True Source Honey plays a vital role in the honey industry by certifying the authenticity and traceability of honey from hive to table. With over 650 members, including beekeepers, importers, exporters and packers, the True Source Certified® program promotes real honey made by honeybees and sourced from beekeepers while combating fake, adulterated and illegally sourced honey.
To strengthen their efforts to educate consumers and retailers, True Source Honey engaged Wild Hive to overhaul their digital strategy.
The Challenge: Muddled Messaging and Missed Opportunities
True Source Honey faced numerous challenges in effectively communicating its mission and the importance of its certification program to consumers and retailers. These included:
- Unclear messaging that relied heavily on industry jargon rather than clear, consumer-friendly language.
- Consumer misconceptions about the value and meaning of the True Source Certified® seal. Some consumers wondered why they should prioritize the seal over attributes such as organic, raw and unfiltered.
- An outdated website that was not consumer-friendly or mobile-responsive, making it difficult for visitors to access and understand vital information about honey certification.
- Inactive social media accounts that didn’t reach and engage consumers in the conversation around honey certification.
As a result, True Source Honey’s ability to educate consumers about the importance of honey traceability and authenticity was significantly hampered.
Wild Hive’s Solution: Targeted Messaging and Consumer-Focused Distribution
Our solution began at the heart of any good marketing strategy: messaging. To address the lack of a clear, consistent story, Wild Hive worked closely with True Source Honey to develop approved narratives that were both informative and consumer-friendly.
These messages focused on:
- Emphasizing that not all honey is created equally and explaining the purpose of the True Source Certified® seal
- Highlighting the global issue of adulterated and illegally sourced honey
- Explaining the rigorous process of honey traceability, testing and third-party auditing
- Clarifying that True Source Certified® honey is real, bee-produced honey
- Showcasing how purchasing True Source Certified® honey supports beekeepers worldwide
- Reinforcing the seal’s role in protecting honey’s reputation as a safe, natural, wholesome food
Before we could cascade this approved, targeted messaging across all of True Source Honey’s digital assets and channels, it was necessary to reimagine True Source Honey’s online presence from the ground up. We did this in the following ways.
Website Content Strategy
True Source Honey engaged a web development agency to consolidate its two websites into one redesigned, mobile-friendly site. Collaborating with this agency, Wild Hive developed a site-wide content strategy and wrote clear, compelling copy to eliminate confusion between industry and consumer information.
Social Media and Influencer Marketing
Although True Source Honey had several social media accounts in place, they were largely inactive — and they were missing a key channel. To put the power of social to work, we:
- Launched a new Instagram account to reach the target consumer demographic
- Discontinued their underperforming X (formerly Twitter) account
- Reinvigorated the existing Facebook page with fresh, engaging content
- Developed a social strategy that educated and engaged the “Honey Lovers” consumer audience directly
- Actively monitored impressions, likes and comments to keep our finger on the pulse of consumer sentiments
We also partnered with five highly-targeted social influencers, each focused on a specific retailer including Costco, Target and Aldi since these retailers were early adopters of True Source Honey’s certification seal. Influencers created a series of social media posts and videos to promote True Source Certified honey and deliver key messaging to their audience. Monitoring influencer accounts enabled us to engage in meaningful discussions around honey authenticity — all while answering passionate questions and concerns with factual, educational information.
By developing cross-platform posts, video content and reels to increase understanding of the True Source Certified® seal and implementing an integrated strategy for sharing influencer content across social media channels, we extended True Source Honey’s reach exponentially.
Paid Promotion
Finally, Wild Hive maximized the impact of the new digital strategy through targeted paid promotion to raise awareness and build True Source Honey’s audience.
Results: More Buzz, Greater Impact
The comprehensive digital strategy Wild Hive implemented yielded significant results for True Source Honey.
True Source Honey’s own social accounts and posts garnered:
- 537,000 impressions
- 39,400 engagements
- 70,000 video views
- 764 new Instagram followers
- 357 new Facebook followers
Furthermore, posts by our five influencers:
- Reached 519,000 accounts
- Garnered 472,000 video views
- Inspired 7,100 engagements
The success of True Source Honey’s engagement with Hild Hive was certainly measured in numbers outlined above. But it was also measured by the number of higher quality interactions with consumers.
Our influencer marketing partnership, in particular, gave True Source Honey the opportunity to directly address misconceptions and educate consumers about honey certification — all while establishing themselves as an authoritative voice in honey authenticity discussions.
Expertise-Driven Marketing for Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Brands and Organizations
Are you an organization in the food, agriculture and nutrition sector looking to improve your digital presence, educate consumers and extend your product’s reach? Wild Hive’s integrated and influencer marketing strategies offer a proven path to success.
By combining industry expertise with cutting-edge marketing techniques, Wild Hive empowers brands to connect with consumers, build trust and promote the importance of food quality and authenticity in a crowded, competitive landscape.
Want to learn more about how we can amplify your message? Let’s talk.