How To Combat Marketing Myopia in the Natural Products Industry

Marketing natural products can be tricky. At first glance, the mere fact that you’re promoting a natural alternative to processed goods is a strong enough case to compel your audience to engage with your brand and purchase your wares. 

But there’s a level to which we can take too far, where the marketing campaign is focused too much on what the product is and less so on what it does. Every marketing decision, from the channels you choose to advertise on to the way you position your messaging, has to point back to how you’re helping the end user. That’s it. 

In this post, we’ll tackle the topic of marketing myopia, what it is, and how we can easily fall into it without even realizing it. We’ll discuss some approaches to combating it and realigning your focus to be less on the granular aspects of your marketing approach and more on the end goal – the user’s experience with your brand and offer. 

What is Marketing Myopia?

Imagine you’re wearing binoculars backward. That’s marketing myopia for you – a term coined by Theodore Levitt in 1960. It’s a nearsighted focus on immediate needs and a failure to see long-term opportunities and necessities. 

For natural products retailers, this could mean fixating on selling products as they are without understanding the deeper needs and lifestyle aspirations of your customers. It’s like obsessing over the pixels and missing the picture! Just stating that your products are naturally sourced, cruelty-free, or free of certain processes of chemicals isn’t entirely enough to convince your audience to react to your offer. You still have to position your product as the solution they need to solve their issue. 

Myopia sets in with natural product marketers when you focus too much on vomiting out all of the cool qualities of your natural product but somehow fail to convey the ways it is better than the alternative (mass-produced, non-natural equivalents). 

How to Avoid Marketing Myopia?

1. Know Thy Customer

Understand who your customers are and what they truly seek. Are they health enthusiasts, eco-warriors, or simply trying to make healthier choices? Dive into their world, and you’ll find a goldmine of insights.

2. Be a Trendsetter

The natural products industry is always changing. New information about nutrition, what’s healthy and what’s not healthy, is constantly being re-evaluated, which means you want your natural product brand to lead the charge when it comes to informing your audience about what it means for a product to be naturally made or contain natural ingredients. Keep a keen eye on emerging trends – whether it’s the rise of plant-based diets or the latest superfood craze. If you stay ahead of the curve, your customers will assign credibility to your brand and ultimately engage with your offer. 

3. Innovate Relentlessly

Innovation is your best friend. From product offerings to marketing strategies, always think outside the box. Don’t just copy whatever else in your industry seems to be working. Any truly successful marketing campaign is rarely ever a copycat campaign. 

4. Engage and Educate

Your customers are looking for more than just products; they’re seeking wisdom and a like-minded community. Your relationship with your customers shouldn’t end once they reach the checkout line or get an order confirmation. Continue connecting with them, inviting them to learn more about how the choice to purchase your products can impact their life for the better.

5. Blend Online with Offline

In today’s heavily digitized climate, an online presence is crucial. Embrace e-commerce and social media, but don’t forget the charm of in-store experiences. You have the advantage of presenting your brand’s messaging in an online product page, but it’s much more competitive in retail chains where you have much less real estate and fewer words to cram into your product labels. Distill the core benefits of your product in as few words as possible and let that lead your brand and your products. 

6. Sustainability is Key

When it comes to appealing to a natural product audience, “sustainability” shouldn’t be a throw-away word. Showcase your commitment to the planet, and your customers will respect and trust you more.

How Do You Know You Have Marketing Myopia in Natural Products Retail?

Signs of Myopia:

• Your marketing is product-centric, not customer-centric.
• You’re unaware of or ignoring broader market trends.
• Your business strategies haven’t evolved with the times.
• You see your competition as limited to direct counterparts, not the broader wellness industry.

Adding Humor and Uniqueness in Your Marketing

Making It Fun:

• Humor is a Great Icebreaker: Try getting funny. Use humor in your marketing to create a memorable brand personality. Think witty product descriptions or playful social media posts. Look at the way Poo-Pourri’s ads promoted essential oil-based air fresheners through a touch of humor.
• Storytelling Wins Hearts: Narrate the journey of your products, from farm to shelf, in an engaging and relatable way.
• Be Visually Creative: Whatever you do with your brand, keep it consistent throughout. From your website’s theme to the layout of your product packaging, it all has to present the type of tone you want for your natural product brand. Think about the colors of nature – vivid greens, bright yellows, and deep blues. These will help your audience associate your brand with their ideals.

In-Depth Strategies to Combat Marketing Myopia

Customer-Centric Approach:

• Empathy Mapping: Understand your customer’s motivations, frustrations, and aspirations. Create empathy maps to visualize their needs and how your products can fulfill them.
• Personalization is Powerful: Tailor your communication and offerings based on customer preferences. Personalized experiences make customers feel valued and understood.

Innovation in Product and Experience:

• Beyond the Product: Think of ways to enhance the customer experience. Maybe it’s an in-store yoga class or a virtual workshop on sustainable living. You’ve got to take the application of your product and translate it into a form of “curricula” that will keep your customers coming back. 
• Collaborations and Partnerships: Collaborate with local fitness centers, wellness bloggers and influencers, or eco-friendly brands to broaden your reach and offer more value to your customers.

Embrace Technology:

• E-commerce and Beyond: A robust online store is just the start. Explore augmented reality for virtual product trials or AI-driven recommendations for a personalized shopping experience.
• Social Media Engagement: Engage with your community on social media. Share tips, trivia, and behind-the-scenes glimpses to build a loyal online community.

Sustainability and Ethics:

• Transparency Builds Trust: Be open about your sourcing, production, and business practices. Customers today value transparency as much as quality.
• Eco-friendly Practices: From packaging to store operations, ensure that your business reflects the ethos of sustainability.

Last Thoughts: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Avoiding marketing myopia in the natural products scene is about broadening your vision while also getting down to the level of your audience. It’s about understanding the shifting needs of your customers and the market. 

It’s as if you were walking through a dense forest, watching closely at your feet with every step you take, but if you don’t look up after a while, who knows where you’ll end up! It applies to all modes of marketing, and natural product marketing is no exception.

Remember, the only constant in marketing is change. Keep your eyes wide open, and you’ll see the trees and the entire forest – a forest teeming with opportunities, growth, and connections. Here’s to a clear vision and boundless possibilities in your natural products journey!

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