Optimising your digital shop window: Social Media Marketing tips for independent suppliers

If you’re an independent supplier trying to get your products stocked on retailers’ shelves, then you need to start treating social media like your own shop window.

Establishing and growing your brand on social media couldn’t be more important at a time when consumers are more discerning than ever before. Here are some of Product Guru’s top tips for getting started.

Use multiple platforms

Just having a Facebook page alone is not enough these days to maximise your brand’s outreach. You should think carefully about your products and target audience and make sure you have a presence on all the platforms where you’ll find those customers who are interested in your niche.

For example, Instagram is great for building a visual brand so it’s a must-have for anyone selling a physical product, while Snapchat has the highest proportion of users under the age of 24 and LinkedIn is probably only suited to those who are selling b2b.

Show your face

Don’t be shy to get up close and personal. Remember that people connect with people, so putting your face out there will make your brand more relatable. If you know how to harness your authenticity on social media, being a small independent supplier can give you a key advantage over the big players.

One of our favourite ways to stand out from the corporate crowd is using a live video broadcast on Facebook or Instagram. Give your followers a tour of your workspace, introduce them to your team or offer a behind the scenes look at how your products are made. At the end of the day, followers who feel more of a personal connection with your brand are more likely to want to become customers.

Post content daily

The golden rule is to post content on a regular basis. Posting daily can feel like a chore for a lot of small businesses so you might want to take advantage of one of the online tools out there which lets you schedule posts across all your channels ahead of time. Set aside some time at the beginning of the week to load up a batch of posts in advance.

Stuck for ideas for topics to post about? There’s a national awareness day for almost anything you can think of so why not check out the list of upcoming events to find something which suits your brand. Make sure you follow similar brands too so you can keep an eye on current trends and find inspiration from others.

So, that's our giveaway; put yourself out there, be interactive (and don't be shy) and post on regular basis. Your audience will appreciate your efforts and your brand will benefit from it.

You might be interested to read our dedicated blog post about Instagram Marketing.

Alternatively, learn more about how Product Guru allows you to put your products in front of retail buyers and join our growing community of suppliers for free today.