Supplement sales have skyrocketed in recent years and with more and more people looking to improve their health and wellness, it’s no surprise.
This can be attributed to the preventive healthcare and wellness trend, a larger aging population and the desire for a more active lifestyle.
As consumers shift focus toward self-directed care driven the dietary supplements market continues to grow.
Globally, the supplement market in 2022 was valued at $163,986 million in U.S dollars. And is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% from 2023 to 2030.
However, with so many supplement options available, it can be challenging to stand out from the competition and increase sales.
Here are 10 proven supplement marketing strategies to help boost your sales:
1. Define The Problem Your Supplement Solves
Knowing your target audience is vital in developing an effective marketing strategy.
But that does not start with the audience. It starts with the problem. Determine what the target market’s needs are, and how your supplement can benefit them.
Dietary supplements solve a direct health problem, or condition. The challenge is to be compliant you can’t mention the problem directly if it is classified as a disease.
But by understanding your target audience’s true problem, you can create messaging that resonates emotionally with them.
2. Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Social media is a powerful tool for supplement marketing.
Advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, is a great shortcut to get in front of your audience.
But the approach for marketing dietary supplements is different. Marketing through educational content is one way how it’s different.
Remember people buy supplements differently than any other product. There’s a big component of needing to know how it works in the body. Many supplement marketers see this as selling the science. And that’s part of it but you also need a good dose of the problem and emotion to close the sale.
Using social media to sell your supplements, share customer testimonials, and offer exclusive promotions is a great way get the word out.
But social, specifically Facebook marketing for supplements is a different animal. If you want to learn how marketing supplements on Facebook is different and how to navigate it head over to this article I wrote to learn more.
3. Leverage Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a highly effective way to reach new audiences and build trust with potential customers.
Partnering with influencers in your industry who align with your brand values and have a significant following can be a short cut.
But for supplements it’s difficult to get anything back from influencers that’s not an unboxing video. Especially if you simply offer them some free product or just commission-based partnerships to promote your supplements to their audience.
Navigating influencers can be very tricky for supplement marketers. And it’s not cheaper. Influencers are no different than any other marketing traffic channel.
To learn more about using an influencer marketing strategy to sell supplements head over to an article I wrote that goes into all the details here.
4. Offer Free Samples
Offering free samples is an excellent way to introduce potential customers to your product.
Consider offering free samples with shipping to encourage new customers to try your supplements.
Free has a lot of marketing power. But to make the economics of such an offer work you typically have to also add a monthly subscription along with the free offer.
This is a more advanced method of growing your supplement sales, and it is more risky but the power of a free bottle is really hard to beat.
It’s not for every supplement marketer but if you’re interested in learning more look no further than this article where I unpack the free plus shipping supplement offer.
5. Use Email Marketing to Build Relationships
Email marketing is a powerful tool to nurture relationships with your customers and keep them informed about new products and promotions.
Most marketers send out regular newsletters, exclusive offers, and personalized recommendations to keep your customers engaged and coming back for more.
But they often don’t do it enough. The most successful supplement marketers are really leveraging email on a daily basis. That may sound like too much and you may cringe at the thought of sending daily emails for fear of unsubscribes.
But if you shift your view of what daily email content looks like you may be able to build more of a lasting relationship with your audience.
The key is to not hammer them with constant offers but to provide value and new research in the health area that aligns with the problem your supplement solves.
6. Where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Fits in
Search engine optimization (SEO) has it’s place for getting traffic to your website via search engines like Google.
Through search analysis to identify relevant search phrases, you can optimize your website’s content, and create backlinks to boost your search engine rankings.
However, most supplement companies out there don’t focus on SEO. Instead they put up their marketing budget on paid traffic.
Paid traffic is the fastest route to learning and scaling. SEO is way slower and harder in the health area. It’s more difficult to rank in any health topic with Google and it’s at least a 2 year endeavor of lots of articles consistently before you start to see any traction.
However if you have the time and can wait for sales, then building SEO can be a good traffic source over time.
7. Use Customer Testimonials
Customer testimonials are a powerful tool for building trust and credibility with potential customers.
You can share testimonials on your website and social media platforms to showcase how your supplements have helped real people achieve their health and wellness goals.
This adds to the trust part of the equation for selling supplements. Those testimonials that include video with the customer holding your product are the most trust worth.
However some areas to watch out for include compliance. Lot son times a genuine testimonial has to be watered down because unbeknownst to the customer they are unknowingly making claims or saying something that is not allowed by the FDA and is considered high risk.
Each supplement business has their own level of acceptable risk when it comes to testimonials that you have to sort through base don your own personal point of view.
8. Lean Into Recurring Subscription Revenue
Subscriptions are built into a supplement business since it’s a consumable product that you need to constantly replenish.
And that recurring revenue is an excellent way to increase customer lifetime value. While identifying those top customers in your business that drive recurring revenue.
Offering a discount for customers who sign up for a monthly subscription is standard practice.
But many supplement businesses forget that subscription customers also need their own level of nurturing. The average churn rate on a monthly subscriber of supplements is only about 3 or 4 months. So sending them encouragement and bonuses to keep those customers renewing their subscription is vital.
9. Host Educational Webinars
Educational webinars are an excellent way to provide value to your customers and position yourself as an expert in your industry.
They are also a great source of new customer acquisition.
Webinar topics related to the health and wellness problem your supplement brand solves can cut through the clutter of misinformation and provide the research and science level of information many people are looking for in the health and wellness space.
You can also offer exclusive promotions to attendees. And re-use the content well after the webinar is over in marketing assets like email, social media posts, etc.
10. Attend Trade Shows and Events
Attending trade shows and events is an excellent opportunity to showcase your products and connect with potential customers face-to-face.
This is also a great way to gain customer insights when you’re just getting started because you can talk to so many potential customers in just a day.
Consider offering exclusive promotions or discounts to incentivize attendees to try your supplements right at the show.
Implementing these marketing strategies can help boost your supplement sales and increase brand awareness.
Remember to continually evaluate your marketing efforts and make adjustments as needed to ensure you’re reaching your target audience effectively.
Discover the 3 funnels that can help your health supplement business succeed.
Listen to the Health Supplement Business Mastery Podcast for for dietary supplement entrepreneurs and marketers.
