Selling dietary supplements online is a thriving business.
As the preventative health trend picks up speed the demand for dietary supplements continues to rise.
More and more people are seeking out wellness products, to prevent the onset of every health condition you can imagine. Which is an opportunity for supplement brand owners.
Plus dietary supplements as a product have built in reason to replenish your supply each and every month. Making the life time value (LTV) of an average supplement buyer well over $200.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the essential steps and strategies for successfully selling supplements online.
Don’t Focus on Building Your Supplement Brand… At First.
Developing a strong brand is crucial for standing out in the competitive supplement industry.
However, when first starting out I don’t recommend focusing on brand.
I recommend focusing on selling.
In fact you don’t have a brand until you have consistent and predictable sales.
Sure you could focus on your brand identity. Making sure the look and feel across your website, packaging, and marketing materials all match.
But that won’t make a single sale for you.
And especially in the early days, if you don’t have any sales you won’t be in business very long. In that case your brand won’t matter.
Regardless of how you feel about branding, you still need to start by defining the health condition you’re going to solve.
Focusing on a health condition is vital.
Why?
Because people that buy dietary supplements are looking to solve a problem. That problem just happens to be around health.
Weather it be to lower blood pressure without prescription drugs or lose weight or prevent the onset of a health condition or disease later in life, it can all be summed up with the desire to solve a health problem.
That health problem is the prospects “pain” point.
And the solution to that pain point is what they are buying.
In the early days, you’ll have more success focusing on that pain point than the brand.
Product Sourcing and Quality Assurance
Selecting reliable suppliers and manufacturers is crucial for maintaining the integrity of your supplements.
Once you’ve sold them on the pain point your supplement has to deliver. And that all comes back to the quality of the ingredients.
People take many supplements that take a few months of consistent use to really get any benefit. They are taking your supplement as a leap of faith, since they can’t feel the difference right away.
There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how supplements work and is more of a marketing problem than a product problem.
However, your product should still be high quality. There’s no excuse not to have a good product. In fact a high quality supplement can stand out from the crowd.
But to do that, you need to conduct thorough research to ensure your suppliers adhere to strict quality control standards and regulatory requirements.
Regularly test your products to guarantee their safety, potency, and efficacy. By batch-testing your supplements, screened by an independent company you’ll be sure your supplement manufacturer is using the ingredients that are not he label in the final product.
Create Compelling Product Detail Pages for Seling Supplements Online
There’s a lot more to selling supplements online than just highlight the key benefits of your supplements, and emphasizing their unique selling points.
People buy supplements differently than any other product.
They need more than simply a list of what your supplement supports.
They need more than the science of how it works.
They need more than the price and a way to buy.
They need product detail pages that appeal to their hopes and desires.
Product detail pages that build trust and tap into their existing beliefs.
This is how selling supplements is different from selling any other product.
So many supplement product pages fail in these areas.
Resorting to a standard e-commerce template that showcases a dietary supplement in the same way a retailer would sell a pair of shoes.
This presents a take-it-or-leave-it situation. Which could work if your market is already knowledgeable in supplements.
But for a larger audience that’s less knowledgeable, there’s not enough selling power.
Selling power that sells within the guidelines of what’s allowed for supplements.
Here’s an article about using the product detail page more effectively to sell supplements online.
Effective Marketing Strategies for Selling Supplements Online
Marketing plays a pivotal role in driving traffic to your website and increasing sales.
It’s not enough to transparently communicate the sourcing and manufacturing process to build trust with your customers. That’s required supplement marketing basics.
But how do you get the word out for people to buy your life-changing supplements?
You’ll need to use a combination of online marketing channels to reach your target audience.
Consider strategies such as content marketing, social media marketing, influencer collaborations, email marketing, and search engine advertising.
Tailor your marketing efforts to align with the health problem you solve and engage with your audience consistently.
The marketing channels that you use to reach your prospects is vital to selling supplement online. For a complete look at what marketing tactics and strategies that work read my comprehensive article here.
Providing Exceptional Customer Service
Superior customer service is the key to building lasting relationships with your customers.
Promptly respond to inquiries, address concerns, and provide accurate information.
Offer a hassle-free return and refund policy to instill confidence in your customers.
Encourage customer feedback and use it to improve your products and services continually.
Your customer service reps have valuable gold, you need to mine and put back into your business.
Think about it, every day they are talking to prospects and customers who have problems, who want to buy, who want to buy but are on the fence.
They have questions, concerns or just want to know more.
Why are they calling in, instead of placing an order online?
Because they have questions your website didn’t answer.
Your website analytics data can’t answer what information your prospects who didn’t buy are looking for. But your customer service sales reps can.
They know because they hear the same things over and over. Those are the things you need to add to your product detail pages to increase sales.
Use customer feedback to gain insights into your business performance.
Navigating Regulatory Compliance For Selling Supplements Online
Navigating all of the supplement industries various regulations and guidelines is daunting.
Everything from labeling requirements, claims substantiation, and working with a supplement manufacturer that is there to help you beyond just touting a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) seal is vital to success.
This area alone feels like walking through a minefield but I have an article on claims that can help ahead some light for you. Click here to go to my article on everything you need to know about making supplement claims in marketing.
What’s Next?
Selling supplements online offers immense potential to tap into the growing health and wellness market.
If you stay updated on industry trends and consumer preferences to remain competitive in the ever-evolving supplement market you’ll be ahead of the competition.
And by following the steps outlined in this ultimate guide, you can establish a successful online presence, build a reputable brand, and effectively reach your target audience.
With dedication, continuous improvement, and a focus on providing high-quality products and exceptional customer service, you can thrive in the dynamic world of online supplement sales.
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.
