Don ’ t assume that just because you exist , people will be interested in your hustle . Humans are bombarded with information and are saturated with growing life demands . You are not their number one choice . The only way to make people care you exist is to proactively make yourself known .
MARKETING
Marketing 101 : Back To The Basics
A few days ago , on my way to the salon , I bumped into a long-lost friend in front of a children ’ s clothing store I had ignored for years . We laughed , hugged , reminisced , and caught up on what we had been up to for the last decade ; just before I left , he informed me he was working on a social media campaign for the children ’ s store and introduced me to the store owner .
I gave her a warm smile and introduced myself , and she invited me to pass by . Like most people , I politely accepted the invite with no intention of returning . After a few hours proudly bouncing out of the salon with my fresh coiffed crown and tamed and manicured talons , I used my usual exit from the building : right in front of the children ’ s store I had no intention of patronising .
The owner saw me and smiled . Her store , as always , was empty . I stood outside the door and smiled , hesitant , unsure if entering was worth my while . I had passed the store for years ; I didn ’ t like their clothes selection . The owner , let ’ s call her Rosa , smiled at me and gestured with her eyes . I opted for cordiality and entered the store .
I looked around and touched some clothes , asking about the cost and country of manufacture . The store was always empty for the close to four years I have passed by . I have never seen a patron ; if there are some , they seem to show up when I am not around .
I asked Rosa the age range of the children ’ s clothing , and she said zero to eighteen years . That was not made apparent by her display . I then spent about 10 minutes giving her some simple marketing insights I thought to share . Here are a few simple things that cost you nothing but time and enthusiasm to draw in customers .
Display is everything
You must always engage your customers ' senses when they engage with your brand . And if you have a store like Rosa , that begins with how you organise the store . Having too many clothes on clothing racks looks untidy and tends to be confusing . Choice is great in a store , but too much choice is off-putting .
I have also seen this with artisans at the
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Don ’ t assume that just because you exist , people will be interested in your hustle . Humans are bombarded with information and are saturated with growing life demands . You are not their number one choice . The only way to make people care you exist is to proactively make yourself known .
By Rose Odengo
Maasai market and some jewellers on Instagram . If you squash 20-50 different earrings , necklaces or even sandals together , no one can see the details in each item . It starts to look like a chaotic market where everything is everywhere , and everything goes . This devalues your product , and it eliminates choice for the potential customer .
When displaying items , you also want to take people on a journey . If , like Rosa , you have age-specific clothing , arrange them in that order , so with a simple visual skim of the store , I can see all sizes for all ages . That speeds up customer decision-making - meaning quicker sales .
Play around with the colours of the items you are selling . You can colour code them as you see in many retail stores , especially fashion like Vivo , Woolworths and Mr Price . You can do the same with books . It provides an intriguing allure . Because what you want is for people to want to buy your product .
Build relationships
The easiest and what I sometimes call the laziest route is running into quick-fix promotions . Marketing is about building relationships . Lasting relationships . You want to ensure your clients always have you at the top of their minds and can advocate for you to others .
That only happens if a relationship is much deeper than a simple purchase . That means you need to keep engaging them in ways beyond a simple social media advertising push .
Because when the hype dies from your promotion , people move on to the next shiny thing . I told Rosa to try and focus on
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