10 Tips For Getting Your Product On Store Shelves

August 16, 2015 By

You had an idea, you created a product and a business. You’ve got a package, a logo and a label.  Now it’s time to get your product in front of customers and on store shelves. What next?

Gaining valuable shelf real estate can be a battle but doing so can help rocket sales.

Here are 10 tips that might help you get your product on store shelves:

1. Become a reputable company. Build a website and a social media presence. Make sure your product label meets federal guidelines.

2. Conduct and document consumer feedback and testimonials. Survey customers about your product. Ask them what stores they’d like to see your product stocked, ask them how often they’re likely to purchase your product, etc. Tabulate survey responses. Create a spreadsheet of the customer feedback for grocers to read.

3. Offer your item on consignment.  Ask for shelf space but don’t require the store to purchase the product. One the items have sold, the store pays you a percentage of the profits.

4. Ask to do a one-day promotion, trunk show or demonstration of your product. Set up a table, hand out samples, business cards and other collateral.

5. Ask your customers to request your product at their favorite stores.

6. “Donate” a small sample of your products to the store for the store to sell. This offers a no-risk option of stocking your product.

7. Ask the store if they’re willing to stock a small number of your products with a pre-sale or order option.

8. Build a robust wholesale process. Make it easy for stores to order your product.  Deliver your product on-time, every time.

9. Dedicate a “Where to Buy” section on your website. Let your customers know where they can find your product in stores and encourage them to purchase from your vendors. This will help promote the store and shows you support your vendors.

10. Make sure your product, logo and label is professional. Invest in a label dispenser to ensure you have a proper aligned, even label.

 

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Small business Tagged With: , ,

Market Your Product On Social Media

May 23, 2015 By

You may have the greatest product in the world, but if you’re not getting your product in front of buyers, you’ll struggle to grow your business.

There are many ways to reach potential customers- social media has revolutionized marketing.

Social media is a powerful marketing tool, but you have to do it right. With each social media post, you need to have a conversion goal: What are you trying to achieve?

Here are five ways to market your product using social media:

Facebook/Twitter Recommendations:

Remember to follow the 80/20 rule– 80% fun, information, entertaining and 20% hard sell.

Run weekly contests.

Install a Facebook store.

Every Twitter post needs an image or URL.  Retweet from like-minded accounts.  Use hashtags.

Post behind-the-scenes photos and videos.

Instagram:
Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms.  Post images each day. Use hashtags.  Run photo contests.

Pinterest:

If you don’t have a Pinterest page for your brand, get one.  Don’t just pin your products, pin similar products and accessories that would go well with your product.
YouTube and Vimeo: 
Record behind-the-scenes videos and upload them to YouTube and Vimeo.
Add a links to your videos and to your description to purchase the product you’re featuring.

Brafton's Infographic:

 

Source: Brafton 

Filed Under: Small business Tagged With: ,

Tips For Speeding Up Production

April 5, 2015 By

As every business owner knows, time is money! There are some simple steps you can take to help your company speed up production, cut time and increase your revenue.

1. Get Organized-

A place for everything and everything in its place.  Make sure that all essential tools for your production are within reach or no more than 2 steps from the production area.

Searching for essential components can eat up valuable time.

Make sure all parts are kept together, in separate bins and properly labeled.

2. Training- 

Make sure all staff are properly educated and trained, not only on how to construct the product, but end product, as well.  It’s best that all employees are trained on every component of the task, from production to packaging.

3. Communication-

Encourage an open-door policy. Ask employees for feedback on the manufacturing process– they may have some valuable insight on how to speed up production and may alert you to kinks in the process.

Periodically, visit with each employee while they’re working. Watch their process.  Ask them questions about their work and encourage them to make suggestions on what they feel would make the production more efficient.

Your employees are your most valuable asset; listen to them!

4. Documentation- 

Documentation is as essential as communication.  Make sure all employees have written guides on how to perform their duties and don’t forget to include them in interoffice memos– this will help reinforce they’re a valuable part of the company.

5. Invest in a Automatic Label Dispenser-

If your company is still labeling by hand, you’re wasting valuable time and dramatically slowing the production process.

The Dispensa-Matic Bottle-Matic can label 1,700 or more bottles per hour!

Any thing that requires packaging needs to be labeled. The labeling machine is required for this process. This consists of a label dispenser and a label applicator.

The label dispenser dispenses or supplies labels that are partially peeled off from the webbing. The label applicator applies the label to the object that has to be labeled.

Both these processes can be done by manual, semi-automatic and automatic labeling machines.

Filed Under: Small business Tagged With: ,

Semi-Automatic vs. Manual Label Dispenser

October 16, 2014 By

When a business ships lots of products or sends out lots of mail daily, it knows all too well the role labels play when it comes to shipping. Whether it’s an address label, shipping label or simply a label depicting an American flag or cute animal labels not only have important information on them, but can also make the package stand out and be more attractive. When there is a high volume of packages or mail to send out each day, label dispensers are invaluable tools that can save lots of time and hassle. Depending on the type of business one has, most often people use either a manual dispenser or semi-automatic dispenser.

Manual Dispenser

Simon said to make it simple, and with the Simple Simon manual label dispenser shipping and mailing are as simple as ever. Made to use with labels up to four inches wide, this dispenser is great for business or personal use and can accommodate almost any type of label. Butt cut or die cut, mylar, holographic, transparent, foil or other thin label stock work great with this dispenser. A perfect addition to a small business that ships out only a handful of boxes daily, it can be used to label boxes, envelopes, bags, cans or most anything else needing a label. Assembled at in-house manufacturing facilities, all components of these dispensers are precision-made and built to last for many years. An American original, they are shipped within 24 hours and guaranteed to satisfy.

Semi-Automatic Dispenser

On the other hand, if a business has a higher volume of shipping and mailing it’s going to need a label dispenser that provides a bit of help when putting labels on packages and envelopes. Semi-automatic dispensers offer the added advantage of eliminating the need to manually pull each label up to be dispensed. With a new photoelectric sensor now available on all semi-automatic dispensers, labels can automatically be advanced up to 10 inches per second with high-speed dispensers. Just like manual dispensers, these can also use various kinds of labels including clear, foil, mylar and more. In many businesses where shipping departments are located in dimly-lit warehouses, these dispensers work very well thanks to their sensors that are made in the United States. A great addition to any business that needs to label big, bulky items such as tires or lightweight, fragile items such as light bulbs, semi-automatic label dispensers take the task of shipping and make it look and seem easy.

No matter what needs to be mailed or shipped, these label dispensers take an arduous task and make it much easier, putting a smile on everyone’s face while also putting a label on each package or product.

Filed Under: Labels, Small business Tagged With: , , ,

Saving Money with a Label Maker

May 16, 2014 By

coinsSmall businesses are always looking for ways to save money. The most basic cost incurred by companies that produce and sell a product is their packaging. Businesses that make wine, beer, or any bottled product know how quickly these costs can add up. Other companies might also use these for labeling flat objects, applying labels, or for all of their envelopes. In order to save some money, many businesses will do as much as they can in the packaging process, even printing and attaching their own labels.

General Costs

Most companies print their labels through an outside company in their facility and with their equipment. The labels are then sent to the manufacturing facility where they are applied to the products. This takes time and money because of all the extra traveling the package must do. If labels run out, a company must wait until more arrive, maybe even paying more in shipping costs.

At a first glance, an average person may not think that the cost of labels is very significant since they are, individually, fairly inexpensive. However, if you are buying thousands of labels, the costs start to add up really fast.

To get a ballpark idea of how much labels can cost to produce, here are some examples. The average cost of packing a is bottle of wine 4% of the purchase price. While this includes the price of a thick glass bottles and corks, it also includes the label. This is true for many business packing expenses. Many small businesses start out buying their products from a retailer, but working directly with the manufacturer can save 25-75% of current costs, especially if you start printing your own labels.

There are varying costs for labels because every company has different requirements. Larger labels will cost more than smaller ones and the amount of color will also have an affect. The way each label is applied is also important because if the labels go completely around the bottle or product, they are going to use more material than one that is applied to the front only.

All of these factors can figure into your final costs, and they may be hard to predict with each new project. Companies who want to cut costs and be more profitable should consider making their own labels, eliminating shipping and middle-man costs.

A Note about Adhesive

Another factor in the cost of a label is the type and amount of adhesive. Some labels that only connect in the spot where the two ends meet around the product, like some forms of bottled water. This type of label uses much less adhesive- usually only a thin line that is required. A full sticker label will require more adhesive that is stronger to ensure it will not fall off.

Accuracy

While making your own labels can save you some money on printing and shipping, there are still some other concerns for the company, such as making sure that the label is applied properly and uniformly. If you are going to print your own labels, you should also have a label dispenser that can apply it to the bottles quickly and effectively. This way every bottle will have the label on straight and all look the same.

When labels are misplaced, it gives the entire product a cheap, low-quality appearance. If you really care about your product and image, a dispenser is a great idea.

Give It a Try

If you decide to try printing and adhering labels for yourself, remember that you should never give up quality. Be sure that your printer still gives the labels a professional look and not a do-it-yourself vibe. Make sure that you have the right resources and knowledge necessary to accomplish this task and it can be a great way to save some money on your packaging expenses.

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