brainstorming as many words as possible related to each concept to create concept clusters of words (no filtering yet!) Review clusters for each concept and begin narrowing down to just a few concepts that energize you the most based on your decision criteria Narrow your list down further, now focusing on words that could be actual names Perform a competitive search for potential conflicts with existing names Seek feedback from your ideal audience, or people who understand your ideal audience and your objectives. Next steps after you find you land on the perfect name Resources: United States Patent and Trademark Office Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Layne Booth, Owner and Operations Catalyst for Small Businesses at The Project Booth, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss profitably scaling your business and questions to ask when assessing new opportunities. In This Episode: Questions to ask when assessing new opportunities for your business How will this affect your business on the backend? How will this affect your bottom line? What will you be saying "no" to by saying "yes" to this opportunity? How will you need to scale up with staffing? How will this affect your supply orders? How much inventory do you need? Can I negotiate any flexibility with my suppliers and partners? Resources: The Project Booth Backend Brilliance Facebook Group 5 Profit Mistakes to Avoid When Scaling Your Business Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Tera Johnson, Founder of teraswhey and the Food Finance Institute, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss food financing and why a clear brand strategy is crucial when building your business and approaching investors. In This Episode: How Tera started Tera's Whey, now the #1 whey protein brand in the natural category and #4 overall The importance of the company name and product label How Tera's Whey paved the way for organic whey protein Why a clearly defined brand strategy matters when working with financing and investment Why becoming a national brand needs to be an early decision Why your target market may not be your local market Resources: Edible Alpha Tera's Interview with Jacqueline Claudia, CEO of Love The Wild Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Join host Katie Mleziva as she breaks down audience personas and gives practical steps to identifying your ideal customer. In This Episode: Where to begin when defining your target audience Why you should not model your ideal customer only after yourself How to validate your ideas and assumptions about your audience Questions to answer when building your audience persona How to identify your customer's pain points and needs How using your audience persona can guide your decisions Resources: Full Blog Post Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands

Nancy and Bob Frame, Owners of Nancy Frame Design and the creative minds behind the Whole Foods 365 package designs, join the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss what makes good food package design and common pitfalls to avoid. In This Episode: Why good packaging is a crucial part of building your food or beverage brand How to communicate your brand values quickly through your packaging Why your packaging needs to stand out Why it is important to know the category rules and when to break them How to communicate with a designer when creating a label design How to approach redesigning an existing brand or package Common mistakes brands make with packaging Resources: Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands Nancy Frame Design

Katie outlines six key steps to building an integrated marketing plan for your food or beverage business, and gives examples to help you create or refine your own plan. In This Episode: Why an integrated marketing plan is so important for your food or beverage company The main components of a food marketing plan Six steps to creating a successful marketing plan Strategies for overcoming marketing challenges Complimentary 30 minute strategy sessions if you are stuck Resources: Full Blog Post Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands To set up your complimentary 30 minute Marketing Planning call, email [email protected] with 1-2 places you're stuck in your planning and she will contact you to set up a time.

Allison Ball, Founder of Allison Ball Consulting, joins the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to discuss practical ways to land meetings with retail buyers, improve your sales pitch and how to follow up after. In This Episode: Why it is crucial to have a clearly defined brand How to approach a retail buyer for a meeting Why you should never "swing by" to catch a buyer for an impromptu meeting How to pitch your brand at a buyer meeting How to follow up from a successful meeting Resources: Retail Ready Allison's four things to know before pitching to retail buyers Katie on Linkedin Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable

It's no secret Amazon is interested in the food business. Today we're talking about the impact of e-commerce on food distribution and how you can use Amazon to grow your business with Jennifer Ruscin, CEO of Jennifer Ruscin Enterprises. In This Episode: Why it's important to have a clearly defined brand How a broker can help you approach marketing for e-commerce Why you should be considering selling through Amazon for your food brand How to choose the right platform when selling through Amazon How selling on Amazon can help you get placement in retail stores How Amazon's Whole Foods acquisition is mixing natural food distribution with non-food items Resources: Jennifer on Linkedin Jennifer Ruscin Enterprises Soulful Business Podcast Puracy Katie on Linkedin Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable

The annual Good Food Expo brings together thought leaders in the natural food industry. Join host Katie Mleziva as she shares key takeaways from successful brands, buyers, incubators and investors to support building a strong brand. In This Episode Key takeaways from the following sessions at the 2018 Good Food Expo: Incubators, Accelerators, and Shared Kitchens The New Breed of Millennial Food Entrepreneurs Social Media Marketing and E-Commerce Getting and Keeping Your Product on the Shelf Resources Good Food Expo Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group The Levers Marketing Katie's Full Blog Post

When rooted in the Brand Strategy, your day-to-day marketing efforts bring your brand's purpose and plans to life in order to engage consumers, inform operational decisions and ultimately, achieve your business goals. When athletes prepare for a game, they do more than just spend time in the gym or on the field. Sure, they need to build up their bodies to compete, but they also spend a lot of time building up their minds. They watch tapes of their opponents to get to know their playbook. Then they build a strategy for how they're going to overcome their opponents. Okay, now think about yourself as you compete in a crowded grocery market. When you do your homework to understand the landscape and competition it helps you create the game plan for how you can carve out a unique position for your product based on your ideal consumers' needs. Taking the time to go through these steps will inform and refine your brand strategy and help you make stronger connections with consumers and stakeholders. In This Episode: Why it is important to document your brand strategy How to investigate your industry landscape How to perform a competitive review Defining your unique positioning Outlining a brand personality Honing in on your brand pillars Resources: Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group The Levers Marketing

To say that food is important would be an obvious understatement. To say that eating the right kind of food is important is unfortunately still something that is less of a given to many people. With supermarkets and street sides loaded with options of unhealthy, unnatural, and frankly harmful options, it can be hard to rise above the noise. If you've started a natural food business, you have even more reason to be seen and stand out from the competition. This is why your marketing strategy is so crucial. Katie Mleziva has started the Real Food Brands Marketing Podcast to help you develop your brand and make an impact! In This Episode: Introduction to host Katie Mleziva Why good branding is so crucial How to think about your brand personality Resources: Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group Real Food Brands