How to Start your Own Baby Food Business Part #7: Marketing & Promotion

Marketing is critical to the success of your baby food business. Here are some of the highpoints of the various marketing programs that we used during the initial launch of Sprouts Baby Food Inc. back in early 2006.

Public Relations Campaign
--Vehicle: Email press release; hand-deliver of media kits; phone calls to key targets.
--Media Kit: Cool box, birth announcement, press release, profiles, menus, etc.
--Goal: Awareness; Feature stories
--Target: Local newspapers (food editors, business editors), local TV, local radio.

Doctor Direct Mail Campaign
--Vehicle: Direct mail
--Letter, Brochure, Prescription pad w/ Sprouts info for patient
--Goal: Awareness; Get docs to refer patients to Sprouts
--Target: Pediatricians and Naturopaths

Midwife/Doula Awareness Campaign
--Vehicle: Email
--Goal: Awareness; Get midwives and doulas to refer patients to Sprouts
--Target: Area midwives and doulas.

Mommy Network Campaign
--Vehicle: Email
--Goal: Awareness; Drive people to our website; New orders
--Target: Area mommy lists/online communities on Yahoo Groups.

Baby Diaper Service Bundle
--Vehicle: Flyer inserted into diaper delivery service bundles
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order
--Target: Select zip codes; 500+ individuals

Poster/Flyer Campaign
--Vehicle: Posters, flyers, tear-sheets, etc.
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order
--Target: Area parks, playgrounds, community centers, birth centers, toy stores, libraries, and mommy hangouts.

Summer Festival Campaign
--Vehicle: Flyers & imprinted baby spoon give-a-way
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order
--Target: People with babies who attend the target summer events, street fairs, etc.

Launch Advertising Campaign
--Vehicle: Area Baby/Mommy/Parenting Magazines
--Quarter-page ad
--Goal: Awareness; New orders
--Offer: 20% discount on initial order

Make Your Own Baby Food Classes
--Vehicle: Classes offered at local grocery stores, in mommy groups, etc.
--Goal: Community Outreach; Awareness
--Offer: n/a
--Timeframe: Starting September

Website Subscriber Campaign
--Vehicle: Our own website
--Goal: Capture email addresses and general interest categories of people who visit our website so we can market to them in the future.
--Offer: Sign up for newsletter, promos, gift reminders, refer-a-friend, forward a page, etc.

Web Directory Advertising
--Vehicle: Google Adwords, Yellowpages.com; Superpages.com; etc.
--Goal: Drive people to our website
--Offer: n/a
--Timeframe: September

Farmer's Market Campaign
--Vehicle: Area farmer's markets
--Goal: Awareness; small single-unit sales during pre-launch period

Special Offers/Promotions

Baby Shower Gift Set
--Description: Special gift set for those wanting to give Sprouts as a shower gift.
--Package: Gift basket containing logo spoon, logo sippy-cup, logo shirt, mock food containers, and a gift certificate for X weeks of service.
--Price: $20 + cost of service

Pooper Parties
--Description: At home sales parties (ala Tupperware)
--Details:
oHostess orders party kit which contains 1oz samples of all products ' one kit per guest.
oHostess takes orders
oHostess gets free food, discounted service, etc. for subscriptions she secures.

Corporate Mommy Program
--Description: Discounted service for mommies at locally headquartered corporations. We will deliver their food to their office.

Register To Win
--Description: Sign up on our website to enter monthly drawing for one free month of baby food.

Photo Contest
--Description: Monthly contest. People email us photos of their little cutie eating or in a kitchen setting. Winner receives 12 4oz containers of baby food.

Customer Referral Program
--Description: A referral (someone who becomes a customer) earns free food in your next shipment.