Digital marketing is a set of certain activities related to Internet technologies. It is used to promote a particular product more effectively without the more substantial costs of entering the international market. It helps to effectively familiarize and analyze the target audience, understand its patterns of interaction with the product, which allows organizations to determine the most successful activity. Of particular importance is the promotion of vegan cheese in Australia, where information technology is also developed and the culture of a vegetarian lifestyle is flourishing. Thus, studies have shown that adhering to a plant-based diet is useful for all age groups of the country’s population. A certain advantage of digital marketing, in comparison with other methods, is a faster indication of the successful results of the company’s activities. Moreover, the wide range of tools provided allows companies to find unique ways to work with potential customers. The main recommendation for promoting vegan cheese on the Australian market is the use of contextual advertising. At the same time, it is important to use certain keywords and work with warm customers. To measure key performance indicators, it is necessary to use a tool such as Google Analytics, which studies the statistics of the functioning of the company’s policy. This will help advertising companies to be more successful and purposeful.
Worldwide Vegan Dairies: Digital Market Opportunity
At the present stage of society’s development, technologies are developing at an irresistible speed and can be used in various spheres of human activity. Therefore, it can become an effective tool for attracting more customers to the company. Digital marketing is of particular importance for relatively small companies, as it provides an opportunity to expand into the international market. Moreover, this way of working is conditioned by close interaction with customers and extensive coverage of the target audience. This work explores how the use of this method of product marketing can affect the work of Worldwide Vegan Dairies’ digital opportunities and help to enter the Australian market without high costs and negative consequences.
Digital marketing is the use of several digital technologies, such as Internet advertising, to promote the company’s products and attract additional customers. Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick emphasize that “organizations have the opportunity to expand into new markets, offer new services, interact with audiences in new ways and compete on an equal footing with larger businesses” (2019, p. 7). Currently, almost everyone has direct access to various technologies that can provide compelling promotional opportunities using the Internet.
Digital marketing opportunities in Australia have a number of undeniable advantages for the company that decides to use them. It is estimated that “the digital technologies sector contributes around A$122 billion (6.6 per cent of GDP) to the Australian economy each year” (The future of tech is in Australia, 2021). The first one is that contextual advertising can be effective for the more complete and in-depth achievement of the target audience and attracting its attention to a particular product. In order to attract a younger audience, which is characterized by more significant development in the field of Internet technologies, it is possible to attract unique algorithms for the distribution of social networks and Internet applications. Technologies in Australia are widespread and are actively used in all spheres of human activity. Recently, the country has been receiving high marks for all components of digital readiness (The future of tech is in Australia, 2021). These include basic needs, human capital, doing business and investments, conditions for starting a business and technological infrastructure and its use.
However, digital marketing in Australia, like many tools, has its drawbacks. One of the main ones is the time aspect, which is of particular value. It is caused by the fact that not all methods of promotion can have quick results. For example, contextual advertising can provide significantly faster customer acquisition, but it will take a lot of time and resources to build loyalty. The next disadvantage is to maintain a level of awareness about current trends and novelties of the industry. This aspect is characterized by the fact that one method of promotion can have a rapidly growing popularity and, at the same time, lose its effectiveness at a high rate (Ištvanić et al., 2017). The last substantial disadvantage of digital marketing is the comparative limitation of personnel. Finding specialists with the proper level of competence and awareness in the field is particularly difficult.
Vegetarianism and veganism are becoming increasingly widespread among the Australian population and are becoming a fast-growing trend. A study of the Google trends platform showed a reasonably stable dynamics of queries with the word “vegan” (Table 1). Moreover, according to the Semrush source, a large number of requests are also made for keywords such as “vegan cheese,” “vegan mac and cheese,” and “vegan cheese coles” (Table 2, Table 3). This shows the growing popularity of the vegan lifestyle, where people refuse to eat animal products, which creates a favorable environment for the introduction of such a product as vegetarian cheese to the market.
Table 1. Interest in the word “vegan” over time in Australia over the past five years.
Table 2. Keyword Variations of the Word “Vegan Cheese”.
Table 3. Related Keywords of the Word “Vegan Cheese”
However, chasing this trend can also become a global mistake for the company. The main limitation of the development of vegan culture in Australia is that it is still relatively closed in modern society. For a successful launch of vegan cheese with the help of digital marketing, a clear understanding of the target audience is necessary. One of the main negative features of the modern consumer is the inveterate views of the past. That is why it is necessary to monitor and study the behavior patterns of a modern person in order to increase interest and awareness about the product offered. Some of the characteristics of the modern buyer are a disclaimer and unwillingness to study and develop. Thus, many people have difficulty familiarizing themselves with such important terms as organic, vegan, supplements, or plant-based.
With regard to the trends in the development of vegetarianism in Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council, NH&MRC, recognized that the rejection of animal products and following a plant-based diet is beneficial and satisfactory for various age groups (Wolfaardt et al., 2018). This is due to the fact that following vegetarian dietary norms has a beneficial effect on human health and well-being. The high level of development of digital technologies is also a favorable environment for the spread of vegan cheese in the country. Many digital marketing tools can be successfully applied to product distribution.
Table 3. The Impact of Ethical, Environmental and Social Responsible on Food Choice
Due to the growing popularity of veganism, competition in the market of corresponding products is also increasing. That is why it is important to develop a smart and strategically thought-out policy to maintain competitiveness. GlobalData (2018) conducted a study in which it showed how ethical, environmental and social norms affect the choice of buyers of vegan products (Table 3). The results showed that among people who consume meat products and the following plant-base diet, I mostly take these indicators into account when compiling my opinion. There are quite a competition in Australia in the market of vegan cheeses. Hence, there are such companies like Bio Cheese, Dielectric, Green View and The Vegan Dairy (The Best Vegan Cheese in Australia, 2021). Studying these competitors can help to gain a competitive advantage in the market. This is because such analysis will contribute to the creation of a successful digital strategy.
Persona Research
Consumers of goods and services may differ from each other on various grounds – gender, age, education, or financial status. Awareness of the need, the process of choosing a product, and the reaction to specific advertising formats depend on this. By knowing its consumers completely, the company can choose a suitable promotion strategy. The primary purpose of the analysis is to understand which of the segments is able to bring the company the most profit. It is necessary to build long-term relationships with the selected segment in order also to receive stable profits in the future.
When selecting potential clients, it is essential to consider aspects of the current agenda. In particular, the sale of vegan products cannot be carried out in isolation from current trends for sustainable development and environmental awareness. The market segment for which these aspects are important is commonly called Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) – for them, not only safety and benefits are vital, but also the study of how the production of a product affects the environment (Pícha and Navrátil, 2019). LOHAS do not necessarily have to be vegans and vegan cheese lovers, as it may be typical for the modern information society as a whole to follow and encourage businesses that share the philosophies of communities. Focusing on this segment of the audience (or, correctly, including this segment in the list of potential buyers) will not only significantly expand the range of the company’s customers and thus increase sales profits but also create a competent perception of the brand in the minds of consumers.
To obtain the most reliable and honest results, such a qualitative research method as a survey can be used. It is helpful because it provides a direct opinion of potential customers, including not only preferences but also difficulties associated with the products offered by the company. The survey can be conducted with the inclusion of such questions as:
- What products do you most often buy in stores?
- How do you feel about vegan products?
- Have you ever tried vegan cheese?
- How often do you pay attention to ads on web pages?
The main limitation in the distribution of a vegan product is the lack of responsibility on the part of public society. Bogue, Marinova, and Gordon (2020, p. 28) state that “those who have adopted vegetarian diets are exposed to ridicule and may face social isolation because of their unorthodox food choices.” Many people feel aggrieved due to adherence to the plant-based diet and refuse it.
A complete understanding of potential customers is critical when introducing a product such as vegan cheese and can be very beneficial. This acts as a practical benefit as all people are characterized by different tastes, financial situations, and cultural backgrounds. These factors directly affect the process of choosing and realizing the need for a particular product and conducting a study with the use of a specific research method. That is why it is necessary to involve various specialists and tools for analyzing the target audience. The second benefit of this action is to identify consumers who can bring a significant profit to the company. In addition, it is crucial to building the loyalty and commitment of potential buyers with the help of digital marketing.
On the other hand, there is competition in society which is more committed to a vegetarian life. This trend can also play into the hands of manufacturers. It is also of great importance to attract opinion leaders to form the preferences and desires of consumers. This is since many people suffer from the fact that it is difficult for many to form their own opinion, so they rely on the views of celebrities that are authoritative in their point of view. That is why the involvement of famous personalities in the marketing of products plays such an important role.
The qualitative study of potential customers is also critical because of the presence of different types of people and their attitude to a vegetarian lifestyle. Many are characterized by feelings of empathy and can be influenced by digital marketing. This is because the emphasis is on the preservation of animal life and the importance of a vegetarian lifestyle to maintain environmental sustainability in the world. They also have a higher level of trust in those who promote such a trend and believe that with universal unification, they will achieve their goals.
Short Term Market Impact
To achieve a better result and get more profit, it is necessary to develop an effective product promotion strategy. Digital marketing, in this case, is presented as one of the most convenient and fastest tools for spreading information around the world (Bala and Verma, 2018). It will help, with proper implementation, to create awareness and hype around the proposed product. This is since, in modern society, users are developing along with technology. This also contributes to the appearance of such a trait as fastidiousness in choosing such a large number on the market. Therefore, in order to succeed in sales and remain competitive, it is necessary to study constantly changing trends and adapt to them.
The first proper innovative method that can be used to promote vegan cheese to the Australian market may be based on a unique customer experience through contextual advertising. An example of such a method can be contextual advertising on a social network such as Instagram. Inoyatillo (2020, p. 169) defines contextual advertising as “an effective way of delivering ads that are directly related to the content that the consumer is enjoying”. In this case, users’ search queries are generated and identified, and a list of ads is generated based on the data received.
It is also worth adding that a suitable environment for contextual advertising, which will ensure the arrival of the most interested customers, are sites on vegetarian or vegan topics. These can be sources with various recipes or just web pages telling about the basics of a plant-based diet. The main focus should be on such keywords and hashtags as “veganism,” “vegetarian cheese,” “vegetarian products,” “plant-based diet.” An example of an ad may be an exciting slogan, for example, “Vegan cheese that will shake your world,” and a professional and bright product image. Such an expression can help attract the attention of potential customers, as they will be curious.
Contextual advertising is characterized by some advantages over other digital marketing tools. One of the essential ones is the flexibility of settings, predictable and approximately predictable costs, and ease of reaching the designated target audience. The advantages of contextual advertising, such as flexible settings, predictable budget, easy access to the target audience, were appreciated by entrepreneurs from different business areas (Zhao, 2021). Contextual advertising gives the company the opportunity to immediately determine the circle of customers with whom it would most like to interact and make a profit. This is due to the fact that this method of marketing allows the organization to select potential customers by gender, age, geographical location, or by the time of the most significant activity in social networks.
However, the most valuable advantage of contextual advertising is the direct work with so-called warm customers who independently search for the goods they need on the Internet. Moreover, this tool is shown to the target audience only in response to a direct request and does not become a fur when viewing online content. All these factors contribute to increasing customer loyalty, which is very important for any company. Moreover, in attracting customers, it is also possible to attract the participation of public opinion leaders in advertising. As already mentioned, people tend to copy and listen to the opinions of more famous personalities, so this can become an effective tool. To form a customer experience, which was mentioned earlier as a valuable aspect of digital marketing, it is necessary to consider some factors (Hoyer et al., 2020). Firstly, it is necessary to coordinate and coordinate the work of all departments of the company for the prompt and effective solution of any problem encountered by customers. Therefore, it is essential to pay special attention to the quality of service since consistency alone will not be enough. In order to ensure the return of the customer to the products, it is necessary to provide timely service, a polite attitude, and respect.
The Customer loyalty Index (NPS) is a measure of the level of customer experience, which is calculated using various surveys on the recommendation of the product by the customer. Moreover, the CSAT or satisfaction score plays a vital role in this process. It is also conducted in the form of a survey, in some cases immediately after the consumer completes payment for the goods. These specialized metrics for optimizing the company’s work are of particular value since, without them, it is not possible to build further work for the company. The second way to promote a product on the market can be content marketing (Du Plessis, 2017). In this case, the company hires specialists to create an online platform or blog to distribute useful, relevant, and essential information about its product. An example of such a tool could be the creation of a website about the benefits of a plant-based diet and how the consumption of vegan cheese has a positive effect on human health. Hence, it can be a blog offering various recipes using vegan cheese and other non-animal products, videos and articles about a healthy lifestyle, or advice from medical specialists about following a vegan diet. Such a move also inspires trust and increases the loyalty of the target audience, and contributes to increasing the awareness of the company and its products.
Moreover, content marketing is one of the least expensive ways to promote and distribute goods on the market, but it can have significant time characteristics. Other advantages of content marketing are getting feedback from customers and getting the opportunity to become a reliable source of information about the product provided (Geng et al., 2020). In addition, the target audience, reading and analyzing information on third-party sites, such as reviews and recommendations, can click on the posted links to the site. In this case, buyers already have an idea in advance of what they specifically want from the company and desire to receive the goods provided by it. However, content marketing has significant drawbacks, and one of them is the need to attract professionals from a narrow range of activities. They will have to monitor trends, monitor the implementation of the content plan, and monitor and select suitable sites for promotion. The problem is that at the moment, it is difficult to find such specialists, and when such a person appears, the salary may seem relatively high. Moreover, such specialists as copywriters and content makers will require additional expenses.
Fiscal Oversight
Financial supervision of the strategy can be carried out using such an effective tool as Google Analytics. This service by Google gives companies the opportunity to successfully develop their business and promote their products on any digital products. Moreover, it helps to track progress and achieve first places in the market and gain recognition and loyalty of users. Google Analytics is a free website analytics system that has value in monitoring the statistics of the functioning of the measures taken by the organization.
The key performance factors to evaluate short-term tactics are: the ability to track the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, analysis of potential customers, the ability to attract customers, and determine the content that is most in demand among buyers. Moreover, the company and its analysts can analyze customer behavior. The most important thing that can help with finding and analyzing of data about key performance indicator is Google Analytics. This program is useful for investigating analytical data, and increasing its quality. Gained insight can contribute to the prediction of possible conversions, anticipation of trends in the field of vegetarian products and timely prevention of risks and negative consequences. Another resulting aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is the ability to predict the probability of customer churn in order to respond to these changes promptly.
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