Social Media Marketing and Influencers Starting their Own Nutrition Lines - What Next?

We’ve all become more and more reliant on our phones; from ordering a Deliveroo, booking an Uber or scrolling through social media to see who’s buying and eating what. Previously, you’d use the likes of Facebook and Instagram to see what friends and family are up to, and whilst that still plays a large role in our social media experience, using these platforms as a shopping tool is becoming more and more prominent. Sponsored adverts being tailored to the user, coupled with a huge increase in the number of social media influencers; it’s getting increasingly hard to go on social media and not buy something! (For me anyway!!).

It’s a great tool for consumers to discover and purchase products online. You can go from seeing a picture that has a brand tagged, to a full basket that is due to be delivered the next day in a mere couple of clicks.

Influencers with large followings are constantly targeted by brands, in order to promote their products. Some brands will gift influencers product, in the hope that they like it enough to then post about it, others will offer a fee – in return for a post about the product. Brands can get a lot of success through this, as peer recommendations carry a lot of weight with millennials. It has been reported that 71% of people are more likely to make a purchase online if the product is recommended by others. This could be due to their distrust of brands and traditional advertising, so are more likely to listen and believe what their peers say.

Brands, now more than ever, need to understand how social platforms influence buyers and keep up to date with new technology that makes the purchase process even faster and easier.

Recently we have seen influencers starting up their own brands. This stems from the basic idea behind merchandise and isn't new. But the way it’s sold and distributed has been completely transformed. These days, you don’t have to be selling out concert venues or soccer stadiums to be worthy of your own t-shirt. Something that was once reserved for the biggest artists has now become available to micro-influencers as well. A couple of thousand dedicated Youtube or podcast subscribers can easily be leveraged.

Setting up your own website is easy, and there are plenty of suppliers just a few clicks away who are ready to produce your merch at a fraction of the price for which you can later sell it on to your followers. All that matters is how loyal your fans are, and how willing they are to pay money to show that support.

For influencers, merchandise is becoming an extra source of income on top of ad revenues and partnerships. And since they are in control of their own channels, they can market their products for free and drive traffic directly to their own store.

The success of this concept stems from the basic human desire to belong. Brands used to be the ultimate symbols of a shared identity, but they are now facing increased competition from social media personalities who are branching out into clothing, accessories, and more recently nutrition. Consumers are coveting the advice of a social media personality, who has relatively no idea on nutrition, apart from if they have been advised correctly.

At Opalbond we offer this type of nutritional support and have sourced suppliers with flexible MOQs so that we can help influencers realise their dream nutritional range even if they don't have the reach of the Kardashians. Please feel free to enquire today if you're an influencer with a proven route to market, with a following who may be interested in nutritional supplements.