So You’ve Got Kosher Certification. Now What?
Marketing Kosher: Leverage it to Get the Brand Recognition You Want.
The OK Kosher trademarked logo is a very strong marketing tool. So much so, that many make the mistake of thinking a product with the OK symbol will automatically sell itself.
Obtaining OK Kosher certification, and thus the chance to use the OK symbol on your brand’s label, is an accomplishment worth celebrating. But just like launching a shiny, new website, or featured store display for your products – as important as they are – customers need to find that website or display and, ultimately, decide to buy.
We’re here to help you get the most out of the kosher certification. You’ve made the investment, so let’s see to it that your products have the reach you imagined, and beyond.
Laying the Groundwork.
If you’re here, then you know that a good marketing plan is foundational to the success of any brand. You have incredible products, and now they’re certified kosher to the highest standard. You’ve likely already researched your target audience, tested the ground, and built key relationships – which is why you chose OK Kosher in the first place. In a perfect world, consumer education and advertising lead-up happen in advance of production. However things don’t always happen as anticipated. Sometimes opportunity strikes, business moves ultra-fast, or some roadblock leaves your brand without a presence set up ahead of sales. So, just in case that’s true, here are some tips to keep in mind, even after the fact.
Learn the Guide. Abide by the Guide.
Our customer service reps are experts in helping the freshly certified foray into their newfound kosher identity. We give new clients the Guide to the Proper Use of the OK Kosher Symbol upon becoming certified. It serves as a handbook for the correct way to print, position and utilize our trademark to your advantage. It includes, most importantly, the advice to print the logo on the front of the label, whenever possible, to help your product stand out on the shelf.
Have Some Kosher Pride.
One of the biggest mistakes we see certified companies make is not shouting their kosher status from the rooftops! Weeks, even months, after certification begins, we sometimes notice the OK symbol nowhere in sight on a brand’s website or marketing materials. We advocate for printing the OK Kosher mark on product labels as soon as possible after approval, even when you have old labels to use up. This is the quickest way to inform customers of, and the only way OK Kosher can stand behind, the product’s kosher status. But when that isn’t possible yet[i], it’s crucial to at least update your website and product images on merchant sites with a prominently displayed OK Kosher symbol.
We recommend these steps for marketing kosher certification:
- Go through your entire website and take stock of any images that need updating.
- Tell your graphic designer to add the OK symbol to pictures of both the inner packaging (such as the wrapper) and outer packaging (such as the shelf box), as well as other noticable places on your site.
- Customers want to know which kosher certification you have. Some popular places they’ll check are: in the FAQ section, under “Certifications and Awards” (mostly for wholesale and bulk companies), and…you guessed it – the front page! Make sure to link back to ok.org wherever you mention OK Kosher on your site. This gives consumers the immediate ability to check out who certifies your products if they’re not already familiar. It also builds on the trust that having kosher certification establishes with your customers.
- Email your entire vendor list that you’re now OK Kosher certified and send them your updated product images. Be specific – it’s surprising how many major online vendors (we won’t mention any names) leave out the name of the kosher certifier you have, and whether the product is dairy (D), Kosher-for-Passover (P), Pareve, etc. This can stop a customer in their tracks from buying your product, so you want to provide all the information.
- Write a blog post about your experience becoming OK Kosher certified. Include the good news in your email newsletter. Add a new slide on your website to make it crystal clear. Aside from helping your own SEO, these actions help connect the kosher consumer and your products.
- Post proudly to your social media channels, include pictures of your products with the OK Kosher symbol, and tag us @okkosher!
We Can Help.
We’re proud of our clients and love to share it. We often feature well-branded, creative, interesting, healthy and otherwise noteworthy new kosher products on our Instagram @okkosher, Facebook and LinkedIn. Ask your account rep if you’d like your company to be posted. Your account rep should also offer to add your company to our Featured Brands section, which scrolls on the front page of ok.org. With thousands of loyal, kosher-keeping consumers, you’re sure to get excellent recognition this way.
Don’t Be Shy.
It’s a fantastic time to get certified and be a part of the kosher world, and OK Kosher is at the forefront. The overall body of kosher certified products is growing at an incredible rate, as its popularity is soaring. As long as you set your brand up for success with it, and follow the above tips on marketing kosher, you’ll have your certification selling for you in no time.
[i] We instruct consumers to never assume a product is kosher without seeing the kosher symbol on the label. Therefore, even if you advertise your product as kosher certified via other means, they may (and often do) contact us to verify the kosher status. Creating this boundary before the buying decision can be a major deterrent and can harm your sales.
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