[Progress] Sanctus Nutrition - Supplement Company (and first real entrepreneurial pursuit)

[acerseller]

I sell a consumable product. Some things that have worked well for me:

- I concentrate on direct to consumer sales via my site and Amazon. I've found retailers to be expensive, time consuming, low margin, energy drains.

- I make sure the product has strong differentiation and I put that front and center. This has allowed me to get away with weak packaging / branding when I want to test new flavors, products, etc. with my core audience.

- I use as much social proof as I can muster. Customer pics, customer videos, reviews, etc.

- I never discount the product, only the shipping. There is only 1 time you get a discount - the first order. 50% off to try the product out, plus a guarantee. This reduces purchase friction and gets the product in customers hands, but doesn't devalue the product.

 

[MarekvBeek]

1. My guess is the copy, since that is literally the only difference.
2. Like a literal 110% guarantee? As in, I'll pay them if they don't like it?

1. How can you improve it from there? Ex. lower the cost, having even higher CTR%?

2. Yes, got that from Tim Ferriss. He had used that and saw his sales tripled.

He said that if people don't return it anyway, you know it's a good product. So you might want to go exeptional and offer such a win-win situation for your customer.

If after you tested that, the return% stays the same, you can leave it on, while your sales still increase.

 

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[MarekvBeek]

How's everything going... your first week since launch? Saw you had an online order (real or fake?). Could you manage to fix the image switch problem. It not only seem to appear on my iPhone, but on my laptop as well.

 

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[Scot]

Sorry for going a little AWOL - over the past two weeks, I started a new "9-5" and traveled for orientation...oh, and I launched my product!

I fulfilled every order by hand. Was it a pain in the a$$? Yes. Was it completely surreal and worth it? Absolutely.

Each order contained:

1. Product
2. Free promotional "cool-it" towel
3. Instructional card for use - this is somewhere I want to differentiate my brand and products. Other supplement companies squeeze directions into tiny font on the back of the label. I have this on my product (legally required and dumb not to include it), but also provide a card with detailed instructions on how to use the product and get the most from it. On the back side, there's a link to sign up for my affiliate program and earn $10 for each friend they refer.
4. Promo card for 30% off their next order.

I'm at $998 in sales. I got a very nice boost Monday due to some launch posts on social media.

Next steps:

1. Collect feedback from current customers.
2. Develop relationships with local pharmacies and gyms
   1. As mentioned, I currently have two local pharmacies who have agreed to stock the product. My goal is to have them supplied and ready to go on Monday, August 21.
   2. I have three local Crossfit gyms who have agreed to try out the product and promote and/or sell to their members if the gym staff like it. Goal is to make these deliveries by August 22nd.
3. Get actual product photos to replace the stock images currently on the website. My goal is to accomplish this by August 24th.
4. Get promoted on social media by current customers.
5. Get product samples into the hands of social media influencers. I need some help here and will be posting seeking this forum's feedback about it very soon.

For any Fastlane member who wants to try it out, use the coupon code "FASTLANE" for 20% off your first order - my way of saying thanks for all the great advice I've received here! Link to product.

Product pictures:
View attachment 15947 View attachment 15948 View attachment 15949 View attachment 15950 View attachment 15951 View attachment 15952 View attachment 15953 View attachment 15954

Incredible action so far! Rep ++

I agree with one of the comments above, don't hide the fact you're a pharmacist. In today's age of label transparency, having a genuine story like yours is a huge selling point.


You've also created a really great unboxing experience, I like it!

 

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[Scot]

Random thought. Can you do sample packets, like 1 serving in a paper sleeve?

Find local fitness competitions or shows and see if you can get into the gift bags.

 

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[Brewer07]

Whoohooh. You're doing very nice! I love the clips.

Congratz on your $1K month!!!

Keep up the good work man.

Thank you!

Congrats on your first 1K month!

Did you give Facebook Ads another try? I really feel this is your best chance of generating targeted traffic. The challenge here is to create an appealing creative, probably a video, and get it aligned with Facebook guidelines. To get inspiration I would suggest you join some of the facebook advertising groups, if you haven't already...

I've got a friend running my marketing now, and we're running FB ads for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I'll let you know how these go!

Out of curiosity, and I apologize if I have missed this somewhere, but do you just buy other brands' powders from elsewhere and mix them together yourself? Will you look to use a supplement manufacturing company at some point or are you just doing this form home?

No worries - this is my own custom formulation. I have a manufacturer blending and creating the product.

You should use forums as a way to generate traffic/sales. Guerilla marketing on forums is extremely underrated. I was able to make back my initial startup costs *edit* after a month and some change, so that should tell you how effective it is
You should forget about physical locations until you can develop a good amount of sales and reputation online. You're going to need stats and projections before any retailers take you seriously.
Relying on affiliates in the early stages is a no no. You're going to be dealing with people that don't have the ability to make money. You've probably found that out by now though
If you haven't already, you need to make some type of video based ads for Youtube and IG. Even if they are cheap videos from Fiverr. This is a method of advertising that will create another passive lane to generate traffic and sales

Before you say, who TF is this guy
I run a supplement company as well. Things kicked off in Feb. If things keep going the way they are going, I may be able to say that I made 100K in a span of 12 months. We'll see though

This is very helpful - thank you! I do have follow-up questions:

1. Were you previously a member of these forums, or did you sign up solely to market your product? I could see members being resistant to an "outsider" coming in just to market their product. I assume you're being an active member on the forum, making other posts unrelated to your product, etc., but would love to hear more about your strategy here, especially the types of posts you are making.
2. We're actually making some progress on physical locations by avoiding large chains (GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc.).
3. Video ads are a work in progress. I'll post them up once they are completed!

Really appreciate your insight & advice!

 

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[Raoul Duke]

Really enjoy your process @Brewer07. Keep up the good work!

Here are some threads for you... Check these out. Have you read Ca$hvertising?

INSIDERS Threads:
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ow-to-kick-a$$-with-facebook-marketing.48920/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/progress-monetising-my-adwords-knowledge.52532/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ific-beauty-products.58683/page-3#post-445772

Non INSIDERS Threads:
GOLD - Paid Advertising Crash Course
The Online Buying Lifecycle (video)


@MJ DeMarco @AllenCrawley @Vigilante @Andy Black

#notable or #gold ?

 

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[Scot]

I mentioned him before on this thread, but I wanted to share the group. Dr Jim Stoppani’s brand, Jym, has a die hard cult like following. Anyone starting a supplement company should strive to emulate what he’s built.

Here’s the link to his group on Facebook. I encourage you to join and just watch the posts for a week Log into Facebook | Facebook

Here’s what you’ll see on this 60,000 plus group.

People will go to GNC, spend $300+ on his products, post a photo of them and the long receipt, as a matter of pride. This happens daily on the group.

People will vehemently defend the brand and its science to attacks from GNC employees or random people at the gym.

People post pictures of their Jym brand T-shirt’s and hats daily.

They’re a well informed and very proud group.

Check out his group. Because you both approach supps from a scientific stand point, I think there are a lot of things he does you can borrow as far as marketing goes.

 

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[Brewer07]

Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed response. I'll reply to each point:

I second everything @Andy Black said in his epic comment above.

Here are my random thoughts, hopefully they help.

Me: 35 years old, male, lifter (NOT a body builder), runner, outdoor enthusiast with a high income.

I would not buy this product from you. I love the idea of it, but your site would not convince me to buy.

1) Who is this targeted at? Who are you selling to? Women? Young men? Middle-aged men like me? Hipsters? Crossfitters? Bodybuilders? Your thread here makes me want to buy, your website does not

Thank you for not holding back and being honest -> this is why I get so much value from this forum.

Our target is health-conscious 29-34 YO men, high income, weightlifters -> is this narrow enough? We've had sales from people outside that demographic but that's who I picture when I think "target customer".

2) The "spin the wheel" pop-up would of made me bounce instantly if you weren't a member of this forum

Would you turn it off completely? Set to exit intent?

Since running, it has 1,411 views, 78 email sign ups (5.5% conversion). Not saying these are good results, just giving stats. Do you think I'd have better results turning it off completely?

3) The "Billy Bob in Florida just bought this" pop-ups are annoying, and shows a girl's face with male names

Noted. This is an attempt to play into the "social proof" mentioned in #5 below, since, as you mentioned, we currently only offer one product. It shows the image associated with the product - hence, the product image for samples (girl holding a sample) pops up for male names.

Would you turn this off completely? Change its appearance? Change how often it appears?

4) Why is this "girl holding the bottle and smiling" everywhere it seems? She's cute, sure (have her ditch the engagement ring if you are using sex to sell this). But again, who is this product selling to? Women?

She's my fiancee and costs $0 to schedule a photoshoot with we had demand for samples and I wanted to get the product listing up in Shopify ASAP. I gave her a sample pack, her phone, and said I needed a product shot within an hour. Haven't taken the time to make a better image.

Seriously - my photos are shit. Most are stock, those that aren't stock aren't high quality. I'll be honest and won't make excuses - it's on me to make time to get a photographer, get a model, and get some good shots. I haven't done that, and it is costing me money.

5) I wouldn't buy when you only have one product, without some sort of social proof seen elsewhere

What would you recommend re: social proof?

I've attempted the IG/social media influencer route and got absolutely no where, just gave out a bunch of product for free with zero return. Also attempted the "so and so just bought" pop-ups.

6) The price is OK. I wouldn't even flinch paying $39.99 for it. But NOT because of the website, only because of your thread here

7) I hate ginger

Do you care about taste? Should I remove any mention of taste/flavor?

8) I would never see a product like this from any bodybuilding related marketing. You couldn't pay me enough to go to bodybuilding dot com. I would see this type of thing on male self-improvement influencers though. (Aaron Marino comes to mind for sure. And if he recommended it, I would buy it...even though I hate ginger)

My takeaway here: ignore any BB'ing-type marketing, and go the self-improvement route. Find influencers in this realm. Promote via these channels instead of trying to compete against other pre-workouts in the bodybuilding sphere.

9) Your cup in the "gear" section is $25 even. You did good on the $39.99 for the supplement, why the odd price on the cup? ($24.99? $19.99? $24?)

They cost $13.78 to make & ship from manufacturer. $5.75 to ship to consumer. So $19.53 total. I won't bullshit you, I didn't do anything fancy - just rounded up to $25.

Would you price differently? I'll run at $24.99 and see how it performs.

10) Low caffeine is a big selling point for me. (adrenal fatigue sucks)

This is a big reason I made this product. The next version will be NO caffeine - 90 mg is essentially pointless and I made a mistake here, because I could be marketing it as "caffeine free", "no caffeine", and hitting a large market there, vs. trying to toe the line and appeal to everyone - which is what I did with the 90 mg. Rookie mistake. I learned my lesson for next time.

TL;DR

I would buy this, as it hits on pain points I have ran into with other pre-workouts. BUT, I would have to be sold on it through better copy, better pics, social proof, or mainstream availability (If I saw it in Target, I'd probably buy)

I read this whole thread before going to your site.

Boom! Yoga pants!

Am I in the right place?

Amazing progress, but learn to sell it.

Thanks again for your detailed response. I agree that the website needs vast improvement. I take responsibility for shitty pics. Social proof, I'm unsure what to do, to be honest. Mainstream availability...down the future, when we have the sales to be taken seriously there.

Let me know if I missed the mark on anything. Thanks again - I really appreciate it!

 

[Blaise84]

Thank you for your feedback!

I'm an amateur at Facebook ads. I am working to tweak our remarketing so men see ads featuring a man, and women see ads featuring a woman. Is this the approach you would suggest?

My experience comes from being a personal trainer for 10+ years. I don't know much about Facebook ads, but I've interacted with your target audience on a daily basis for a long time. I can tell you that the women I've interacted with at fitness centers are interested in being lean and toned. Of the 1000s of women I've interacted with during my time working in gyms, this is what they have told me. If something has "Force" on it, they tend to shy away because it indicates bigger, stronger muscles. The women I've interacted with are terrified of developing big muscles (again, their goal is to be tone and lean), and will question and/or avoid anything that sounds like it might lead to being bigger and bulkier.

The guys, on the other hand, want to be big and muscular. Not even strong, truthfully. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this statement from guys at the gym: "I don't even care if I'm strong, I just want to look strong." In other words, they want to look big, so they appear strong, but they don't care if they actually are strong.

With those things in mind, my suggestion would be to have one supplement that has a name associated with being lean and toned for women, and another with a name associated with looking big and muscular for men. My thought is that it could be the same supplement, with two differences:
1. Different name: One for women, one for men
2. Different dosage: Lower dosage for women, higher dosage for men

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I am aware I need a better 3D render/product picture.

Every time I try and get this off Fiverr

That's your problem. You pay five bucks, you get five bucks of value.

If your pictures "look" FiveRR, what does it say about your product? Was that outsourced at the "FiveR" of supplement manufacturers?

If you want to do something right, sometimes you just have to pay a premium and get a pro to do it.

 

[smpaq]

I'd fully embrace the fact that your product doesn't taste as good as the unhealthy alternatives and use this as a differentiating factor. That reminds me of Buckley, a cough syrup that tastes horrible. The marketing team behind it turned the awful taste into a feature. Their slogan: It tastes awful, and it works!

My conversion rates are 4%, but again, this is all from friends or friends of friends. No random people or strangers are buying. I need to establish trust as a brand. As a beginner, I do not know the best way to do this.

I think you need to partner up with popular figures in your industry who have lot of fans and who are interested in promoting or already promoting healthy supplements. However, since your brand is new, you lack the necessary credibility to approach these people.

I'd start by working to establish myself, the guy behind the product, as an expert in my space.

For instance, I'd create a YouTube channel through which I'd present the latest research and my thoughts on it, give my honest opinion about certain products, and maybe even create some viral material, for example a video about how to mix your own healthy pre-workout to save money. I want to show to the world that I know my shit. Then I'd reach out to creators in my field and offer to collaborate: I'd make a 10-15 minutes video of solid informational content they would post on their channel. In return, collaborations would help me promote my own channel, which would be part of my sale funnel.

Basically, content marketing.

 

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[CareCPA]

I was also wary that this was going to be another "supplement" company, but it seems like you've put a lot of research into this.
I'm not a bodybuilder, but I still like to know what I'm putting in my body. As you mentioned in your post, anytime I see "natural flavors" on packaging, it makes me second-guess. List all of the ingredients, or I think you're hiding something in that generic category.

 

[Brewer07]

Update: Week in Review (June 25 - July 1, 2017)

I did not accomplish everything I set out to do this week. Life happens and I had to tend to other things. I pushed back Google AdWords to next week and only got around to FB marketing this AM.

Marketing: watched the video @Denim Chicken posted. If you're unfamiliar with Facebook Ads, it's very informative and I highly recommend it.

From July 2 through July 5, I'm testing three different FB ad sets. All are targeted for ages 25-30, people living in the United States.

1. Set 1 targets people with interests related to Crossfit.
2. Set 2 targets people with interests related to bodybuilding and fitness.
3. Set 3 targets people with interests in nutraceutical companies.

I also have some test ads currently running on Reddit.

Sales:
I surpassed $650 this past week. I'm hungry for $1000!

Affiliate Program
This past week, I added a sign-up link for anyone to join my affiliate program. I've received several applications since doing so, but have not had any affiliate sales to date. I'll be working with my new affiliates to experiment and find the best way to generate sales.

Plan for Next Week (July 2 - July 8, 2017)

1. July 4th special sale.
2. Research Buckley's cough syrup to gain insight on using "inferior taste" to my advantage.
3. Monitor FB ad progress.
4. Research Google AdWords and launch first AdWords campaign.

 

[Brewer07]

$60 over a holiday? I'd run it again outside of the holiday and double check.

Thanks, definitely going to run again. Although I am going to modify based on results, even if it was over holiday.

First off, love what you're doing with this . The industry needs more clean pre workouts that don't have ingredient lists a mile long.

I think the weak point in your ads is the pictures. They are too dark, and don't look professional. Honestly I would find a more ripped model too. You are selling a supplement that allows your customers to reach an aspirational level of fitness- otherwise why bother taking it ?

Keep up the good work and keep hustling!

Thank you for the support!

Re: model. My friend has a girlfriend with a professional-level camera and volunteered to take product shots for free. So I worked with what I've got. Should I brighten up the pictures I do have and re-use? I can find stock pictures with much better models but it won't have the product in it. Do you think these would work better? Or is it a matter of finding someone locally with a better physique to pose with the product?
EDIT - another option is just using a product shot with no model. Intuition tells me that a image with a model+product would work better, but I could be wrong - any insight here?

 

[SYK]

I can find stock pictures with much better models but it won't have the product in it.

Agree with @Sully1994 on the pics. Sure, it'd be ideal to have product and model in the same shot. But not necessary. You can use high quality model shots with product in foreground. All it takes is some basic photoshopping. Plenty of supp companies do it. Eg. the pic below (just an example, not saying yours should be identical).

On the copy, you're telling me a lot of what it IS but not what it DOES. Hit me with some benefits, man! Pharmacist-developed is a strong credential, but I'd save that for your product page. Slap people in the forehead with what it's going to do for their workout/physique/etc. in your ads.

P.S. Fellow Incubator member here. I'm the one from the calls who was on the other side of the world . Really like this change of idea for you! Nice work.

 

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[Sully1994]

Try testing product only shots. There's two benefits to this:

1) you can use product mock ups instead of photos of the actual thing. Now you don't have to worry about bad lighting. Thanks Photoshop!

2) it's pretty tough to not alienate one side of your audience when your model is half naked, (regardless of gender).

I noticed your gender click ratio swung heavily towards the female side.

Let's reverse things. Guys commonly click on pictures of hot women advertising female oriented products. Why? Because they're hot. They're not interested in the product being advertised .

It's possible that we have a similar situation going on here- just from the female perspective.

Food for thought!

 

[ZeroTo100]

Hey,

Couple of things that you don't really talk much about. I'd love to hear more about your manufacturing and bottling process. What kind of lab are these products being made in? Believe it or not, the facility that they are made in is a HUGE deal. I actually was in this field and did a marketing campaign for USP Labs, Xyience, Zevia, AI Sports Nutrition, BSN, Dream Water, EBoost, Power Crunch Bars, to name a few. This market is so big, it's hard not to find customers. Have you done any private labeling?

Honestly; if I was in this market, I would create a brand that people recognize as the one on the shelf that they don't ever have to worry about reading labels. Let's face it, 80% of the people putting supplements in their body really don't know what they are reading. If you can build a brand that says hey we are the "safe bet" or "we are the good guys," you'll win.

Perfect example: The Honest Company

Good luck

 

[startinup]

I'd be careful with the taste thing.

Whenever I'm looking at sup reviews NOBODY comments on the results because it is so subjective and almost impossible to attribute any gains to the actual supplement. However EVERYONE comments on the taste, and for a lot of people, taste is the deal breaker.

I'd agree if he was targeting the mass market audience.

But his market is more of the committed, health-conscious crowd. They want to be fit AND healthy. Personally, I don't think he should focus on taste at all. I would just focus on the science backed benefits.

I fall right into his market and one product that comes to mind is Leucine. When you read the reviews on amazon the first thing that pops out is taste. Leucine tastes AWFUL. It's like drinking chalky water and the taste stays in your mouth for 5-20 minutes...

But I kept using it and eventually bought an even bigger package next time. Because I didn't care about the taste, I just wanted the science-backed results.

The people that are truly committed, his market, won't care about taste as much as they care about health and results.

With that said, I'd still keep trying to improve the taste as much as you can. Not everyone is as crazy as me.

---

Side note: @Brewer07 I'd check out Legion Athletics. They're a company in your space that I've bought from in the past. They use citations to back up their claims, mention specific clinically effective doses and have an FAQ section which explains even further ingredients used in the product. You may already know of them, but if not, I'm sure there's a lot to learn.

 

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[MarekvBeek]

Took some time to be with my family as we experienced a loss. Worked 11 hour shifts at a pharmacy last week while I’m in-between jobs and needing cash, so the business went on the backburner for a few days.

Sales have been very slow in July, but I have managed to surpass the $700 mark. Product should ship out from the manufacturer to me next week!

Specific updates:

Product Page
I re-did some copy, and I re-structured the page to include tabs. Check it out and let me know what you think! My goal is easier navigation and less scrolling.
Link: Focal Force Premium Clean Pre-Workout

Facebook Ads
I ran two recent test campaigns, one July 9-12 and the other July 10-13. Both campaigns were set to run in California, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado, targeting people age 27-30, both genders, with interests related to Crossfit. I used the same images for each, attached below. The ads differed in the copy, which I’ve attached and you can compare below.

Campaign #1 reached 755 people and only generated 6 link clicks, with a $3.31 cost per click.
Campaign #2 reached 1,917 people and only generated 13 link clicks, with a $1.61 cost per click.

I haven’t tried any more subsequent tests. I’m at a bit of a loss for what step to take next here. I need to be advertising my product to continue generating leads but all campaigns I’ve attempted have been complete failures and I’m not sure what mod to make next. I know $20 isn't much to run a test, but over time it adds up.

I’m thinking I need to try @Denim Chicken's advice and stand out vs. looking like every other bodybuilding ad. Go the “pure/medical” route with ad photos. I’m reaching out to my photographer to find a good time to take high-quality shots.

Also, I could try running engagement ads instead of targeting link clicks. I'm not sure what the point of that would be, but it was recommended in the FB ad tutorial video posted on page 1.

Return Policy
I’ve drafted my first version of Sanctus Nutrition’s return policy, which I’ve included below. Let me know what you think. I also want a catchy name for it, something besides “Satisfaction Guarantee” or “Money-Back Guarantee”.

Placement also needs to be decided – currently, I have it in the product FAQ tab and in the footer menu. Should I include it elsewhere, somewhere more prominent?

Our Return Policy
We wholeheartedly believe in the products we’ve created, and we want you to try them risk-free.

For your first purchase of any product sold directly from Sanctus Nutrition, we’ll refund your purchase if you’re not satisfied - no questions asked. No forms to fill out, no waiting, no bullshit.

Just email hello@sanctusnutrition.com with the subject line “Refund” and include your name, email address, order number, and PayPal or Venmo account where you’d like to receive your refund. We’ll refund your money, no questions asked, and you can keep any unused product.

To protect against fraud, this policy is only valid for first-time purchases of products ordered directly from Sanctus Nutrition. This is redeemable up to 60 days after purchase.

For subsequent purchases, we’ll refund your money for any product returned unopened and unused. Visit Sanctus Nutrition and include your name, email address, order number, and put “I’d like to return my purchase” in the body. We’ll be in touch shortly with instructions on how to return your product.

Damn, I like how you take action!

I'm busy now, but I have to respond.

A few things that come to my mind:
• Why do people respond to your $3.31 cpc ad better? And can you downsize the cpc?
• Can you do 110% moneyback guarantee to push sales?
• You say that you want to try the Pure/medical road. Do it!
• Have you thought about providing value through content? So you can use that for a sales funnel? Ex. free sign-up for an article about why XYZ-ingrediënts destroys your body.
• Your pictures seem not to switch/change when I click on them (I'm usig iPhone 5). And your text seems still a little bit to big for my screen, bigger than TFLF.

Keep up the good work man!

I'm sure when you start to ship, you'll get more feedback from your customers which will show you in what direction you should go.

 

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[Brewer07]

Damn, I like how you take action!

I'm busy now, but I have to respond.

A few things that come to my mind:
• Why do people respond to your $3.31 cpc ad better? And can you downsize the cpc?
• Can you do 110% moneyback guarantee to push sales?
• You say that you want to try the Pure/medical road. Do it!
• Have you thought about providing value through content? So you can use that for a sales funnel? Ex. free sign-up for an article about why XYZ-ingrediënts destroys your body.
• Your pictures seem not to switch/change when I click on them (I'm usig iPhone 5). And your text seems still a little bit to big for my screen, bigger than TFLF.

Keep up the good work man!

I'm sure when you start to ship, you'll get more feedback from your customers which will show you in what direction you should go.

1. My guess is the copy, since that is literally the only difference.
2. Like a literal 110% guarantee? As in, I'll pay them if they don't like it?
3. Yes, I've been writing a blog hosted on the website. Sanctus Nutrition Blog. Only promotion has been through sharing posts on FB.

Have you studied FB ads/taken any courses? Those numbers look like an unoptimzed campaign. Which isn't gonna give you any valuable data.

Sure, best way of learning FB is doing it. But getting some grounding first is the way to go. Check out Kingpinning. Tons of free info and a super active FB group.

Nope. I've watched the video posted in page 1 of this thread and that is it. Thanks for the heads up on Kingpinning, should I start with the "FB advertising checklist", "Crushing E-Com Workshop", or both?

 

[Brewer07]

That's some great execution out there! Keep on rollin' Have you agreed on a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) with the local pharmacies to avoid price battling on your product?

Yes. Luckily, I have a good relationship with the two pharmacists/pharmacies I'm working with to start, which will help me learn and adapt to the wholesale/retail process. I have a third prospect on the horizon as well!

Absolute Kudos on your progress, this is phenomenal and of course, I wish you continued support and success as you grow with it.

I know you mentioned that your target audience is 25 - 30 yrs old and you ran the FB ads along these lines, I saw you mentioned you are also looking at going a bit above the 30 yr bracket, did you have any chance to do a test ad for beyond that bracket so you can compare your responses better? (Not trying to jump the gun or anything, was just wondering.)

Oh and another huge factor, I know in your FB ads, you stressed the fact that your product is created by a pharmacist, which actually changes the game here, you weren't an individual seeking a better product who just happened to fall into a partnership with some pharmacist, you are THE pharmacist who were personally looking for something better and created a superb product, why isn't this mentioned anywhere on your homepage? Don't get me wrong, I read it on the "Our Story" page, but why isn't it one of the first things the public sees at the top being mentioned? Based on the superb caption you have - and I quote: ("We create premium sports supplements with zero artificial sweeteners, no food dyes, and no proprietary blends. You deserve healthy supplements, and we're committed to giving you the best on the market.") it would be nice if mentioned somewhere there, so people would get that fact from the get-go.

You mentioned that you are thinking of pushing it through the medical route than just the product route, it is definitely worth doing, as it adds genuinity to your product, thus creating a movement. I know there are a lot of Vegan and/or Organic Chefs who go this route, and they'd team up with Nutritionists etc., who back up their info with Scientific Evidence (you have a great two-in-one - since you do have the medical background [which I think you are playing-down a bit]) AND the solution, through your yearning, to create a better, cleaner, transparent product.

A lot of your friends and family tried the product and they absolutely experienced positive results, do you think any of them would feel cool submitting feedback that you can use as reviews? Any before/after photos? (Here is a dentist [I know, I know, I know, absolutely unrelated] who invented a non-surgical procedure to correct dental problems experienced by patients due to different issues, he's having huge conversions with his approach) *I am not advertising for, nor affiliated with this in no way, form or manner, just using as an example as a conversion page by a medical practitioner.*

You have a lot of great things going for you and this is a progress thread, so I trust that as you keep going, you're bringing in that excellence.

Super, Super, Super Kudos on your venture, man, this is great. Keep up the wonderful work.

1. I have not ran ads targeting the 30 - 35 crowd yet. Need to do it but I also want to refine my ads - can't decide if I should work on new pictures/new copy first, or try my old ads at a different audience. Thoughts?
2. Great point and advice. The pharmacist story is a bit buried on the story page. Where would you suggest this appear on the home page?
3. I have 8 reviews posted on the product page so far, all from friends who sampled the product before launch. No before/after pics yet but that is a fantastic idea.

Thanks for your input! I really appreciate it. Lots of good ideas here for me to execute on.

How's everything going... your first week since launch? Saw you had an online order (real or fake?). Could you manage to fix the image switch problem. It not only seem to appear on my iPhone, but on my laptop as well.

What's going on with images? Which page and which images are switching?

 

[Brewer07]

Week in Review: August 13 - 19 2017

1. Product arrived. Orders fulfilled. Current sales just under $1K.
2. Attempted another Reddit marketing campaign. Failed miserably.
   1. 55.9K impressions, 53 clicks. CTR 0.095%. Cost: $11.51

Plan for August 20 - 26 2017

1. Today, I'm mailing free tubs to IG influencers for review. I have 11 tubs mailing out this AM. Collectively, the eleven have an IG reach of over 55,000. It feels weird sending out product for free, but having just ONE of them on board to promote my product could turn enough sales to recoup my "loss".
2. Deliver product to local pharmacies and gyms.
3. Brainstorm video and begin developing script.
   1. Story behind Focal Force
   2. Why I'm doing this; my background
   3. Why my product is better than others

Feedback welcome, as always!

 

[Brewer07]

Random thought. Can you do sample packets, like 1 serving in a paper sleeve?

Find local fitness competitions or shows and see if you can get into the gift bags.

Yes, with a caveat - my samples aren't "professional" grade. The minimum order from my manufacturer for single-serving samples is 10K units which I can't afford. I bought a bunch of small containers, and my plan is to print a smaller label and stick it on there. See photo below. This is why I mailed whole units to potential influencers instead of samples - and it lets them try it for longer / utilizes reciprocity effect.

Thoughts?

That's only 5k per influencer. Seems kinda low. Did you intentionally only target this size? Or these just the ones who agreed?

This part has been tough. A LOT of fitness accounts with 5k+ followers are already sponsored. I'm seeing lots of accounts in the 1K - 2K range with sponsorships. The ones who aren't tend to be the ones who refuse to do it period. I've had to search hard via Ninja Outreach. Most of the ones I found never responded when I reached out. I wish the average count was higher but I'm working with what I've got.

So if anyone knows someone big in the fitness field, send them my way

 

[MoreVolume]

1. Sticking points:
   1. Generating traffic. Other than the spike in traffic from the shoutout mentioned above, traffic is barely at a trickle. I get boosts from my email list when I post blogs. I need to get SEO hammered down, get my product listed on Google, etc. to start driving more traffic.
   2. Grassroots selling - I've gotten no where with local gyms and with local pharmacies.
   3. Affiliate program - none of my affiliates are generating sales, or really driving any traffic.
   4. Video - I'm slacking on this. To be honest I am discouraged from making it because of point #1 - I don't know how or where to promote it.

All in all September has been a weird month. Lots of ups and downs. Not where I want to be with sales but I am generating momentum and expect an uptick in October with my company/product being promoted by others with large audiences.

You should use forums as a way to generate traffic/sales. Guerilla marketing on forums is extremely underrated. I was able to make back my initial startup costs *edit* after a month and some change, so that should tell you how effective it is
You should forget about physical locations until you can develop a good amount of sales and reputation online. You're going to need stats and projections before any retailers take you seriously.
Relying on affiliates in the early stages is a no no. You're going to be dealing with people that don't have the ability to make money. You've probably found that out by now though
If you haven't already, you need to make some type of video based ads for Youtube and IG. Even if they are cheap videos from Fiverr. This is a method of advertising that will create another passive lane to generate traffic and sales

Before you say, who TF is this guy
I run a supplement company as well. Things kicked off in Feb. If things keep going the way they are going, I may be able to say that I made 100K in a span of 12 months. We'll see though

 

[Andy Black]

Great progress thread, thanks for all your details. Had quite a few thoughts which I'll come back and write later.

Well done on your sales, and thanks for sharing your journey with us.

Marked Notable.

 

[Brewer07]

Really enjoy your process @Brewer07. Keep up the good work!

Here are some threads for you... Check these out. Have you read Ca$hvertising?

INSIDERS Threads:
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ow-to-kick-a$$-with-facebook-marketing.48920/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/progress-monetising-my-adwords-knowledge.52532/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ific-beauty-products.58683/page-3#post-445772

Non INSIDERS Threads:
GOLD - Paid Advertising Crash Course
The Online Buying Lifecycle (video)


@MJ DeMarco @AllenCrawley @Vigilante @Andy Black

#notable or #gold ?

Haven't read Cashvertising. I trust your recommendation - I'll buy for Kindle today & post once I finish with my takeaways

THANK YOU for the links - reading today & will forward to my team.

 

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[Brewer07]

I literally only just came across this thread today. I probably missed it previously because it had Supplements in the title and I thought it would be another gold rush thread.

Thoughts from skimming it:

1) The fact that you're a pharmacist is what made me take the thread seriously and made it stand out from other "me too" supplement startups. As others have said, this could be front and center in your marketing. Your story could be the main selling point.

First, THANK YOU for the detailed response. This is gold.

How would you sell my story? Video? Audio? Blog? All of the above?

2) Customer avatars. I'm not a fan of doing this before getting customers. I think spending too long on this before you're making sales is a distraction and potentially blinkers us from who might really want our products. Now you have customers, can you describe the people you *actually* have? We have customer avatars in my team - and they're actual customers. I don't have to describe them, I just say their name and my team knows that person is never going to sit through a 60 minute webinar. Imagine selling business coaching or tips to @Vigilante or @MJ DeMarco for instance. Would they go to a seminar about how to make money online? If your market is people like either of those two business owners, then imagine them as people you actually know and what they would and wouldn't react to favorably.

Valid point. I did the customer avatar *prior* to sales based on a suggestion from Billy Murphy/Clay Hebert.

Now that we have sales...our "typical" customer is male, age 26-33, and frankly, beyond that, I couldn't tell you much about them. Our sales come primarily from:

1. My personal network
2. I befriended someone with a decent IG following. He has a sales background, is active in Crossfit, and loves my product. He regularly recommends it to his followers.
3. IG outreach via our business account.

Via customer feedback, I know the following are reasons why people love our product:

1. Low caffeine / no jitters or crash. Since most pre-workouts have 200-400 mg caffeine, we resonate with people who workout in the evening after work and want a boost, without affecting their sleep.
2. No artificial sweeteners/food dyes. No sugars. Hitting the keto/health crowd.
3. Results. We don't underdose ingredients, so our product works.

This is me openly brainstorming re: actually customer "avatars".

3) Related to the above... your market is NOT a demographic, but a demonstrated cashflow. What are people *already* spending their money on that indicates they care about what they're putting into their body, and are interested in working out? You mention keto already. What other diets or ingredients are people *already* spending money that indicate they are already trying to solve the problem your product also solves? )See how creating an avatar of a body-builder might exclude those people... and how you've blinkered yourself from the outset?)

Great point. This is an area we have not researched enough.

4) I've never done work in the supplement space on AdWords. I expect there's a lot of guidelines. I expect if anyone can satisfy them then it will be a pure offering delivered by a qualified pharmacist. I mention AdWords because of the search intent behind a visitors. Try paid search. Go through the free lessons in my course to understand the online buying lifecycle, how to do Keyword Research, and how to analyse the Google Search Results Page.

Done. Will forward to my team as well.

5) You've mentioned landing pages not converting etc. Landing pages don't convert - people do. It's about getting the right person to the right offer at the right time. It's about having the right messaging for those visitors. You can't judge a landing page in isolate, you have to judge the visitors hitting your landing page... what were they looking for? what enticed them to click through? what do they hope to see on the page? I created a thread: The biggest landing page mistake

Reading today & forwarding to my team.

6) Have you considered a subscription business? I've just finished "The Automatic Customer" and thought it a short and great read. Your market might be people interested in improving their health in all sorts of ways. Would they want your product on a monthly basis? Russell Brunson had a supplement business... I think he mentions how he studied other peoples sales funnels and copied their structure (one-click upsells, ongoing subscriptions, etc).

Yes, we've been discussing this lately! Need to pick a subscription feature in Shopify and run with it.

7) Someone mentioned forums. I use forums a lot and created a thread: How to use forums (and Facebook groups)
I believe @Scot has had a similar experience in Facebook groups.

Reading today + forwarding to team. Thank you!

6) I've been into fitness and a casual gym-goer for over 20 years. I haven't lifted weights in the last year, but plan on getting back into it again. I've never taken supplements, but want to be healthier and eat better. Would I take them? Maybe, but I don't want to spend any time doing research and going down the rabbit-hole. Would I subscribe to some email list telling me about simple healthy eating and fitness tips? Maybe. If you were to try and market to me, what would you do? What do I currently spend my money on that indicates I'm interested (and doing a bit of) healthy eating and fitness? Where is my attention currently?

If I were marketing to you, I would:

1. Decide if I should be marketing to you or not. Based on your response that you're not currently lifting weights, I wouldn't sell you pre-workout right now. I'd want you to establish that habit first before buying any supplements.
2. Fast-forward 4 weeks. You're consistently in the gym and ready to take the next step. Here's what I'm looking for:
   1. Spending money on a gym membership = this signals to me you've established that you're willing to spend money on your health & fitness. I don't need to sell you on that.
   2. Spending money on healthy food - same as above.
   3. Spending money on a trainer to put together workouts/diet plans? Another signal you're willing to spend money on health/fitness.

This quote is sticking out to me: "I've never taken supplements, but want to be healthier and eat better. Would I take them? Maybe, but I don't want to spend any time doing research and going down the rabbit-hole." My business is built on the fact that I've done that research for you. I'm struggling to communicate that to potential customers. I'm struggling with connection and trust.

This was a good exercise I'm going to continue reflecting on.

What would go through my head seeing your ads:

• (These are written harshly so you get an idea of what might be going on in other people's minds. Please don't take offence if you think differently - this is for OP's benefit):
• Do I GAF about the taste? No... I'm a full-grown man and things I eat don't need to taste like sweets or ice-cream. Why are you even talking about how it tastes? Does it do what it says on the tin?
• Do I want to look like some dude with a six-pack and muscles? No... I consider focusing on "trying to look good" when I'm married with 3 small kids both a self-indulgence and a vanity. I spend more time taking my kids to sports activities than I do on myself. I'd like to spend more time on myself, but at the age of 46 it's about being light, flexible, and strong.... not having a six-pack or lifting Xkg bench-press. Photos of half-naked six-packed men make me think the product isn't aimed at me.
• Do I want to see pictures of young ladies in gym gear? As a married man old enough to be their dad? Have a guess? Photos of young ladies make me think the product isn't aimed at me.

• Do I have time to read labels and create diet and exercise plans for myself? How many parents in jobs or running their own business have the time or inclination to do all that research? Would I rather just have one source I trust and snap-buy from them instead?

Be as harsh as possible. It's how I learn.

As a 26 year-old, I don't see things from a 46 YO point of view, obviously. Thanks for pointing this out.

Here's the takeaway I get: the product isn't "age-dependent", so segment advertising based on age, and use different ads/photos for different age ranges. What appeals to a 26 year-old likely won't appeal to a 46 year-old, and vice versa. Both can benefit from my product, but they want to be communicated with differently.

Let me know your thoughts.

7) Who already has your customers? I'm doing work for a startup delivering healthy meals. Their market are interested in their health and are cash-rich and time-poor. Does that seem like a demonstrated cashflow to you?

Good point. This builds on points #2 & #3 above. Where are our target customers already spending money?

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to go in-depth. This has been helpful and I'm going to continue to build on your response/insight.

 

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[B. Cole]

7) Who already has your customers?

This strikes a chord with me. Best question I could probably ask myself right now.

 

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[Scot]

My experience comes from being a personal trainer for 10+ years. I don't know much about Facebook ads, but I've interacted with your target audience on a daily basis for a long time. I can tell you that the women I've interacted with at fitness centers are interested in being lean and toned. Of the 1000s of women I've interacted with during my time working in gyms, this is what they have told me. If something has "Force" on it, they tend to shy away because it indicates bigger, stronger muscles. The women I've interacted with are terrified of developing big muscles (again, their goal is to be tone and lean), and will question and/or avoid anything that sounds like it might lead to being bigger and bulkier.

The guys, on the other hand, want to be big and muscular. Not even strong, truthfully. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this statement from guys at the gym: "I don't even care if I'm strong, I just want to look strong." In other words, they want to look big, so they appear strong, but they don't care if they actually are strong.

With those things in mind, my suggestion would be to have one supplement that has a name associated with being lean and toned for women, and another with a name associated with looking big and muscular for men. My thought is that it could be the same supplement, with two differences:
1. Different name: One for women, one for men
2. Different dosage: Lower dosage for women, higher dosage for men

+1 to everything you said.

That’s not a bad idea, making two different sku’s to target women and men.

Side note, everytime I hear a woman say she doesn’t want to bulk up, I facepalm. If “bulking” were as easy as your clients thinks it is, I’d be a 3 time Arnold Classic winner.

 

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