Brands... The headline's funny play on words really makes practical sense. It is obvious that we take for granted that our products are known in international markets, but, Spanish brands too? I will argue that rather the opposite.
Upward trend of Spanish gourmet companies
The proliferation of gourmet brands in Spain it is a fact. That is very good, it is an excellent indicator that we want to improve our positioning in the market, offering a higher quality to an increasingly demanding consumer. And although it helps us to better choose our partners On our website, on many occasions we discover that there is no balance between the products and their image towards the potential market. That is the biggest Achilles heel of Spanish brands of gourmet products.
But why am I so negative? Well, because the true potential consumer does not live in Spainbut in Europe… As minimum. Because we could say that there are markets like the American, as well as the Asian that they are very demanding with those who want to export gourmet products for their consumers, "thanks" to the bar imposed by the French and Italians. If we do not put the batteries, it costs us and it will cost us much more to reduce the distance with them in terms of the international Mediterranean gourmet demand.
Investment in branding for brands: insufficient
In what we have nothing to do, it is in economic investment in brands. Something that will continue to be our unfinished business (I don't know if forever). But there is hope to significantly improve the value of our brands, if we pay attention to current trends, and which base the value of differentiation as the most precious asset to generate your own clientele and demand.
Differentiate ourselves It is a beautiful word, it sounds wonderful, when producers tell us that they are different, that their products differ from the competition because of this or that, they swell like peacocks. And it is because they are right. That is probably one of your best weapons to get your market share, but how is that achieved?
Great question that does not have a single answer. How can we transmit our differentiation to the market? Because just saying it is not enough for the market to believe it.
Mandatory task: create a content plan
Lets start by the beginning. If we want them to buy from us, first lesson: let us be known, but not only the product, but also the brand and its values. It is no longer enough to make an ad with a photo and a slogan. You have to delve into what attracts you to this product, what it brings you emotionally and at a health level, its commitments to sustainability, as well as the care of the territory, materials what its packaging is made of, the history of the product and the company, the people who make up it ... in short, selling the product without selling it directly. Too complicated? It may not be the way for everyone yet, but without a doubt, we know in Made in Spain that there is no other way to be known.
So you have to create a content plan of three / six months, and even a year, with the aim of including everything that can differentiate us from our competition, directly or indirectly, not only at the product level but also at the social and market level. That is "Seize" a trend Before the competition, it can benefit us (whoever hits first…).
That investment is essential. Because it will save us a lot of future headaches on how to communicate to the market. I will always recommend an outside investment if you lack a marketing and communication department. In a company that has demonstrated a direct relationship between communication and subsequent increase in sales.
Recognition: impossible without establishing a foundation of Brand Awareness
Because what we want is clear and noticeable: conquer new markets. And are we going to leave it in the hands of international distributors who auction us with other products from other countries, and whose main objective is to generate more profit margin… for them? That's a suicide in the medium and long term. The brand is the most important asset, and only its strategy can be in the hands of the company. crecimiento. Do we want to be recognized? Well, first let's be known, and let's work on the content plan and activities that give us support to accelerate the knowledge of our brand (promotions, show cooking, support to international distributors, etc.
European market: the great fishing ground to conquer
But it is that, in addition, we have the enormous fortune that our internationalization must go through the Community Europea, a huge market and without barriers (or almost) at the beginning of our Spanish gourmet products. But do we do it? And with all our strength? I can tell you that no. But we will not analyze that now, because there would not be enough paper to explain why. Just a note. Why don't we have our websites in the largest number of languages of the European Union ?, and of course, indexing our pages in all those languages? It is not very expensive, and what it gives us, is better international positioning, and therefore, more chances of being contacted. For us, an essential investment.
So if we want a internationalization more efficient, let's start by sharing everything that makes us unique with the entire market, and let's be insistent ad nauseam, because only then will we reach our target audience.
Israel Romero
CEO & Founder MadeinSpain.store
Opinion piece by Israel Romero
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