eMarketing Training for Food & Drinks Sector

Navigator Consulting implemented an innovative emarketing training programme for small enterprises in the food and beverage sector in Rethymno, Crete. The training programme was co-organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Heraklion, Crete and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

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Small enterprises in Crete and Cyprus in the food and drinks sector produce high-quality products such as olive oil, olive, herbs and spices, preserved tomatoes and vegetables, organic production, fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meat and fish products. Although they are export-oriented, they often lack a comprehensive emarketing strategy and a website adequate for international promotion. The seminar was also attended by a range of additional small enterprises in the cultural and heritage fields.

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The Chamber of Commerce & Industry commissioned an innovative training / consultancy programme designed to help small enterprises develop their emarketing and website strategies. Delivered by Philip Ammerman of Navigator Consulting Group, the programme covered the following topics:

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Introduction to Online Sales and Marketing

• Content Management Systems (CMS) and Templates

• Online Sales Systems and Promotion

• Search Engine Optimisation

 

Web Design 2.0

• “3rd generation” Web Design Principles – Graphic Design

• Content Management System Design

• User Interaction & Social Media Integration

• Basic Content Necessary for Food & Beverage Promotion

• Evaluation of Successful Food & Beverage Websites

 

Search Engine Optimisation – Site Design

• Html Code and SEO

• Using the Google Adwords Keyword Tool

• Keyword Frequency, Density, Positioning

• Incoming and Outbound Links

 

Online Advertising

• Understanding the Pay-per-Click (PPC) concept

• Setting up PPC Campaigns on Google & Facebook

• Understanding Advertising Impressions

• Branded Advertising: Banners, Buttons, etc.

• Budgeting and Return-on-Investment (ROI) for Online Advertising

 

Social Media Promotion / “Free” Marketing

• Setting up and Managing a Facebook and LinkedIn page

• Social Media Marketing

• General Database Marketing & email Campaigns

• Press Releases and “Free” Marketing

• Forums and Blogs

 

Website Statistics

• Using Google Analytics

• Website Traffic by Country, Browser, Language, Keyword, Search Engine, etc.

 

Managing an Online Marketing Campaign

• Setting Objectives

• Allocating Resources & Budgets

• Measuring Return on Investment (ROI)

• Working with External Web Designers

 

The programme was delivered in Greek, and attended by the following companies, which also benefitted from one-to-one consultation sessions with the trainer:

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Eliva Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Eliva is a newly-established company specialising in extra virgin olive oil produced in the Chania region. The website design theme reflects the artisanal, high value quality of its products. Advice on the site included the inclusion of keywords into recipes; the restructuring of the product database for better visual impact; the restructuring of the index page to provide for a more immediate sales opportunity; the inclusion of event-focussed, seasonal emarketing offers.

 

Nikolas Oil

Nikolas Oil has established on online shop showcasing traditional Cretan food products, including olive oil, olives, preserved tomatoes, herbs, cosmetics made from natural products, etc. The website is ecommerce-oriented and under development. The advise included restructuring the index page to provide additional context on the company and its heritage; the development of multi-language advertising materials and their proper linking to special offers; the inclusion of keywords in the product descriptions; the proper formatting of html titles, keywords and descriptions; site structure revisions; and branding.

 

Cretan Nutrition

The Cretan Nutrition / Cretan Quality Agreement is an initiative designed to highlight Cretan recipes and products to the Greek and wider public. The initiative has been sponsored by the Region of Crete. The discussion centred around the creation of a free and subscription-based directory for members in different categories (e.g. olive oil, food, etc.) as well as a potential lateral expansion into agrotourism and related categories.

 

Association of Citizens of Sfakia Region, Crete

The Association is a volunteer group which implements projects in the Sfakai municipal region designed to improve the cultural heritage, the environment and the common living conditions of its citizens. The Association has a limited-scale site on Google Sites. The advice included linking methods on Facebook and Youtube and a site restructuring within the limited possibilities offered by Google.

 

Agroestate Drosoulites

This is a start-up company which focuses on the modern production of organic vegetables using greenhouse production methods. The company does not yet have a website. The discussion focussed on different ecommerce and web platforms; online branding; online payment systems; customer targeting; and emarketing strategies.

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Rethymno Sailing Club

The web designer of this website attended the training programme to learn more about personal development options and web design in the food and beverage sector. The discussion focussed on the development of personal design styles and a review of innovative design companies as well as social media strategy.