Starting a supplement business online gets easier every year. People love dietary supplements more than ever, and they’re more likely to experiment. It’s also easier than ever to launch brands on the internet — tools like Shopify and SquareSpace all but automate the process, leaving you free to grow your brand’s presence on social media with valuable content that converts customers
To avoid dooming your fledgling brand to becoming “more marketing than product,” you’ll need the help of a qualified supplement capsule manufacturer — a competent, certified company capable of catering to your specific needs. Learn everything you need to get started with your own supplement company, spread out into 8 easy steps.
Overview: What You Should Know
The supplement industry has grown massively over the last decade. The US supplement market alone was valued at $152 billion in 2021 with growth continuing to accelerate each year.
- The supplement market is growing and diversifying
- Interest in supplements shows steady growth
- Supplement technology is improving
- Personal health is a priority
- Niche supplements have massive growth potential
What’s truly unique about supplements is the continued presence of opportunities for diversification. New breakthroughs in natural science occur every year, and people are more interested in their health than ever before. Especially as longevity research and AI converge, expect even more consumer interest in “life-boosting” products they can take in a pill.
At TrustWorks, we’ve identified a tried-and-true program for getting a supplement brand off the ground and into the hands of health-conscious consumers. This 8-step process begins with determining your niche and culminates in launching into the market. Let’s take a look at each of these steps one by one:
1) Choose Your Niche and Target Market
Starting business as a general “supplement company” and expecting customers to choose your brand over an established competitor isn’t exactly a winning strategy. You need to find a brand identity within the supplement market that resonates with a particular consumer archetype while also fulfilling an actual need.
Remember the idea of being “more marketing than product” we touched on earlier? It’s of tantamount importance to actually offer something real. That’s what customers will come back for time and again.
All the best marketing language and graphics can’t make up for a product with no real benefits. Making a product that’s beyond mere marketing begins with identifying a niche that needs your brand.
2) Research Your Competitors
There’s nothing wrong with taking a look at what competing brands are up to. Having the right mindset while snooping is key: Instead of taking the approach of someone trying to copy another person’s test answers, ask yourself: “How could I do this better?”
That question challenges you to both understand what your competitor has accomplished and how you could go beyond their accomplishments. Your improvements don’t have to be bigger and bolder. They just have to accomplish your core goals better than your competitor could.
How can your brand be better than theirs while staying true to its core identity?
3) Develop Your Product Idea
Products are more than just hype, but at the core of every great product is a solidly hype-worthy idea. If your product idea doesn’t get you excited and ready to pay the asking price, ask yourself: Why would my customer feel any different?
Put yourself in the shoes of your target customer. Think about what excites them and engages them, and then imagine what might convert that engagement into a sale. It’s an adage as old as business: A good product sells itself. Don’t skimp on this step.
4) Find A Supplement Manufacturer
The right capsule or softgel manufacturer will meet you at your level and help you walk the steps to success. They need to be ready to offer support, though — look out for a certified, bonafide company with a big product catalog and lots of production capacity.
Partner with TrustWorks
Founded by online supplement pioneers serving as cornerstones of the industry since 2017, Trustworks operates an ISO 9001 certified facility in full compliance with the latest cGMP standards. Our top-tier production capabilities ensure safe and repeatable product outcomes with fulfilment capacity for all order sizes. Rely on TrustWorks as your preferred supplement and gummy manufacturer.
5) Establish Your Brand
It’s technically possible to operate a supplement brand without ever becoming a business. Most experts will suggest that you incorporate or otherwise acquire an EIN, however, and you’ll need to become a legitimate business if you intend to have any employees.
File Your LLC or Corporation
The two most common business types that supplement brands organize are corporations and LLCs. Both have their pros and cons — consult with a qualified business lawyer for expert advice.
Receive Your EIN Number
Once you’ve officially declared the existence of your company to the government, you’ll be issued an EIN number — like an SSN but for your business. You’ll need this number for securing loans and accomplishing other everyday business tasks.
6) Build an Online Presence
Reaching your target audience involves making yourself visible in places where people go looking for your kind of products. Get your supplement product in front of the eyes of potential customers via the following approaches:
Social Media
Becoming active on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and even Facebook and Reddit help generates overall awareness of your brand — awareness you can often boost with ad campaigns. These platforms also often offer shop integration, but in many cases not until your brand account has reached a certain number of followers.
Google Ads
Google will display ads for your product through Google Adsense regardless of whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or you just got started yesterday (the two very rarely overlap). While not as effective at generating a following, advertising through Google is a tried-and-true way to ensure some initial traffic.
SEO & Domain Authority
Getting consistent traffic through your brand’s website and social channels requires the kind of authority only time can deliver. Start investing in SEO content now, and your domain authority will thank you for years down the line as your brand gains continued opportunities to grow.
7) Build Your Sales Channels
Selling your supplements through your own website remains a crucial strategy. Third-party marketplaces have become even more relevant in recent years, though, and Amazon is hardly the only player in town.
Website
Shopify, SquareSpace, and countless other competitors would be more than happy to expedite the process of setting up a website where customers can buy your products. Many of these web design and hosting platforms also offer integration with third-party and social media shops.
Amazon
Amazon remains a major player in the online marketplace, but competitors like Walmart and Etsy are fast encroaching. Starting with a website service like Shopify makes it much easier to sell your products through Amazon and other platforms as well.
TikTok Shop
Even through ban scares, traffic through the TikTok social media app’s product shop remains strong. Start thinking about ways you can represent your brand in the platform’s bite-sized, vertical-orientation video format that will incentivize customers to choose your supplements.
Instagram & YouTube
Both Instagram (owned by Meta/Facebook) and YouTube (owned by Google) offer robust shop interfaces and boast massive monthly traffic. Having shops on every major social media platform provides additional opportunities for customers to find and choose your brand.
8) Launch Your Brand
You’ve cleared all the prerequisites to successfully launch your supplement brand. Whether you launch all at once, start with a social media shop, or decide to stick with only a website, just make sure you have a clear plan complete with timeframes and benchmarks for success.
Whether or not you develop a traditional business plan, have a definite idea of the direction you’re going. Remember that your ideal customer will naturally gravitate to your product offerings if you choose a high-quality supplement manufacturer and allow potential customers to make their own informed decisions.
Launch day is naturally fraught with anxiety, but remember that success is a marathon, not a sprint. The road you’re starting on today won’t end anytime soon, but with the right help, you can make it into a path of powerful profit and good.
Summary: Starting an Online Supplement Brand Is Easy
Becoming the operator of your own supplement business is so easy that practically anyone could do it. Honing that supplement business into a competent and sustainable money-making machine takes skill, though — skill and expertise.
Striking out on your own as a supplement brand is like starting at the base of the mountain. Working with an established co-packing company is like taking a chairlift to the summit — with all the hard work of sourcing ingredients and formulating products taken care of, you can focus on building your brand and fulfilling niche needs.
With years of experience under our belts, TrustWorks knows what customers want and how to deliver it. What we don’t know about yet, however, are your unique dreams and visions. What do you want to offer to the world? What crucial needs will your brand fulfill? We can’t wait to learn more — get the ball rolling with an initial supplement manufacturing consultation today.
