The CPG Retail Pitch Checklist: Marketing Assets You Need Before Approaching Retailers
Pitching to retailers is a blend of selling the product, selling your company, and selling you as a leader. Professionalism, confidence, and expertise are of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter if you possess these things in spades if it doesn’t look like you do.
The most compelling argument comes from a mix of narrative storytelling with concrete data. A good story doesn’t sell without the numbers to back it up, but numbers, charts, and statistics aren’t the end all be all. According to Baba Shiv, a Professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, “something like 90 to 95 percent of our decisions, our behaviors are constantly being shaped non-consciously by emotional brain system.” Visuals are the best communicator, come prepared with strong imagery, social media strategy and sample content.
The Power of Visuals
People view images before they read words. Your website and social media feeds should be polished, professional, and cohesive. Use high quality images for packaging, promotion, lifestyle imagery, and product-in-use content. The caliber of work seen in the pitch materials is reflective of your company as a whole and should match completely with content from your brand elsewhere in the world, this important in order to convey legitimacy and intentionality.
Marketing Strategy > Marketing Plan
Visuals and marketing strategy are an important indicator that you understand who your customer is, why your product is of value to them, and how you are different from your competitors. Additionally, existing socials should show proof of concept–you are capable of delivering on the proposed strategy to support a retail launch, and you have a baseline presence and level of brand awareness. Use Geo-targeted advertising, location based campaigns and locally relevant influencer partnerships in your proposed launch campaigns–retailers care about conversions, not brand awareness!
The Apricots Media Best Practices: SHOW NOT TELL
Retailers shouldn’t need to use their imagination! Present images of your product on shelves, in stores, in shopper’s carts. Without words, decision makers should see how your product stands out from competitors, and fills an empty niche in their stock list.
Ready, Set, Go: The marketing strategy to support launch should be thorough, detailed, and concrete, not hypothetical. Show your brand is ready to hit the ground running as soon as the product lands in shelves–no guesswork, catch up, or lead time required.
Slow and Steady wins the Race: Make sure entering retailers, (and this specific retailer) is the right move for your product. Be honest with yourself if your brand isn’t quite ready, and identify benchmarks and success metrics so you’re ready to jump when you are!
When pitching to retailers, you’re not asking for a chance, you’re offering a lucrative opportunity. Decision makers don’t want to know why your product belongs in their stores–they want to know how to get your product off their shelves. Use strong visuals and marketing strategy to show them exactly that.
Ready to take your brand to retail? Book a meeting with TAM to build the content and social strategy that supports your next retail launch.
More Resources: Feelings First: How Emotion Shapes Our Communication, Decisions, and Experiences
