We’re proud to announce a new feature on the ShareBlog from our Shopper marketing team, Talking Shop. In this weekly special report TMA’s resident shopper marketing experts will expound on industry trends, best practices, and  tips– ultimately with the goal of moving items from a considered option in the minds of consumers into the only option. Without further ado, this week’s feature:

Five Essential Tips for Effective Shopper Marketing

1. Know Your Retailer

The better you align your initiatives with the retailer’s overall category short and  long term strategies, the more they’ll want to partner with you. Your programming should help their situation and  resonate with their specific target shopper for the category. Realize that all retailers are good at something – so understand  what they do well and  incorporate that into your shopper plan.

2. Get the Basics Right

No matter how good your shopper marketing program is, a retailer won’t listen if your brand ’s fundamentals aren’t right. For example, if there’s a major pricing issue, you’ll need to address this before proposing any shopper marketing opportunities. Remember, retailers are still merchants first and  they’re rewarded for their sales more than anything else. And don’t forget, collaboration with your sales team is critical.

3. Bet Strategically

Not every retailer or brand  is ready for shopper marketing, so it’s OK to be selective about who to partner with. While it’s exciting to partner with the biggest retailer, sometimes the smaller retailers are more willing to work with you. Spend some time determining who’s the right match for your brand s and  your consumer.

4. Spend Responsibly

After you’ve chosen the retailer and  the brand s/categories you want to develop a shopper program for, the next step is funding. Some companies budget for shopper marketing, while for others, funding is a constant battle. Whether the funding is being held to the same ROI as trade events (or any other ROI used by marketers to determine if the vehicle is effective), shopper marketers must be diligent on how the money is spent. Transparency in how the money will be spent, the vehicles that it will be spent on, and  the goals of the program are all critical in sharing with both the marketing and  sales functions within the company. The more you can educate and  show results, the more momentum you’ll have for future programs.

5. Scale it Up

Make your brand  relevant to the shopper beyond your category. The shopper is focused on solutions – meaning she’s not just buying breakfast, but also lunch and  dinner. She’s typically coming in to fill her cart and  cross off her entire list, which means she isn’t focused on just one brand . Neither is the retailer – their number one concern is typically their banner or store overall first, then departments and  aisles. Categories, brand s and  SKUs fall last on their list. It’s an inverted equation to how manufacturers market their brand s. The more you can make your brand  and  category relevant to the shopper on a broader scale, the more likely the retailer will want to support it.

While that’s all for today, stay tuned for next month’s Talking Shop.