You have your product idea and a plan to produce it. Let’s use hot sauce as an example.
Your product is on the shelf with many other brands and different varieties within those brands. To illustrate, as a consumer, there are so many different hot sauces to choose from. You need sales. How are you going to get your hot sauce to leap off the shelf (or farmer’s market stand) and into your customer’s shopping cart? We need to focus on what makes your product defensively unique and capitalize on that. Here are eight ideas that will help.
The first way to stand out and get more sales is your NAME.
You have the opportunity to create a name that sticks out for people. A name that surprises them or is clever, making them stop and think about it. As can be seen,“Joe’s Hot Sauce” likely won’t cut it. By comparison, Liquid Death does.
The second way to stand out and get more sales is with your INGREDIENTS.
Maybe you source local ingredients for your product or it’s a more specialty item that you’re using like hatch green chilies or Anaheim chilies. Lesser used ingredients can add a little more uniqueness to your product.
The third way to stand out and get more sales is with your PACKAGING.
Is there some unique packaging you can use to make people curious and look at your product?
The fourth way to stand out and get more sales is with your LABELS.
Another key point: Labels and packaging go together, and the label itself offers opportunities. A standard label has 3 panels. The primary panel has the product name. The second has the nutritional and manufacturing information. The third panel is your opportunity to tell your story. At least take advantage of the third panel. What makes this product unique? Sustainability? Local ingredients? High Scoville Heat Units (SHU)? Make the best use of this panel. Whether it’s using certain colors or a design that’s really eye catching, there’s a lot you can do to ensure that your labels attract people to your product.
The fifth way to stand out and get more sales is with CERTIFICATIONS.
In this situation, certifications help give your product credit and market to a niche customer. Whether that certification is organic or non-GMO or gluten-free or paleo or Whole 30 approved. Regardless, these different certifications help you reach your target customer. How well are you emphasizing these qualities?
The sixth way to stand out and get more sales is YOU.
After all, you are a unique individual and you’re the one who will be marketing your brand to grocery stores or at farmers markets. In the end, how you choose to market the product is very important. Another thing that you bring to your product’s marketing is your network. As soon as you use your connections, the word will spread.
The seventh way to stand out and get more sales is using EXPERIENCES.
In a word, many people value experiences over “things”, so how do you turn your product into an experience? To illustrate, maybe it’s that you give a portion of the profits to charity. Or maybe it’s in creative packaging – like those labels that you can tear off and use them to make a craft for kids or they tell the story of your product. Wherever possible, you want your product to be interactive and provide an experience. Otherwise, your product may be easily passed over.
The eighth and last way to stand out and get more sales is your BRAND IDENTITY.
Your brand has multiple parts – your values, your visuals, your voice, and your personality, not to mention how it solves a problem for your target customer.
In the final analysis, how well does your product stand out and does it result in more sales?
Besides renting flexible and affordable commercial kitchens, we’ve got heaps of free resources to help your small food business. Even a free eBook titled “Pricing Fundamentals for Foodpreneurs” Check it out!
Want some guidance on your packaging? Let’s talk!
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