Today’s consumers are actively taking control of their health by seeking out dietary supplements, sports nutrition vitamins and other health products. With the increased demand for self-improvement, new products continue to flood the market, leaving the consumer confused and overwhelmed over what to pick from the countless options.
For your supplement brand to thrive in such a competitive market, you need to take the right steps to stand out from the crowd. Here are some great options that can inspire you to find out your differentiator!
1. Find a Unique Formula
If a supplement brand provides the same results and offers no point of difference from its competitors, standing out is going to be a demanding task. Find that something that’s not available in competitive products and promote its special benefits. It can be one ingredient or a unique combination of effective ingredients and formulas that create amazing results. You also can throw in the origin of your product as a differentiator from your competitors.
Instead of copying your competitors, focus on what makes your product unique and market in a way that differentiates your brand. A weight-loss brand like IdealShape includes a special ingredient called slendesta, which is a hunger blocker in almost all of their supplements. This gives the product line a cohesive feel and sets them up with great unique selling points (USP).
2. Certifications
More and more consumers are investigating their health deeper and seek to find options that have the right certifications. Is the supplement dairy-free? Vegan? Gluten-free? The list could go on and on. You want to stand out as a company that has true values, with quality products.
Institutional certifications such as Nature Made’s use of United States Pharmacological Convention certification lets consumers know that a supplement business meets their cleanliness and purity standards. Consumers are having a hard time knowing who they can trust in the supplement industry, so having certifications is a great way to capture their attention.
3. Become a Knowledgable Resource in Your Area
If you target middle-aged women, become their go-to place for getting more knowledge. Develop a content center that is filled with articles about common physical and mental conditions that such women experience. Interview doctors, interview your customers, create FAQs and offer solutions to their common problems.
Even if your products can’t help with their problems, they will always know that they can go to your website to get related content to help them with any further issues they might have. Over time, they will trust you enough to purchase your supplements as they engage with your brand.
4. Build a Community Around Your Brand
Create an exclusive customer community where people in your niche interact, discuss your products and exchange opinions. Let the members engage with one another, the experts you bring and with your brand. Such a community is a great place to connect with customers, listen to their feedback as well as catch and correct complaints.
It’s essential to invest whatever resources you have into creating a great community experience. Answer questions and provide helpful resources to delight your community members and retain them in the long run.
5. Create a Unique Package
According to a study by the Paper and Packaging Board $ IPSOS, 72% of consumers agreed that packaging design could influence their purchasing decisions. Your packaging should be physically enticing and eye-catching. Multivitamin brand, Gumi does a great job of making their products stand out with interesting and attractive packaging that implies great taste and experience.
Additionally, the packaging needs to be well thought out and must connect with the end consumer. Is your product aimed at children or young millennials? The packaging should create the emotional connection that signals that your brand is for them. Is there a way you could alter the packaging to make it stand out on a crowded shelf?
You can also turn your package into a digital entity for customer engagement with smart packagings, like Vitamins.io.
6. Engage with the Right Influencers
This can be a celebrity that shares your brand’s values or a couple of micro-influencers that help you gain customers that are truly invested in your health brand. Though micro-influencers have a smaller audience, their audience can be better targeted to suit your target audience while creating a more intimate relationship.
Another advantage of the micro-influencers is that they are “perceived” as real people and consumers tend to trust their opinion about a product. Consumers want to be acknowledged by those actively using the product and experiencing its first-hand benefits. The most reliable type of content as cited by 97% of B2B customers is testimonials and peer recommendations.
All in all, the best thing you can do to stand out in the crowded supplement industry is daring to be different. No matter how great your product is, customers may fail to recognize it if they don’t see some awesome points of difference. With these set of strategies, you can set your supplement business apart from the competition and draw attention in the best way possible.
