How can Importers and Distributors Support their Retail Customers via Social Media?

If you are not using social media to drive business and consumers to your retail customers’ doors then your competition most certainly is.

We might spend an increasing part of our social life glued to our favorite social media platforms on our smartphones and tablets, skills we might think are not relevant to our business life. Well, think again. Social media now gives importers, suppliers, and distributors the chance to be more relevant, more effective and more valuable to their retail customers than ever before. Here are five reasons why.

1. Up, close and personal

Social media allows us to get up close and personal with complete strangers in a way that has become a completely accepted way of life. Imagine 10 years ago receiving a knock on the door and being offered a personal, handwritten letter offering you a 20% discount from a supplier or brand to go and spend in one of your local retailers. Well, that’s what a promoted tweet direct to your Facebook or Twitter feed effectively is. If you can help persuade your social media followers to take that promo code and spend it with your chosen retail customer then everyone is a winner

2. Fans and followers

The reason why it’s so important for importers and suppliers to build up their own social media networks — their own followers and fans. You have to have a captive audience to influence. The more fans and followers you have, the more chance there is to please them and your retail customers by giving them reasons to go and spend their money in their stores.

3. Retailer ambassadors

As an importer or drinks distributor, you might only have one, two or three products with any given retail customer going into either its wine, beer or spirits departments. But the retailer itself is selling thousands of products across multiple categories. They only have the time or budget to promote a handful of them. It is why the most effective distributors are now the ones that can do the retailer’s promotional work for them. Act as their ambassadors and help push the brands they are selling direct to potential shoppers on social media.

For more, visit IBWSS UK Blog.

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Connecting the beverage alcohol industry by bringing wineries, breweries, distilleries, wine importers, beer distributors, beverage and wine brokers together.

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