It is almost impossible to have a successful business today without being involved with social media. The use of social networks has become a part of every successful supplement brand’s marketing campaign. These platforms can help to increase brand awareness, share product information, and even generate leads. This is especially important for startups that are operating with lean budgets in a crowded market.

The problem is that most brands approach social media like a one-way street. They feel that if they just start posting and talking about themselves, people will be interested. And then if that doesn’t work, they figure they probably need to start talking about themselves even more! OK, hold on a minute!

Back in the old days (72months ago) this may have worked a little because there were only a million businesses on Facebook and Instagram was still a baby. But now there are estimated to be nearly 80 million businesses on Facebook alone, and those businesses are posting more than ever before. So, with all of these businesses talking about themselves, it’s become an extremely loud and noisy one-way street. Meanwhile, a recent study called “AudienceProject” by Statistica showed that only 17% of Facebook users where interested in following brands on social media. The most popular uses were actually ……. spying on ex-lovers (just kidding)! There were three big ones that account for the majority of interactions. They are as follows, in order of priority:

1. Socializing with friends and family
2. Entertainment
3. Get news

So, what do we take from this? If you want to be successful going forward on social media, stop focusing so much on talking about yourself and start being, well………… Social. 

Feedback is a Supplement Startup Brand’s Best Friend:

Let’s begin by making it a two-way street. Start making at least one post per week a question. Find out what your audience likes, what their favorite things are, get to know them. Remember, people are mainly there to socialize with friends and family and to be entertained. Imagine a brand that actually cares what its audience is thinking! The most successful brands on social media act like friends, not businesses. These platforms are a way to get personal while not being in-person. Because of the instantaneous interaction these networks create, you have an opportunity to collect feedback quickly in several different ways:

• Monitor the discussions and comments. Listen to what they are saying about your brand and use the information to improve your outreach. ***Also, look at the conversations happening on your competitor’s pages!
• Respond to them. Answer their questions, let them know you are listening to their feedback, address their concerns in real time, ask them what they want!

Responding to your customers and followers changes these posts from being a one-sided conversation to a place where people share and have authentic interactions. It is, after all, SOCIAL media.

Use these platforms to let people know a little bit about who you are, what your supplement brand is all about, and why they should care. At the same time, learn about them.

Social Surveys 101:

Social media can be a fast, free, and effective way for supplement startup brands to get valuable market research if they are looking to grow fast. Surveys are a great way to do this. You can setup a survey yourself, or there are some simple apps that make it easy and interactive. Surveys provide all kinds of valuable insights:

• Identify who your followers and customers are – confirm you are connecting with your target demographic.
• Test out new concepts – such as packaging ideas or new products.
• Learn about how your product is being used – where are your supplements being taken, and why are they choosing yours. This helps you refine existing products and create new ones.
• Get customer testimonials – let your customers share their love of your products and let that word-of-mouth endorsement spread to other followers.

Social surveys are a great way to find out about your customers and followers. Find out what they like, what they want, and who they are.

Following Up Gets You Followers!

Whether you’re talking about Facebook, Instagram or even Tiktok, you want to grow a pool of what are called “followers”. People who have purposefully connected to your brand through that social channel, essentially subscribing to see your future content. There are a few ways to do this. You could buy them – there are lists and services that help you do that, but this can lead to problems. For instance, if you’re hitting the feeds of unengaged followers that don’t fit your target demographic, they won’t be followers for long. This is where you need to focus on QUALITY over QUANTITY. You want quality followers who are interested in your products, earning them organically through your engagement.  So, post content people like or want to share, encourage conversations about your products, ask questions about how they are being used, and learn about your customers and what they are looking for. Also, (pro tip) Facebook has a feature that allows you to send “follow invites” to anyone who has commented or liked your posts. So again, back to the theme of this article, if you are having conversations, you are going to drive comments and posts which can then be converted to followers.

So, what’s the #1 social media tactic for startup supplement brands? Answer: Be Social!

Encourage conversations, engagement, and sharing by acting more like a friend than a brand. By doing this, social media can help your supplement startup to reach more people, make real-time connections with them and use that engagement to help you stand out in a crowded market.   

Speaking of engagement, what did you think? If this article was helpful, please share on social and tag us – we’ll take that as a signal that you want more!