Today we’re giving you our 7 best tips to increase CPG sales with social media. With the rise of online sales for consumer packaged goods, it’s more important than ever to leverage social media to boost sales. In 2020 alone, CPG online sales have increased 125%. Social media plays a large role in what consumers decide to purchase. How large? 55% of consumers say that they are more likely to buy a product based on a social media post. If you are looking to boost your CPG sales you’re in the right place. Below we will walk you through our best practices, tips, and tricks so that you can boost sales with social media. Let’s jump in!

1. Know Your Audience

The first step to increase CPG sales online is understanding your customer and who to target. To do this, you need to create buyer personas. Hubspot’s definition of a buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers. A detailed buyer persona allows you to understand who you are targeting, what makes them tick, and why they need your product. By understanding these mechanisms you can create the social content that converts.

To figure out your online persona(s) ask questions like:

What are their goals?
What are their challenges?
How can your product help solve the above?

Social Medie - Increase CPG Sales

2. Be Where Your Audience Is

Now that you know who your audience is, you need to find out where they spend time. To create brand awareness and increase CPG sales you must be engaging on the social channels your audience is. For example, a B2B company may have better results focusing their time on LinkedIn, and a B2C Company typically will have more success on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. To increase CPG sales, find out where your audience hangs out, then make a plan to be on those channels. Only focus your efforts on the channels your target market is on, you don’t need to be on every platform.

3. Create A Social Strategy

If you get on social media without a plan, your results will be less impactful. Figure out what your goals are and what makes your audience tick. After you understand your company KPIs and goals, such as increase CPG sales, as well as the needs of your audience you can create a social strategy. The strategy should involve types of posts, the frequency you will post, performing hashtag research, deciding how your brand will interact with consumers, and more. Once you have the basics ironed out your social team or marketing agency will be able to create a content calendar that drives engagement and increases sales.

4. Create Content that Is Interesting and Helpful

Social media isn’t the place to hard sell. Create content that helps your consumers understand the benefits of buying your products, and adds value to their life. Keep in mind your buyer personas and make sure everything you create caters to them. If you are helpful, informative, and interesting people will actively engage and your brand will be top of mind when it comes to making a purchase.

5. Make it Easy To Purchase

Having great content and beautiful photos is not the only part of increasing CPG sales on social media. A common mistake we see is brands not making it easy for consumers to buy their products directly from social media. Below are some common ways you can help link your social to your products and increase conversions.

LinkInBio – You’ve likely seen these in posts on Instagram, brands simply put the link to a specific product they are posting about in their bio.

Shoppable Posts – This feature makes purchasing a breeze, with shoppable posts Instagram users can complete purchases without ever leaving the Instagram app. You can see in the example below clickable tags pop up in the post right within the viewers feed.

Shoppable Post - Increase CPG Sales

Source: Instagram

Paid Ads – On almost any social platform you can run ads to target your audience by answering questions such as age, locations, and audience interests. Your ads will pop up in the social feeds of anyone who fits the profile you create in your ads. The closer you target these ads to your digital buyer persona the more success you will have.

6. Leverage the Power of Influencers

Influencer marketing has exploded with the rise of social media. For brands, influencers are a powerful sales tool. Digital Marketing Institute found that 74% of consumers trust opinions they find on social media, including those from friends, families, and influencers. These opinions help them make the right decision about buying a product or service. Bringing on a relevant influencer to help promote your product can allow you to reach a wider audience and gain trust quickly on social platforms.

7. Consistency is Key

To grow your brand and increase your revenue on social media you need to be consistent. Being consistent allows for your brand to reach more people, and have better engagement. This will ultimately lead to growth. You need to be consistent in post frequency, your brand voice, tone, product photos, color palettes, font choices, and overall aesthetic. This will allow followers to get to know your business and products and for you to gain traction.

Recap: How to Increase CPG Sales With Social Media

Understand your audience and how your product will help serve them.
Create engaging content that will leave people wanting to come back for more.
Make sure it is easy to find and purchase your product from your social pages.
Be consistent in your aesthetics, and brand voice. This will lead to gaining more followers and ultimately more sales.

Ready to leverage your social media and increase CPG sales? We’re here to help you! Submit an inquiry or give us a call and let’s chat!

Product photos can make a huge impact when it comes to positioning your brand online. More so than shopping in person, your consumers rely heavily on the information and photos you provide them. Product photography plays a huge role in a consumer’s buying decisions. According to FieldAgent, 83% of US Smartphone users say that product photography is extremely influential to their purchasing decisions.

What is Product Photography?

Before we dive into how to take great product photos, we must define what product photography is. In essence, product photography is a type of commercial photography that involves taking photos of products for commercial use. This applies to anything you can sell from a basic stock photo with a white backdrop you see on many storefronts to lifestyle shots that showcase how a product is used in a recipe or a runner showing off a pair of brand new running shoes. Product photos are everywhere, and they play a powerful role in brand engagement and sales if they stand out.

6 Key Elements For Product Photos

Lighting

Lighting can make or break your product photo. You can use natural light or studio light to capture your product.

Lighting will set the tone for your photo. In the example below, Sweet Logic captures their confetti mix using soft and bright lighting which exudes a clean and cheery feel and allows the consumer to focus on the product.

Lighting - Product Photos

Source: Sweet Logic

In contrast, if you are looking to create a more dramatic light you could play with shadows or times of day to create a different look.

Composition

How you arrange your photo will determine where the viewer’s eye will go. The composition can make a photo more interesting depending on where you place the elements within your photo. Using complementary backgrounds, a curated color palette, and keeping props simple will allow your product to be the main focus.

Additionally, while there are no hard and fast rules to composition, try using the tried and true technique, the rule of thirds. In this simple technique, you divide the frame into 9 equal parts. You place the important parts of your photo (in this case the product) where the lines intersect. By placing the subject off-center and giving the photo negative space typically leads to a more attractive photo result.

Use a Tripod

Thinking of skipping a tripod? Don’t. Using a tripod provides stability and allows for sharp and clear photos. They play a crucial part if you want your product photos to look high-quality. Tripods are not expensive and many on the market will help no matter what type of camera you are using!

Context is Key

Give your product context for consumers browsing online. Stock photos are helpful, but showcasing your product in lifestyle situations and real-life applications allows your customers to understand how to use your product. Context can help build emotional connections to your brand and reassure them of their decision to buy.

Context - Product Photos

Source: Amazi Foods

Above, Amazi Foods gives valuable context and shows consumers how they can create a delectable cake using their plantain chips. Not only does this give a real-life example of how a consumer can use the product, but the photo creates desire enticing any viewer to order! Craving the recipe? Check it out here!

What equipment will I need?

Smartphone

Smartphones have come a long way and advances in technology have allowed for advanced electronics that can handle many lighting conditions, and create detailed photos. While a smartphone will not create the most professional-looking product photos it can be a great way to get started.

Digital SLRs/Mirrorless Cameras

If you are wanting to do your product photos yourself but would like to produce better quality than a smartphone can offer, the next step would be to invest in a digital SLR or mirrorless camera. This will allow you more control as well as the ability to work in various lighting conditions. These cameras will also create a more detailed product photo.

Hire An Agency

After reading above you can see, product photography takes a lot of time, investment, and skill. And you need to get it right! According to Justuno, 93% of consumers consider visual appearance to be a key deciding factor in their purchase decision. If you are short on time or skills, considering hiring an agency that is well versed in product photography. Professional photographers know exactly what it takes to create images that add value, build trust and ultimately boost conversions and sales for your product and brand.

Key Takeaways For Better Product Photos

Photography can directly impact your sales, make sure to give consumers detailed photos and information that empowers them in their buying decisions.
Lighting, composition, and context play a key role in producing great product photos
93% of consumers consider visual appearance while making a purchase decision, overcome this marketing challenge and hire an agency to create professional product photos that deliver value, build trust and ultimately boost sales for your brand and products.