By Kayleigh Alexandra
Multichannel selling forms the cornerstone of every successful business in 2019, no matter what industry they’re in. Selling on a variety of channels is essential for driving sales and engaging with customers where they are active daily.
And subscription businesses are no exception to the advantages of multichannel selling. Read on to discover 4 ways to benefit from multichannel selling with your subscription business.
Drive social sales with social media
When it comes to multichannel selling for subscription businesses, social media is a no-brainer.
There are plenty of social platforms with a variety of different consumers on each. Each platform comes with its own unique features for marketing and selling your products, so it’s worth crafting a presence.
Take Instagram for example. This platform lends itself to subscription box selling — with a strong visual emphasis, gorgeous flat lays, interactive Stories, and so on. If you sell beautiful products like cosmetics or decorations, Instagram is the perfect channel to sell on.
Social media comes with the added bonus of influencers too. There are plenty of social media stars that your subscription business can partner with to boost sales.
Use an influencer marketplace like TapInfluence to find a social star whose niche and audience aligns with yours. For instance, an apparel subscription might work with a fashion and style blogger.
Your chosen influencer would review your subscription box on social and include a trackable link for their audience to subscribe, growing your brand quick as a result. This is well worth considering for small subscription startups looking for rapid growth.
But micro-influencers are just one effective social selling multichannel strategy used by brands. Product tagging, shoppable Stories, and paid social ads are all useful to incorporate into your social multichannel strategy and grow your subscription business.
Create a Marketplace listing
With so many subscription boxes available, it’s often tricky for customers to find the one they like. But subscription box marketplaces like Cratejoy make it easy!
The Cratejoy Marketplace combines a wide variety of subscription boxes into one single space.
Not only does it receive more than 4 million monthly hits, but it’s also an affordable, low-risk way to sell. Consequently, Cratejoy is a vital channel for selling your subscription box that’s guaranteed to get your brand seen by customers that matter.
Of course, when you’re jostling for attention against so many competing brands, it’s important to make your listing stand out. Here are a few of the essentials to create a perfect Cratejoy listing:
- Catchy copy that is concise but clear. This is the crux of great copywriting.
- Accurate categorization of your subscription box. This gets you found by the right customers.
- Emphasis on benefits over features. How can your customer benefit from your box?
- Attractive, high-quality photos. Help your customer visualize the box experience.
- Links to your social profiles. This helps your prospective customers learn more about your brand.
The points listed above are just a few elements of a Marketplace listing that gets you sales. Click here for a more comprehensive guide to creating the perfect Cratejoy listing!
Embrace the power of affiliate marketing
Affiliate review sites are a strong sales channel for virtually every product, from white goods to cosmetics. And subscription boxes are no exception to this.
The premise of affiliate marketing is simple: a dedicated affiliate site reviews your subscription box, including a trackable link to your product page at the bottom. For every customer who clicks through and makes a purchase, you pay a certain percentage of the sale to the reviewer — it’s a win-win.
Affiliate schemes are great for driving sales for your subscription business because customers perceive them as genuine and credible. Consequently, the reviews carry more weight than brand-led reviews.
Set up an affiliate program for your subscription brand — it’s worth creating a separate page promoting this on your website, so affiliate reviewers can easily find it. Make clear the points each review must acknowledge (e.g. it must mention your sustainable ethos) and how much you will pay per conversion.
Of course, you shouldn’t for the bloggers to come to you. Get in touch with affiliate program companies like Tactical Marketing Co — these businesses liaise with suitable bloggers to find the best reviewers for your affiliate scheme.
Create offline events to drive online success
It’s easy to forget the power of offline marketing and the impact it has on online sales. But real-world events such as pop-up shops are the future of retail, both online and offline. They’re great for raising awareness and driving sales for brands, and subscription businesses are no exception.
Real-world events are effective because they are hyper-localized. Rather than spreading your reach far and wide, you go for a specific audience. The benefit of this is that you can invite individuals who are likely to share your event on social media: micro-influencers, industry figures, or just prospective customers who are likely to talk about your event on social.
Create a pop-up event to raise real-world awareness of your subscription box.
Offer samples of your products, and invite relevant speakers to talk about your industry. For example, if you sell beauty subscription boxes, you could get professional makeup artists to teach attendees about styles and techniques.
The key to getting the most from your offline event is to make is social media-friendly. Focus on aesthetics and offer photobooths and props, meet-and-greets, and Instagrammable set pieces to get attendees to snap and share.
Pro tip: Competitions are also a great way to encourage participation — encourage attendees to submit their snaps with a branded hashtag to drive up engagement.
The channels above are just a few examples of the ways your subscription business can benefit from multichannel selling. Use the tips listed here and create an effective multichannel strategy for your subscription business that gets you sales and engagement time and again.
Kayleigh Alexandra is a writer and campaign designer for MicroStartups, a website focused on helping charities and microbusinesses. After years working in the sustainability, marketing, and creative industries, Kayleigh now loves to devote her time to supporting other businesses to grow and thrive. Visit her blog or follow her on Twitter @getmicrostarted for the latest news, tips, and advice for startups and solopreneurs.
