If you’re a wholesale business owner, you’ll have to employ a unique approach when marketing products and attracting new customers. That’s because distributor marketing strategies aren’t aimed at the end-user but at retailers who will resell the products.
Distributor marketing strategies aren’t about flashy ads and tempting sales. Instead, they tend to be more geared toward building long-term relationships with stores in your market. Therefore, to be successful, you’ll need solid marketing tactics that show you offer both quality products and quality service.
In this article, we’ll talk more about the mindset behind distributor marketing. Then, we’ll suggest some proven methods and tools that you can use to enhance your efforts. Let’s get started!
What Makes Good Distributor Marketing?
Marketing as a distributor is a bit different than traditional advertising. Most online marketing tends to chase “the sale” and focus on attracting new customers. On the contrary, distributor marketing strategies need to concentrate less on quantity and more on quality to be successful.
Finding the right companies can mean the difference between a few unpredictable sales and long-term contracts as a wholesale supplier. In order to land dependable partnerships, you’ll need to prove that you’re reliable.
Therefore, if you have some history with happy clients, it would be a good idea to ask for reviews or testimonials. This way, you can show prospective customers proof that you’re reliable. Also, remember the saying that “money talks.” Point out any ways that you can help retailers succeed. You’ll want to play up how you can help them earn and save.
Still, you don’t want to oversell yourself. Give realistic expectations and highlight why you would be a good supplier. To make yourself stand out, you could talk about your willingness to grow by bringing on new product lines or expanding into other categories to better serve your clients. Pursuing new opportunities at the request of a new client can help your business expand on two fronts!
5 Distributor Marketing Strategies For Your Wholesale Business
As with all marketing, the most important part is getting your name out there. You won’t catch good clients without your hook in the water!
Once you’ve attracted some promising leads, it’s up to you to find which ones will be a good fit for your business. Here are five proven methods for making connections as a wholesale distribution company.
1. Email marketing
Tried-and-true email marketing is a great way to reach new customers and let them know what your business is about. This is an excellent strategy if you’re already driving traffic to your site and can build an email list of potential clients.
This can be done through contact capture forms, estimate requests, or our fine-tuned Wholesale Lead Capture Plugin:
Once you’ve built an email list, it’s time to strategize how to use it. An email campaign should focus on promoting what you bring to the table and how you can help new and existing clients.
For example, you can advertise new items along with a catalog of your current products. Alternatively, you could provide important company updates, or add value with tips and business news in your field.
However, you’ll want to avoid sending emails without a relevant focus or call-to-action. For example, a client that sells auto parts won’t be interested in your new line of clothing. Take special care with how you use your email list with the help of email verification tools or you might end up in the spam folder!
2. Social media marketing
Social media may seem strange for a wholesale supplier to bother with in regard to marketing (unless they sell directly to consumers). The truth is, there are a lot of opportunities for B2B marketing on social media you might not have initially expected.
First of all, you can use social channels to seek out other companies in your field. This way, you’re able to keep an eye on what’s going on in your niche.
Joining industry groups can also be a great way to get a sense of the market. You’re likely to learn a thing or two while you’re there, but this is also a great opportunity to network and meet potential customers.
Even if you don’t find a ton of great leads right away, creating a social media account will help you get your name out there.
Furthermore, social media algorithms are growing increasingly sophisticated. This means you might even see ads for potential clients pop up in your feed.
3. Engaging with the community
In addition to social media networking, engaging with your market through other mediums can be an even more effective way to make meaningful connections. Any opportunity for face-to-face marketing is important.
For instance, you can make long-lasting business bonds by attending conferences and trade shows:
However, more and more, industries are taking their communities online. Therefore, forums are also a great place to learn and teach about your field.
Through that process, you’re likely to meet competitors and other important people. If you don’t have any local opportunities, online conferences can still be a great way to learn and connect with both experts and peers in your field.
4. Sending samples
Sending samples is a great way to convince retailers to get in touch with you. If you find some leads for companies you would like to work with, consider sending them a few of your best and most relevant products along with a sales pitch. Who doesn’t love free stuff?
With any luck, the retailer will like what you have to say and reach out to follow up. Then, it’s just a matter of coming to an agreement and keeping them supplied with a steady stream of your sample products (and hopefully more).
Consider including information about pricing, demand, and your history of success with the sample products you send. After all, there are few marketing tactics more effective than letting someone hold a product in their hand and try it out for themselves!
5. Creating a referral program
A referral program is an excellent investment for virtually any business, but it can be especially useful for wholesalers. The amount of work that goes into creating a referral program is generally a lot less than tracking down new clients on your own. Even just a few referrals could turn into valuable, long-term contracts.
In a nutshell, a referral program amplifies all your other distributor marketing strategies in an organic way. Any contact that may not be able to work with you directly will be more motivated to connect you with others in their network who can. An offer as simple as WooCommerce gift cards can be enough to land a referral.
Loyalty Program for WooCommerce has tools that allow you to easily create a loyalty program. You can also get Advanced Coupons which offers store credit for referrals (or any other reason). It also has all sorts of features for offering coupons, including bulk order discounts which are perfect for wholesale distributors.
Conclusion
By modifying common marketing tactics, wholesale distributors can connect with new customers and build lasting relationships for steady business. You’ll want to focus on selecting high-quality partners, not just making one-time sales.
Remember, you can use these distributor marketing strategies to generate new leads and become a mainstay in your market:
- Email marketing
- Social media marketing
- Engaging with the community
- Sending samples
- Creating a referral program
Do you have any questions about distributor marketing strategies? Let us know in the comments section below!
