Targeting your specific demographic is the most important way to promote your business, thank you marketing 101. Knowing who your market is and how to target them is a fun strategy to create when starting to market to the masses.
I received the fundamentals of marketing while getting my B.S. in Fashion Merchandising. My first real world experience came later when observing my friend using different methods of marketing to promote a book he wrote and further during my time at McCarren Supply. The biggest different is that ALL of this marketing was done online and for FREE.
Marketing on the internet was not taught in my college courses in the early 2000s. I had a big group marketing project during which we had to execute a marketing campaign using TV commercials, billboards, and direct mailing. All of these methods are not specific enough and are very expensive. Also, advertising in this way is largely dead for how content is consumed in present day. You can save money to make money by using social media. You can also promote a post on most platforms for a small fee. Consider using these tools before getting a billboard that no one will read while flying by on the freeway.
Starting to formulate your campaign takes reserach, time, and practice.
In 2016, I was lucky to join McCarren Supply and was free to explore any avenue that would help the business. I saw a need to strengthen the SEO of the business listings so McCarren Supply (MS) would properly show up during searches. Then, we needed to find our target audience online or otherwise get their attention. For those who do not know, MS is a building surplus store. Finding house flippers, general contractors and people doing home improvement projects became my strategy and I tested different platforms to find out which would work best for us.
Read that sentence again, "what would work for US." Targeting will look different for every business and every demographic. You need to research where you might find certain people. For example, the age of Facebook users is increasing and it's popularity is decreasing. I'm not saying you should not use this platform, on the contrary, this platform can be a free marketing tool which can be connected to other platforms. Facebook is user friendly and can be very effective. However, don't put all of your eggs in one basket, for anything. Craigslist was our sales driver, surprisingly.
In my opinion, the best way to learn how to use these tools is to look to the ones who are crushing it.
If you don't know who Gary Vaynerchuk is read a little bit about him here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk.
My life oddly, sort of, crossed paths with Gary when my boyfriend, at the time, was working as a copywriter for VaynerMedia in NYC. During my ex's time at Gary's ad agency he learned how to use social media platforms effectively. He was already good at promoting himself on Facebook but his audience quickly grew on other platforms across the internet.
Listen to Gary's podcast to get motivated and get important advice on how to grow your business. He is a pleasure to listen to and you get the sense that he truly wants you to succeed. He started his ad agency at the age of 34, now at the age of 43 has a net worth of $160 million. I would listen to what he has to say. 😊
As Sanctuary Boutique's social gains more followers I am learning what works and what doesn't. It is too soon to share but just get out there and try, anything. The hardest thing is just starting and then you will be obsessed! Feel free to follow what I do here:
@SanctuaryBouti2 - twitter
I hope this helps anyone that feels stuck and needs a little guidance. Don't let your ego keep you from learning from others.
Happy posting!