10 Ways to Promote Your Skin Care, Personal Care or Cosmetic Brand

There are many new brands on the market that are either close to failing or just not successful at market penetration.  Granted, this is a far more challenging hurdle to conquer than product development.  The world is a big place and getting your message out about your products to your desired demographic is overwhelming.  There are no shortcuts to this process but there are some infallible ways of making it happen.

1.    Cold Calling

Determine the types of retailers you think would be interested in your product.  While it might be tempting to consider the large big-box retailers, you may not be ready to play ball with them at first.  Start off with the small to medium size stores as they are an easier target and will give your brand credibility.  Some of the larger accounts may want to know what retailers are already selling your product and if you don’t have a long and impressive list, you won’t be considered.  Retailers very seldom are willing to take a leap of faith on a new product and would much rather someone else take the initial risk.

Once you’ve determined the type of stores that you think would be interested in selling your products, call them and ask to speak to the buyer, category manager or owner.  If you don’t receive a definitive, “no” right away, they may ask you to send them product samples for possible consideration.  This can get costly but is necessary for stores to determine whether they want to sell your line.

Cold calling is very time consuming and can be somewhat discouraging.  You will be made to feel uncomfortable by the many store representatives who will make it clear to you that you’re wasting their time.  Think of it as a test of endurance and don’t let it stop you or slow you down.  If you have the budget, there are companies that you can outsource your cold calling campaign to.

2.    Wholesale Distributors

Many retail stores don’t like dealing directly with individual manufacturers or companies and would much rather purchase their inventory through one or a few distributors that stock all of the products they need.  Even though the distributors will expect a price lower than wholesale, the volume of products you can sell through them will be much greater than selling to one individual store.

3.    Online Sales

If you don’t have an ecommerce website to sell your products, you’re already putting your company at a disadvantage.  You might be able to generate more sales online at first than you can off line.  Keep in mind that through the internet, you have access to a worldwide network of potential customers who have access to shopping for your products 24 hours per day.

4.    Social Networking

Part of selling your products online must include a great deal of marketing.  Developing social media accounts on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. will help you reach the masses.  This will involve developing a blog and writing content about your products.  Once you’re able to get a following on the various social networking sites, you can post links to your content which will allow people to be exposed to this information.  This information has a way of spreading infectiously through social media channels and will help you get the word out about your products.

5.    Independent Sales Representatives

When it comes to sales, you may not be able to do it all yourself.  There are independent sales reps who make a living selling other company’s products.  Many of these reps may also have pre-existing relationships with the buyers at various retail stores and will have an easier time getting your products in front of decision makers than you will.  Most sales reps work on a commission basis.  Others may work on a retainer plus commission.  Sometimes independent sales reps refer to themselves as manufacturers’ representatives.

6.    Exhibit at Trade Shows

It’s important to find out about certain events that may be taking place at convention centers pertaining to the types of products that are in your line.  Some of these trade shows might be local to you and others may be in other regions.  The larger ones are imperative for greater exposure.  The cost for exhibitor booths can be expensive but retailers from all of the country will attend these events to find out about new and innovative products they might want to consider selling in their stores.  You could gain more contacts from these trade shows than you can in a year’s worth of cold calling.  Be prepared to have sample giveaways to entice people to visit your booth.

7.    Export Management Companies

Just like independent sales reps have relationships with buyers at local retail stores, export managers have relationships with buyers in other countries.  Developing relationships with export managers could give your brand the opportunity to expand internationally.  Spend some time researching what export managers specialize in your type of products.  Then contact them to see if they would be interested in talking on your line.

8.    Guru Reviews

YouTube is a great way to promote your products.  There are literally hundreds of women on YouTube claiming to be gurus who have their own channels where they talk about different products they’ve tried.  Most of them would be happy to do a review on your product if you send them free samples.  Just send them an email and ask if they would be interested in reviewing your products on their channel.  Some of these channels may have more followers than others.  Either way, Google ranks YouTube videos high on the search engine result pages, allowing for great exposure and visibility.

9.    Stamp Cash

This is a somewhat unorthodox way to promote your products but what has more circulation than cash?  Go to Staples or Office Max and have them make you a small ink stamp of your website URL.  Then simply stamp all of the cash you come in contact with.  Your bills will then be circulated throughout the public and people will see your website address.  Some may just ignore it but others may be tempted by curiosity.  It’s all about thinking outside of the box, right?

10.  Comment on Articles and Blogs

This is definitely not the appropriate place to talk about your products.  Spamming is obnoxious and highly frowned upon in this forum.  However, there’s usually a way to have some type of identifier when you make a comment on an article or blog.  You can usually add your company name or a link to your website which will appear when you post a comment.  If you make an intelligent and respectful comment, it will get you noticed and then people may be tempted to find out more about your company and products.

For more information on promoting your brand or product line, please contact Ashlar Consulting Corporation at 305-849-9399 or visit www.AshlarConsultingCorp.com.