The document discusses leveraging online platforms for foodservice manufacturers. It outlines how websites can benefit various stakeholders like marketers, sales teams, and operators. Websites provide metrics, content for customers, and a 24/7 resource. Operators increasingly prefer finding industry information online through search, manufacturer sites, and emails. The document recommends fresh, relevant content and interactive features to engage customers. It also discusses best practices like using rich media and optimizing for search engines. Social media is transforming how everyone interacts, and marketers must adapt to new rules around transparency, PR, and cause marketing.

1. LEVERAGING ONLINE
FOR THE FOODSERVICE MANUFACTURER
How your investment in the web
can help drive your business

2. THE BIG PICTURE
Stakeholder Online Business Customer
Objective
www.
MARKETER
DISTRIBUTOR
PATRON
SLT
Website
OPERATOR
SALES

3. THE BIG PICTURE
Stakeholders:
Senior Leadership Team
The web provides an integrated platform which represents the entire product portfolio, and a vehicle to
promote over-arching/cross-brand initiatives and directives. Such as positioning your brand as a culinary
leader and resource, as a leader in Health & Nutrition, and other overarching strategic directives
Marketing Team
The web can extend ROI by providing a 24-7 home for all your ongoing messaging, initiatives and content.
The web provides great opportunities for cross-selling and cross-brand collaboration: e.g. a Segment targeted
co-promotion, or recipes featuring multiple product categories. The depth of information housed on the web
provides Marketers with an opportunity to streamline their messaging by driving to the web for more: details,
interaction/demos/tools in a collateral execution.
Online touchpoints can be used to gather important information about customers (via statistics, e-mail
targeting /click thru’s online surveys, ratings and forums.
Sales Force
The web supports sales activities by providing your customers with a valuable and relevant online resource for
business,culinary, & product support. Through tools, menuing ideas, recipes, presentation tips & ideas,
promotions, product information and more.

4. THE BIG PICTURE
What are Marketing Execs Thinking?
McKinsey recently published a study of 410
marketing executives regarding investment.
The executives surveyed reported that the primary
barriers to online investment were as follows:
52% insufficient metrics to measure impact
41% Insufficient in-house capabilities
33% Difficulty of convincing upper management
24% Limited reach of digital tools
18% insufficient capabilities at agency
“Marketing is getting back to our key function: driving business and opportunity to sales and owning the customer experience.” The
pressure is on, however, for marketers to contribute to the bottom line. Management is demanding that marketers grow market share
and improve operational efficiencies. Read: more accountability. That is probably why Website development and digital
marketing topped the list of agency changes for 2009. “
eMarketer April 6, 2009
• Online executions provide the highest degree of measurability possible.

5. OPERATORS LOOK TO THE WEB
* WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED WAY OF FINDING
FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY INFORMATION
25%
32%
OPERATOR
71% 14%
29% 29%
ONLINE OFFLINE
* 2007 OPERATOR SURVEY

6. OPERATORS LOOK TO THE WEB
Behaviours & Preferences
71% of operators indicated they preferred finding
their foodservice industry information online:
2007 Operator Survey
Breakdown of the 71%:
- 25% preferred using search engines (i.e. google).
- 32% preferred directly accessing the manufacturers website
- 14% preferred industry websites (i.e. foodservice.com ,QSR.com.)
- The remaining 29% preferred email (i.e. e-blast)
Additional: Four out of five Operators use the Internet
to find industry information daily or weekly.
OPERATOR 2007 Operator Survey
37% of Consumers trust and turn to
Manufacturers websites for Information
Forrester’s NACTAS Q3 2006 Media & Marketing Online Survey
83% of businesses use the internet to research
and find potential vendors
Enquiro: “Business to Business Survey 2007

7. OPERATORS LOOK TO THE WEB
* I love the convenience and ease of ordering all
of my supplies online after hours when my
establishment is closed. It gives me more time
during the day to focus on my business and I
can concentrate better on what I am ordering.
I dont want or need someone to come in and tell
me what I need or try to sell me things during
OPERATOR the day, I just dont have the time.”
• Prime Time has become My Time.”
* Restaurant owner quoted from at an operator seminar at the CRFA F&B Show 2009

8. BEST PRACTICES
"You need to find the quickest way to ... although b-to-b customers are making
get potential customers to understand purchasing decisions for a business
not just about your products but what entity, they are used to buying for
the real issues are in their industry themselves and won't settle for a
and how those products can solve their substandard customer experience
problems and challenges. It's also crucial anymore. "B-to-b customers are b-to-c
to build a long-term relationship rather customers at night and are used to
than simply hawk your wares." being in control and being able to find
what they want,
- William Rice, president - Hoa Loranger, UX specialist
Web Marketing Association. Nielsen Norman Group
B2B Online: Top 10 B2B Web Sites 2008 (Sept. 2008)

9. NOTABLE B2B WEB SITES
As selected by BtoB MAgazine
Business-to-business Web sites selected as particularly good examples of how companies can use the Web to
communicate with customers. allowing visitors to find product and company information quickly and easily,
providing a brand experience consistent with other marketing channels and offering a way to take the
relationship to the next level.
Adobe Cisco Formway InFocus IT-Toolbox
www.adobe.com www.cisco.com www.formway.com www.infocus.com www.ittoolboxcom
Johns Manville TechSmith Suni Imaging ThomasNet USPS
www.specjm.com www.Techsmith.com www.suni.com www.thomasnet.com www.USPS.com
B2B Online: Top 10 B2B Web Sites 2008 (Sept. 2008)

10. BEST PRACTICES
(Relevant & Interesting) Content is King
Many companies are missing the mark when it comes to providing the right content, Since most business-to-
business is direct sales and long cycle, but focused on a long-term relationship, Most companies spend too much
time developing content around sales support and not nearly enough creative brain power in finding new
ways to delight existing customers. If you think about it, what's more compelling to a potential customer
than to come to your site and see how well you treat your current customers?“
- Dana Todd, CMO of Newsforce Inc. and chairwoman of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization' (SEMPO')
Rich Media & Interactions
In terms of content the experts suggest using video, interactive tools, blogs and widget-generated
microsites to give customers and prospects more information about what they are looking for.
One of the easiest ways to do so is using video or Flash-based interactive content .
Considering how content affects SEO
Marketers must also consider how search engine marketing affects site design and navigation. Because
most b-to-b research starts on a search engine, many of the people who come to your site may never see
its front page: "Every page should function like a home page.
Your site must be also optimized for search, which means it's key to use text rather than all Flash or
images. Plus, keep password-protected areas that can't be indexed by search engines to a minimum.
B2B Online: Top 10 B2B Web Sites 2008 (Sept. 2008)

11. ONLINE : A HIGHLY COST-EFFECTIVE
PART OF THE MARKETING MIX
Time Access Reach Depth
ONLINE
Website
24 +
E-broadcast 18 6
COST EFFICIENCY
Online ads
PRINT 24
Brochures, 18 6
Sell Sheets
Catalogs
24
IN-PERSON
Tradeshows, 18 6 -
Meetings, Calls,

12. FRESH CONTENT DRIVES TRAFFIC
www. www. www.
<30 Days old <3 months old 6+ Months old
FRESH STALE

13. WHY? BETTER WEB SITES
MAKE MORE MONEY
Impact of Design Impact of
Influence on B2B on Credibility Appearance onTrust
83% of businesses 75% of web users 68% of US Online
use the Internet admit making judgments shoppers agree that
about the credibility of they will distrust a
to research and find
an organization based on site that doesnt have a
potential vendors. the design of its web professional appearance.
site.
* Enquiro: Source: Fogg, B.J., Stanford Source: eMarketer, 2006
“Business to Business Survey 2007.” Guidelines for Web Credibility,
Persuasive Technology Lab.
Stanford University, 2002 (revised Nov 2003)

14. THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE
ENHANCING SALES OPPORTUNITIES WITH A BALANCED INVESTMENT IN A RICH CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
POTENTIAL
CUSTOMERS
DRIVERS SEARCH E-MAIL BANNER-ADS TRADE-ADS TIE-INS GEN. PROMO SIGNAGE ETC.
TO WEB
& OPP)RTUNITIES
<- MARKETING EFFORTS ->
FOR INTERACTION:
OPPORTUNITY
TO INFLUENCE
CONVERSION
CUSTOMERS

15. THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE
ENHANCING SALES OPPORTUNITIES WITH A BALANCED INVESTMENT IN A RICH CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
POTENTIAL
CUSTOMERS
DRIVERS SEARCH E-MAIL BANNER-ADS TRADE-ADS TIE-INS GEN. PROMO SIGNAGE ETC.
TO WEB
& OPP)RTUNITIES
<- MARKETING EFFORTS ->
FOR INTERACTION:
OPPORTUNITY
TO INFLUENCE
INVESTING A RICH & DEEP
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE:
INFLUENCERS: • Ongoing Investment in Fresh &
TOUCHPOINTS: OFFLINE ONLINE Relevant Content & interactions
CONVERSION • Use the active (pull) potential of
the webs to engage customers
$ • Capitalize on opportunities for
input, dialog, peer-validation
$
CUSTOMERS

16. OPPORTUNITIES
INVESTING IN A DEEPER & RICHER ONLINE EXPERIENCE
NEED TO FEED VISTORS WITH FRESH & RELEVANT
RETURN VISITORS
CONTENT TO ENCOURAGE REPEAT VISITS ARE POTENTIAL
• Appealing Photography: • Product & Nutr. Info CUSTOMERS
Products and Recipes • Culinary Support & Recipes
• Richer Content: Videos,, Podcasts • Business Solutions
• Richer Interactions: Polls,, Surveys • Trends and News
Tools,, Feedback, Ratings,
• Menuing & POS support
• More Relevance:
• Promos, Cross-selling
Addressing & tailoring messages
& interactions to segments/prefs • Tools, Resources, & More

17. INTERACTIVE
& SOCIAL MEDIA
UPDATE
THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE
News, Trends, Tidbits,
Tools and Statistics

18. WHERE ARE WE NOW?
A Short History of Marketing
Click to view
http://www.youtube.com/v/NewrL-Tw_Wk

19. SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLOSION

20. SOCIAL MEDIA MEGATREND
The ways in which EVERYONE interacts online have EVOLVED.
. .more popular than personal e-mail The Internet is getting Gray

21. SOCIAL MEDIA MEGATREND
The ways in which EVERYONE interacts online have EVOLVED.
The masses are joining in on the online conversation:

22. SOCIAL MEDIA MEGATREND
The ways in which EVERYONE interacts online have EVOLVED.
Twitter is growing really, really fast . . Most Popular Among Working Adults
The majority of people visit Twitter.com
while at work, with 62 percent of the
combo unique audience accessing the site
from work only versus 35 percent that
accessed it from home only.
* Nielsen NetView, 2/09, U.S., Home and Work

23. LEVER'S CMO THROWS DOWN
SOCIAL-MEDIA GAUNTLET
* No matter how big your advertising
spending, small groups of consumers on
a tiny budget might hijack the
conversation. marketers who do not
recognize this -- and adapt their
marketing -- are in grave peril.
SIMON CLIFT
CMO - UNILEVER Brands aren't simply brands anymore. They are
The center of a maelstrom of social and political
dialogue made possible by digital media
* Ad Age's Digital Conference April 2009

24. WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
Social Media in Plain English
Click to view
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpIOClX1jPE

25. FIVE NEW RULES FOR MARKETERS
HOW SIMON SAYS THE RULES HAVE CHANGED:
1. Listening to consumers is more important than talking at them.
Let your customers know you hear them - they’re not morons, theyre the ones defining your brand.
2. You cant hide the corporation behind the brand anymore (or vice versa.)
Welcome to radical transparency, where bad corporate behavior will damage your brands, and vice versa.
3. PR is a primary concern for every CMO and brand manager.
If marketing and PR”are not the same department, tear down the wall.
4. Cause marketing isnt about philanthropy, its about enlightened self-interest,”
Dont be ashamed of your profit motive, - great branding and doing good are increasingly one and the same.
5. Social media is not a strategy.
You need to understand it, and youll need to deploy it as a tactic.
But remember that the social context just makes it even more important that you have a good product.

26. VIRAL MARKETING EVOLVED:
BEYOND MAIL-A-FRIEND
Rise of social media
Nowadays, most successful Viral campaigns send videos to YouTube, create Facebook pages or organize communities on
MySpace -- or all of the above. These sites are free to use and add seemingly unlimited viral potential to any campaign.
Free additional exposure from powerful peer-to-peer networks. Marketers are hearing the social media message loud and clear.
Peer-to-peer sharing is critical
Two distinct groups: fantastically thought-out campaigns and wacky content. Either way, success hinges on peer-to-peer sharing.
Both strategies can work if enough effort is put into the right places.
Clever marketers created funny videos or text documents, posted them to a few social media sites and people shared like mad --
ka-boom! Other marketers left less at risk. They created contests, microsites, full-assault ad campaigns and got on every Web 2.0
medium reachable.
All hail mighty content
We all know the adage but all it takes for some campaigns to go wildly viral is great content.. Most of the content being
passed around was funny or sarcastic -- even if it was a bit risky for PR. But being truly funny requires risks.
Some sucessful marketers went out on a limb to grab the ripest fruit.
MarketingSherpa’s Viral Marketing Hall of Fame 2008 (June 2008)