Food Entrepreneurs

THE "GO TO" PLACE FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN SPECIALTY FOOD MARKETING.

Suzanne Ryan
  • Female
  • Waltham, MA
  • United States
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Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
I had lunch with a friend 2 weeks ago. Someone I hadn’t seen since my school days. When I told her what I do for a living (marketing for online food sellers)—she said she didn’t think most people bought food online. “I buy lots of stuff online,”...
August 20
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
In case you’re hiding under a rock–the new movie Julie and Julia has revived America’s love affair with Julia Child. Her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is flying off the bookshelves. Not just at bookstores either. I pulled out my ol...
August 12
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
One thing I learned from old timers when I began promoting my copywriting services–is NOT to rely on only one marketing medium. “If you think you’re going to get more business by running adwords–and not promote yourself in other ways–you’re going...
August 5
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
Let me say upfront that I’m still learning the ropes of twitter. So I’m writing this post as someone in mid training. In fact, I’m collecting information on how I might use it more to my marketing advantage. I thought I’d share a few tidbits wi...
July 29
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
Last month, IBM (of all companies!) released a survey that showed less than 20% of consumers trust the safety of food they purchase. I’ve included the link to the press release at the end of this post. If you read the article in full–you’ll see ...
July 15
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
Sometimes I wish I had a clearcut, easy-peasy formula for writing emails to a list. A surefire method that I could wisely impart to others. No dice. Depending on product or market–what works for one business could fall flat for another. For ex...
July 9
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
Some of us marketing types were talking about which critical elements you need to successfully promote a product or service. The subject of infomercials came up. Say what you will about them (I say the products are often gar-bahge)--but the medi...
June 30
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
Would you like to find out which time-tested marketing elements your website may or may not be using? I've compiled a checklist of 45 elements that direct response marketers use to craft effective sales offers. There's a quick explanation about ...
June 25
Suzanne Ryan added a discussion
I have to admit I often look for the hidden motive in things. Not in a suspicious I-think-you’re-up-to-no-good kind of way. More like: You did ____ because you wanted _____ to happen. So I was confused when I stumbled across a gourmet food deli...
June 24
Suzanne Ryan added a blog post
I have a rule that I can only watch Oprah if I work out at the same time. So I was watching the show & lifting weights early last month when she promoted the free KFC grilled chicken meal. That’s when I–and the rest of the planet–flooded the cou...
June 17
Suzanne Ryan added a blog post
I'm writing this as much to ask a question as to spout an opinion. I'm ready to be proven wrong. All the specialty food lists I'm on are emailing about their Father's Day specials--regardless of whether it's the right target audience or not. In...
June 10
Suzanne Ryan added a blog post
Ok…ouch…I’ve banged my head against the wall one too many times over this. I need to talk about it. Basically… …there’s a ton of information out there on how businesses can market themselves better. Everything from driving qualified traffic to ...
June 3
Suzanne Ryan added a blog post
There’s something I noticed on some food entrepreneurs’ websites that I thought might be interesting to talk about. It’s the use of long, academic articles (often written by a passionate business owner) to give some backround & history about thei...
May 27
Jan--thanks so much for sharing. Your experience puts a human face on all the dry statistical reports we hear about in the news. It's very interesting to me that you have more negotiating power with co-packers and landlords. I've heard it said th...
May 23
The economy has affected my business two ways. Co-packers who usually have higher minimums than my company could never meet are now working with us to produce our products. We need to move into a climate controlled warehouse. Landlords are more wi...
May 22
Suzanne Ryan added a blog post
I've been reading all sorts of reports about how the specialty food industry is continuing to climb in the recession. Some even say the downturn has boosted gourmet food consumption. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that. After all--the s...
May 20

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Profile Information

Hometown:
Waltham
About Me:
I'm a specialty foods copywriter/marketer (websites, catalog descriptions, e-marketing campaigns, etc)--and I'm here to learn about the marketing challenges & issues of the industry
Website:
http://www.thegourmetcopywriter.com/directresponse.html

Suzanne Ryan's Blog

Suzanne Ryan

Is Excellent Customer Service Part of Your Marketing Mojo?

I have a rule that I can only watch Oprah if I work out at the same time.

So I was watching the show & lifting weights early last month when she promoted the free KFC grilled chicken meal.

That’s when I–and the rest of the planet–flooded the coupon download site and shut it down for hours. Too many people trying to print out coupons at the same time.

That was just the beginning. The free meal offer proved so popular that franchises were running out of grilled chicken for paying customers.… Continue

Posted on June 17, 2009 at 10:30am —

Suzanne Ryan

Here We Go Again...It's Father's Day

I'm writing this as much to ask a question as to spout an opinion.

I'm ready to be proven wrong.

All the specialty food lists I'm on are emailing their Father's Day specials--regardless of whether it's the right target audience or not.

In fact I'm betting that most of them hope their list is mostly made up of daughters and wives.

Maybe they're right. I don't know who's on their list, do I?

One clever company, however, seems to have thought about this too. They've carefully selected items kn… Continue

Posted on June 10, 2009 at 11:30am —

Suzanne Ryan

Working with a Marketing Professional 101

Ok…ouch…I’ve banged my head against the wall one too many times over this.

I need to talk about it.

Basically…

…there’s a ton of information out there on how businesses can market themselves better. Everything from driving qualified traffic to websites to distributing press releases.

When it comes to do-it-yourself marketing, the Internet’s got it covered.

Not quite the same story when it comes to taking your marketing to the next level—i.e., working with a marketing pro to position yoursel… Continue

Posted on June 3, 2009 at 9:30am —

Suzanne Ryan

Is Your Website In Sync With How Consumers Read Online?

There’s something I noticed on some specialty food websites that I thought might be interesting to talk about.

It’s the use of long, academic articles (often written by a passionate business owner) to give some background & history about their products.

For example, the history of fish farming, the introduction of yams into North America, or analysis of French & Spanish olive oils.

I think they have the right idea, on one level. Sometimes consumers want more information—and the more t… Continue

Posted on May 27, 2009 at 7:30am —

Suzanne Ryan

Specialty Food Industry Strong--Despite Weak Economy

I've been reading all sorts of reports about how the specialty food industry is continuing to climb in the recession. Some even say the downturn has boosted gourmet food consumption.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that. After all--the specialty food sector is my bread & butter.

Yet the news didn't come as a surprise.

America's palate is becoming more refined. If we have to cut out restaurants and culinary travel vacations...darn it--we're going to make up for it somewhere else!… Continue

Posted on May 20, 2009 at 9:30am — 2 Comments

 
 

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