Nobody can tell your story like you can.
Your broker and distributor partners are key to getting your product into the right doors, but they can’t do it alone. Without a strong script, your brand narrative flies free and wildly off target – or ceases to exist at all. Outside teams can’t be relied on to communicate your message or generate demand without a clear and flexible content strategy. That’s on the brand to deliver.
Here are top considerations for building a meaningful narrative that can hold its own out in the field.
Choose your path.
There are many segments and therefore many ways to win in foodservice. Find a clear focus first. While there is certainly overlap, every segment has a unique set of pain points. For example, a K-12 foodservice director may be balancing government nutrition requirements with the shifting flavor preferences of Gen-Z and Gen Alpha, while a multi-unit pizza chain buyer is trying to manage food costs and increase operational efficiency while putting out a consistent quality product across diverse regions.
Pick a lane (or two) based on where you can create the most impact for an operator and tell the most compelling story.
Equip your team.
It’s the brand’s role to help brokers and distributors feel educated, informed, and connected to the brand. Materials should clarify which products are best suited for a competitive cutting, for example, and how key products align with major foodservice trends.
Don’t be shy about telling the story beyond the food. You need to cover the good, the bad, and the ugly. Help avoid an ambush by getting ahead of objections early. If there’s an ingredient in your product that tends to raise a flag, your extended sales team must be made aware.
Create a flexible communication system that arms your salesforce for myriad scenarios, such as:
- Key selling points for a product cutting (and which competitors to cut against)
- Introductory emails to distributor category managers
- Text message snippets for contacting operators
- Short-form video content for social
- Meaty downloads that can be parsed out for other efforts (Learn more here)
Raise the banners.
Distributors have zero incentive to stock or sell your product until you give them one. Generate awareness among operators and leverage that demand to secure distribution. Consider lead-gen campaigns, trade show attendance, sustained content efforts, etc. Whatever the strategy – give it a fighting chance. Running a couple sponsored e-blasts will not provide you with a meaningful dataset to determine the success or failure of your spend. Consider key touchpoints throughout the buyer journey, and make it a sustained effort – no less than 3 months.
Winning in foodservice requires your active involvement and investment – don’t leave it up to chance.
