“Reassess marketing/social media strategy, add to business plan.”
I’d like to turn this into a 3-tier exercise. You determine which tier you’re on.
1. You use no social media: I can respect that, but it could make it more difficult to reach your target market. Get with the 21st century! Pick one medium, and try it. Give it 4-6 months. Really try.
2. You use 1-2 forms of social media: Think about adding another. OR, substitute one current medium for one that more closely matches your target audience.
3. You use loads of social media: Are you spread too thin? Is promoting taking up too much of your time? Get rid of the underperforming ones (that yield little traffic or aren’t at least reaching your target audience). Or—dare I say it?—get rid of the one you hate.
(Apologies in advance for the length of my challenge.) In reassessing your strategy, ask yourself:
*Am I reaching my target market? Make sure the medium you’re using is where your audience is. If your social-media goal is mainly to reach your target audience, you may need to use platforms that you are not currently using or that you are unfamiliar with.
You probably won’t have much success selling items geared towards older women on Tumblr, as they are unlikely to be on there. But, does your market skew young? Consider Tumblr or Twitter. Is your audience middle- or upper-class homemakers or moms and fashionistas? Consider Pinterest. Do they like a lot of back-story? Consider blogging. Are they highly visual? Pinterest or Instagram might be the ticket.
*For each medium, ask yourself: Do I have time to utilize this medium effectively? Do I enjoy it? Does it result in views and engagement? If you really don’t have time, or are only doing it in a perfunctory fashion, or you are not seeing any return, that is NOT a good use of your business time.
Here's my strategy: I’ve been blogging for 7+ years (3 years before I had an etsy shop). In fact, I only opened an etsy shop because my blogreaders wanted a way to buy my items. It’s currently my #3 source of traffic to my shop. Ain’t giving that up any time soon.
For my niche (vintage), everyone is on Facebook/blogs (buyers and sellers), and there is a lot of interaction (and we buy from each other). It’s expected. I have to do it. Now I just need to kick it up a notch and post more frequently on FB. Twitter’s not quite right for my market (though I got nominated for an award, so I’m revisiting it), but Instagram is. So, I’m launching my IG this weekend. Scary.
(P.S. I know nothing about Storenvy, Wanelo, etc. so please explore them if you’re interested.)
What are you eager to quit, or eager to start? What is the must-have social medium for you target market? Are you willing to go there?
