Over the last five years, online subscription businesses have risen at a rate of more than 100% every year. Subscription boxes have grown in popularity since their inception in 2004. More than half of respondents in a Clutch survey said they use at least one subscription box. That's a significant number of potential clients!

Food and beverage subscription boxes are the most popular, accounting for about 20% of all subscription boxes. Because of this demand, a food subscription box is both a competitive and profitable business. If you're considering the subscription box business, you must make your box stand out.

We studied the marketing methods used by successful food subscription box businesses to assist you to get started.

Here are the top five food and beverage box marketing techniques for 2021, with real-life examples to follow. The good news is; these techniques can be adjusted to match any business, and they will work for yours as well!

You should read it if you're a savvy marketer, digital advertiser, or business owner seeking for innovative approaches to improve your outcomes.

1. Share your Culinary Expertise Online

Make educational and entertaining cookery videos related to your product available on your social media channels. They're interested in food and drink enough to purchase a subscription box from you; so they'll likely value your culinary knowledge. And sharing your culinary methods with your audience also helps in establishing trust with your audience.

ButcherBox for instance is a meat subscription service that delivers 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef, free-range organic chicken, and heritage breed pork, wild-caught seafood (and more!) to your doorstep. If you asked them to describe themselves in one sentence or less, they’d say that they’re the neighborhood butcher for modern America.

Sharing your production tips with customers may appear to be a poor idea — you might even think customers might cease to buy from you if they know your recipe and procedures? In reality, this instructive information is likely to increase consumer interest in your food, as the case has been for many food businesses. People will likely appreciate your company's openness regarding their preparation process. And, more than likely, your products will be more delectable and convenient than those of your customers create.

2. Evoke Curation in Your Photos

Curation is what consumers are looking for when they order a food subscription box. Your product marketing photos should evoke a sense of curation. They want to open a box that not only contains things specifically chosen for them but is also well-designed and packaged.

Readers will notice that your box is a gorgeous, manicured product if you arrange the images in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Candy Club for instance is a monthly subscription service delivering sweets and smiles to candy lovers' doorsteps since 2015. You can see this strategy at work in their Valentines' Day campaign.

Their photos are wonderfully arranged for Valentine's Day, with adorable heart-shaped candy and light pink roses. The color scheme is vibrant and complements the Valentine's Day theme.

Depending on how the light hits the food and packaging, they appear to be different. Experiment with several angles to determine which one works best for each product.

3. Adopt Brand Influencers

Customers can't try the food in your subscription box before they buy it because they can only see it on the screen. Promoting your product through celebrities or influencers increases consumer trust in your business.

When potential customers see people they admire using your product, it inspires them to try your food subscription box. This is the social proof phenomenon.

If you don't have any celebrity or influencer connections yet, you can start with Facebook's Brand Collabs Manager.

Use a brand influencer who relates to your target audience. If you offer a healthy food box, for instance, you can choose an athlete – someone who has to eat healthy to stay fit for a living. If you're a beauty box, use a beautiful model who makes a living by looking beautiful.

4. Share Your Story

With so many subscription boxes on the market, you need to stand out by highlighting what sets you apart. Taste and quality are important to those who purchase food and drink boxes. Tell potential customers about your product selection philosophy so they know they're getting just the best.

What distinguishes your box from others and why did you create a meal subscription service in the first place? This information demonstrates who you are as a business and why customers should subscribe to your box. You should also share your company's history and philosophy to food and drink on your website and social media.

You can achieve this by clearly defining your mission statement on your website, for instance, on an "About Us" page. Customers will immediately recognize what your business stands for and what sets you apart from the competition when they visit your website.

5. Start a Referral Program

Online buyers are understandably wary of purchasing food or beverages they haven't consumed before. However, social proof indicates that if a friend or family member recommends something, potential customers are significantly more likely to sign up.

Use a referral scheme to entice these clients. You can give current consumers an incentive to convince their friends and relatives to subscribe to your box. For example, if current customers suggest a friend, you may give them a discount, a free box, or some other incentive. Give them a unique referral code to use in order to track and verify the discount.

Add a discount for new customers as part of your referral program. As a result, your program will benefit both the present consumers and the people they're bringing on board. 

To raise awareness of your program, you can use short-term extraordinary gifts as people like instant benefits instead of waiting the long haul. For instance, if your standard referral program offers current customers a 20% discount on a box, you could offer a limited-time special in which they receive a free box instead.

Conclusion

Food subscription boxes are the most popular type of subscription box and have become competitive; hence it's crucial to utilize creative marketing to make your food subscription box unique.

Show potential consumers what makes your box unique and better than your competitors to persuade them to try your product.

Are you looking to start a subscription box business or scaling your subscription business and need help getting started, reach out to Chargezen support team or write me at success@trychargezen.com if you have questions.