Regardless of whether you are on the cusp of your Private Label journey, or whether you have been working through the finer details of your business for some time, the question of social media will have already occurred to you at some point.
Social media is no longer just for keeping up with friends and family. These days platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have developed additional sophisticated tools and services to help businesses to reach a wider audience. To many modern businesses and entrepreneurs social media is an essential part of their marketing strategy to gain awareness of their business. In fact, such is the power of social media, any business, whether you’re selling high-end technology or kitchenware manufactured by private label suppliers, can benefit from promoting your brand via social media.
There are many ways in which social media can be used to promote a brand and gain awareness for your private label products. Additionally there are many places where you can find information detailing the various ways you can use social media to give your business a boost in a crowded marketplace. Below we shall discuss the six most relevant ways you can use social media to gain greater brand awareness and push your products to a wider cross section of the buying public.
Have something to say… Great content for your social media channels is essential. In fact think of this as the first step. There is no point in posting drab, uninteresting content just for the sake of populating your social media channel and being able to say that you have a Facebook page, Twitter feed etc. You need to work on supplying quality content to your would-be followers that will provide some value.
Social media works by growing your audience. In order to do this you need to appeal to your target market. Social media users will not even begin to like or follow you if you do not have quality content to share with them. Remember that they want to share the information you have about your brand and they want to share your pictures with others who will share their interest in your private label. However you need to give them a reason. Ask yourself if your content is worth sharing at all? Is it interesting enough? Would you share it if you were a disinterested third party?
Use visual content intelligently… You’ve heard the old saying: a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, with social media this really is true. One of the things that make social media attractive is how easy it is to distribute photos and videos. This is also what makes it so attractive to businesses that have physical products to sell, rather than services.
If you have attractive products that lend themselves well to the photographer’s lens, you will find that social media channels will help to distribute your photos. Using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest you will spread awareness of your brand in a way that you could not have anticipated. The more your photos are shared on social media the greater the attention your brand should receive.
Bear in mind this astonishing fact: Pinterest alone is responsible for roughly 23% of all social media purchases.
Use other more established brands… If you’re still working hard on the beginnings of your social media platforms you won’t yet have a substantial audience. You need an audience that is interested in the products or services that your private label sells. The greater your social media audience the wider your content will be shared. If you don’t yet have the wide audience that you are dreaming of that will share your news and updates it may be time to align yourself with a brand that is similar to yours.
There is no shame in avoiding being lost in the noise by riding somebody else’s coattails and using their existing audience. Find the key influencers, movers and shakers related to your industry or field and make sure you mention them in all your content on social media and, if relevant, on your website. If they have Google Alerts or some other notification system set up they should notice their name in your content after it is published. If they enjoy your piece and feel it could add value to their readers they will also share your content, instantly giving you status as a voice of authority.
Instagram is an awesome tool… Using Instagram to spread brand awareness was previously thought of as being helpful only for brands that naturally include lots of photos as a logical part of their marketing. This extended to fashion, artists, photographers, travel writers. However, with a little creative juice you can use Instagram to promote your brand no matter what field it is related to. Instagram is a powerful tool that, if used correctly, can bring real value to your social media marketing strategy.
The key to using Instagram well is to use it to create a visual identity for your brand. Find fonts and a specific style that suits your brand. The spirit of Instagram is one of fun, so if you have physical products it will be entirely fitting to use your imagination to show them off in a playful light. This will attract attention without seeming like a hard sell. Instagram should not be used to aggressively sell products.
Don’t forget video… Social media isn’t just about photos. Very short videos work really well on social media and can also help to spread awareness of your private label. If executed in a way that reflects the tastes of your target audience video can show off your services or products and become highly shared.
Communicate directly with your audience… Depending on your outlook one of the best things about social media is the way businesses can communicate with their target audience and hear directly from them. Maybe you want to spend more time working the nuts and bolts of your private label, not answering comments on Facebook. However, social media does give you the opportunity to listen to what customers actually want. They will be able to tell you their thoughts and, in some cases, offer noteworthy suggestions.
If you keep the lines of communication open with your followers you will find that they are more likely to share your contents and spread awareness of your private label business.
Photo by Hans Vivek
Sarah Kaiser
Latest posts by Sarah Kaiser (see all)
- Six Tips to Promote Your Private Label via Social Media - March 30, 2017
