When you are a new-to-market brand meeting with a potential retailer partner for the first time, one of the biggest compliments you can receive (besides “Yes, I want to bring in your brand ASAP!”) is “Oh yeah, I’ve heard about your brand before.”
They might not quite remember where they heard about it, but that’s ok. The fact that you were already in the buyer’s brain instantly gives you more credibility.
So how are new brands getting into the brains of buyers before they set foot in the corporate office?
- They attend buying shows such as NACDS in the chain drug realm, NCPA in the drug wholesaler/independent realm, or an ECRM event which covers both.
- They can participate in a door drop through a buying show, sometimes even when they cannot physically attend.
- They advertise in trade publications like Chain Drug Review, read by CEOs and owners of chain stores, vice presidents and directors, buyers, category managers, and merchandisers, district and regional managers, pharmacy managers, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and more.
- They advertise in Drug Store News’ e-newsletters: DSN Early AM, Weekend Update, Beauty Report, or Breaking News.
- They pitch a story to a trade pub about their brand, the gap in the market it fills, the technology it utilizes, or the category it falls within.
- They submit news releases to the trade pubs and form relationships with the editors.
- They create a special landing page on their website for buyers and others in the trade, then share the link as often as possible.
Before they do any of the above, they are very confident in the benefits their product brings to the buying audience. This is usually vastly different from the benefits for the consumer. In my next post, I will talk about how benefits for the consumer and trade differ.