Launching your brand is exciting, but the journey to attracting customers can be daunting. Luckily, social media allows you to connect with your target audience and build a loyal following of potential purchasers all at once. But how do you navigate the vast world of social media effectively? Fear not, fellow entrepreneur! This guide will equip you with the key strategies to turn your social media presence into a customer-generating machine.
But first, let’s define what CPG, or consumer packaged goods, means. CPG brands are the everyday items you find at the grocery store, pharmacy, or big box store that you use up (consume) and then need to buy again. Think about all the things you consume every day that come in packages! Here are some examples of we’re talking about:
- Food and beverage: Cereal, milk, soda, chips, yogurt, frozen meals (like our clients Simek’s & Chung’s Gourmet Foods), bottled water (like our client Flow Water), ready-to-drink coffee, tea, etc.
- Personal care: Soap, beauty products (like our client Folk Potions), shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, makeup, razors, etc.
- Household & pet products: Laundry detergent, cleaning wipes, pet food, dish soap, etc.
- Supplements & over-the-counter medicines: Pain relievers, allergy medication, cough syrup, Melatonin, tinctures (like our mushroom tincture client Rainbo), etc.
Basically, if it’s something you use regularly, gets used up over time, and comes in a container, it’s likely a CPG product.
Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way let’s get into how you can use social media to scale your business!
Know your brand, audience, & craft your message
It all starts with understanding your ideal customer. Research their demographics, interests, and online behavior. Develop buyer personas to truly grasp their needs and aspirations. This knowledge fuels authentic content creation and helps you build that know, like, and trust with your ideal customer.
Before we start working with a new brand, we ask them identifying questions on things like who their brand is at its core, their tone & voice, how they want to be perceived, etc. We also identify their core customer using collected data from their previous purchasers, as well as customer surveys.
If you are a new brand without customers, you can use tools like Reddit, Instagram, and Amazon’s reviews section to help define your potential customers. To do this, first, identify the competitors in your category, then dive into each of your competitors through the above channels to see how their communities speak, who they are, what they’re saying, etc. Take note, as this is a great starting point to know who your ideal customer is and how to speak to them. Down the line, you’ll be able to better define this person as you gain more of your own customer data as your brand scales, and be sure to continue to revisit & iterate on your brand’s ideal avatars as your brand grows!
Pick the right platform, and play to its strengths
Not all platforms are created equal. Choose the social platforms your company will play on based on your audience and product. Does your customer mainly hang out on YouTube? Does your brand voice use long-form or short-form content? Research platform-specific best practices and content formats to maximize your impact.
Depending on your brand’s size, start with a few of these channels (the top channels your customer hangs out; FYI, you can’t go wrong with being active on Instagram no matter your brand) and then expand as you nail each channel and have the time to commit to ongoing, quality content for each.
Content is queen
Content is queen, and it’s the best way to properly connect to your core customer. Don’t focus on perfection, instead, focus on being genuine, relatable, and entertaining, as this will show your brand’s true authenticity on a smaller budget. Showcase your product in action, share user testimonials, and offer valuable tips related to its use. Remember, storytelling is key – weave narratives that connect emotionally with your audience whenever possible.
Brands that kill it at storytelling on social media are Diaspora, A Dozen Cousins, Omsom, and Force of Nature.
(P.S. If you need more inspo for storytelling on social media, be sure and join our free newsletter for top social trends delivered to your inbox each week!)
Build a community, not just followers
Social media is about two-way interaction. Respond to comments, answer questions promptly, and engage in genuine conversations on your posts, DMs, and even strangers’ posts that have nothing to do with you. Posting content is only half the battle, jumping into your comment section, as well as other people’s content, is just as important. Encourage your customers to share user-generated content and their testimonials and share them by highlighting them on your stories or feed! Building a community fosters loyalty and turns followers into brand advocates.
Capitalize on influencers that share your audience:
Partnering with micro-influencers relevant to your niche is a great way to boost brand awareness and credibility among their engaged audience. Choose influencers who genuinely align with your brand values and engage in authentic collaborations (avoid serial promoters at all costs, especially if their engagement is low on those sponsored posts). We recommend starting off the relationship by engaging with an influencer’s content before working up to a DM gauging if they’d like to work with you! Taking these steps to actually form a relationship will go a long way for your brand. Most influencers, even micro-influencers, will request to be paid, but that doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate rates or even start by sending them free products to see what they think before you engage in a paid partnership. If they truly love your product, they’ll be more likely to be flexible with their rates.
Paid ads can be the boost your brand needs
If you’re looking to increase brand awareness and engagement on social media, you might want to consider allocating a budget to boosting posts. You can boost your top-performing social posts to reach a larger audience, boost collabs or giveaways to try and generate a low cost per follow, or boost a bit more targeted audiences to support a local event or launch. This is a great way to get that first touch point on potential new customers in a fairly cost-effective way.
In addition to boosts, you can also invest in social ads via direct response. So, if you’re launching in a new retail location, you can direct people to click on your ads link to find their nearest store. Or, if you’re a D2C brand, you can direct people to go to your website to buy.
Start small, target your ads carefully based on demographics and interests, and track your campaign performance. Remember, paid advertising is a tool, not a magic wand – use it wisely and optimize your approach for better results.
Consistency & cadence
Building a successful social media presence takes time and dedication. Post regularly, stay consistent, and experiment with different strategies. When we speak to early-stage brands and brands with small but mighty teams, who need to wear all the hats, one of our biggest pieces of advice is for them to get real with themselves on what they can commit to with their marketing. Even if that’s one post a week – great! It’s much better to set a cadence and produce consistent content vs. sharing haphazardly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a thriving social media community.
Bonus tip: Track industry trends, stay updated on platform changes and adapt your strategy accordingly. The social media landscape is dynamic, so continuous learning is crucial. If you’re looking for resources to stay up to date with social trends and get daily inspo, join our free Facebook group here!
By implementing these strategies, you can transform your social media presence from a blank page to a vibrant hub that attracts customers and fuels your brand’s success. Remember: authenticity, engagement, and valuable content are your key ingredients. And if you’re looking for an agency to bring your brand to life on social, book a call with us here. We’d love to help you conquer your #socialmediagoals!
Howdy! We’re UMAI Marketing, a boutique digital marketing and branding & package design agency. We specialize in crafting content and winning strategies for consumer packaged goods brands. We’ve launched countless CPG brands, like Serenity Kids Baby Food, and helped them go from $0 to $12MM+ in revenue in only a few short years, to helping scale multiple multi-million dollar established brands like Om Mushroom, Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi, and CANTEEN Spirits. We love helping brands of any size relate to, entertain, and engage their customers, and today we’re sharing some ways you can do just that using social media marketing.
You’ve done everything by the book. Your Kickstarter campaign is almost ready to launch.
You made a great product. Built an audience. Set up a campaign page.
But how do you ship it?
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