Natural retailers and brands need to be “social” in the way the communicate

Advertising is all about communicating and messaging.  It should be used similarly to having an intimate conversation with a friend, someone you know, like, and, trust.  Advertising can be very expensive and it does not always yield the best results. Experts continually talk about the ability to target consumers.  They all have different ideas on what works best.

The brands and retailers who capture and keep our attention remain relevant and top of mind. Consumers wanted to be talked to – not at!

Some natural brands and retailers have adopted social selling capabilities that rival their mainstream counterparts.  They have the greatest opportunity to build personal relationships with us and our networks.  The key is to always remain close to them. In social lingo, you need to create loyal raving fans!

Large mainstream brands and retailers spend most of their effort pushing content that typically talks at and beyond their audience. This is their achilles heel and the greatest opportunity for natural brands and retailers.  Shoppers want to know how products will best meet their needs on a personal level, from their perspective.  This is key!

Retailers and brands must shift their messaging from being transactional-based to a communication strategy that is more empowering, educational, and conversational.  Shoppers today research products and prices online thus creating their own personal supply chains. Retailers and brands who don’t make those connections will be overlooked.

Natural brands and retailers need to stay relevant in today's ever-changing world if they hope to effectively compete and survive. A strong digital strategy can provide a significant and sustainable competitive advantage. The impact can be great, including delivering a much higher ROI than traditional advertising.

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An effective digital strategy is one that develops and maintains a one-on-one trust relationship between the brand and the shopper. It has the greatest capability of influencing a shopper’s network of friends and family.

Shoppers are bombarded by an overwhelming amount of information. Everyone is trying to get our attention. The marketplace is extremely over crowded, and our attention spans are increasingly shorter than
ever. Yesterday's news is continually being eclipsed by today’s “overnight successes” or the flavor of the moment.

Shoppers today are armed with far more information than at any time before in history. In most cases, shoppers are better educated than the retailers themselves. This is due to shoppers having quick and easy access to a tremendous amount of information at their fingertips, typically through their smart phones.

This creates a greater need for personalization. Retailers and brands need to work together to provide educational content that makes shopping easier and more friendly. They should leverage their mutual social influence to best the meet their needs of their shoppers.

Effective digital solution selling can increase transition size while driving sales and shopper loyalty. Brands and retailers must build online communities where they can share relevant stories that help to personalize the relationships they cultivate with new and existing shoppers. Natural brands and retailers should put social into everything they do to speak to consumers where they are and in terms they understand, the same way you would talk to a close personal friend.