In our new series, Selfmade U, we’ll tackle the most common questions and pain points that come up for business owners with tips and tricks from Selfmade, a virtual business coaching program, led by Brit + Co founder Brit Morin and sponsored by Office Depot OfficeMax. We’ll hear from Selfmade alum, business coaches, and Brit herself on what it takes to run a successful business and make it as an entrepreneur.
Marketing can be intimidating for a lot of small business owners. Maybe you feel judged by putting yourself out there or afraid you’ll sound too salesy. The idea of selling through word of mouth would make life as an entrepreneur easier, but it doesn’t always work that way, especially if you want to grow your business. In her Selfmade workshop, The 3 M’s of Marketing, coach Emily Merrell helps entrepreneurs break down their marketing fears, understand their customers behaviors, hone in on messaging, and use social platforms that make sense for your business.
Teresa LeeAnn Baker, founder of Brown Boy Brown Girl, joined Selfmade by receiving an Office Depot OfficeMax scholarship just as her business was starting to grow. “I wanted to learn more about how I could dive deeper into the business,” she says. “The networking opportunities were great. I liked the fact that we had small groups and could talk to other entrepreneurs. I was even paired with someone from my hometown!”
Baker started Brown Boy Brown Girl as a publishing company for children’s book authors of color. “I really wanted to come up with a company that would positively portray both Black and Brown boys and girls,” she says. She and her mom also wrote a children’s book that they would promote at public events. Then the pandemic hit, which forced her to pivot her IRL [in real life] business to producing multicultural notebooks and school supplies. She posted them on social media and they were an instant success. “Before I was ready to take orders, we got over a thousand dollars in sales in a few days.”
How do you share an effective brand story and successfully sell on social media? In her workshop, Merrell helps entrepreneurs tackle the three M’s of marketing: market, message, and media.
Market: Who is your ideal customer, what are their habits and behaviors, where do they hang out? “Look at your current client base, even if you have one or two clients,” says Merrell. “This is a great opportunity to do a little market research and understand why their behaviors are the way they are. Do they like other brands that you could cross-promote with? Are they moms, single, or in relationships? Are they hanging out on Instagram or Facebook?”
Baker was able to learn more about her customer through social ads and analytics. “I was able to extract that data so I knew exactly who our customer was based on how people bought. Maybe they might like a particular genre of music, or they might have children up to age 10 in the household,” says Baker. Still, Baker looks to broaden her reach beyond the analytics. “I’m definitely targeting any customer who’s an ally, anybody who believes in diversity, anybody who might have a biracial child, anybody who appreciates what it is that we’re trying to do,” she says.
Message: How do you find a voice that reflects your brand? During Selfmade, Baker was able to create a brand house that helped her create the messaging she needed for her business. “The brand house helped me put the pieces together. I was able to find our voice, our tone, our personality,” she says. “Building that brand house was something that will continue to be helpful as I move on into my entrepreneurial journey.” Now she comes back to her message and mission every time: Brown Boy Brown Girl is a learning brand leading the way in creating multicultural school supplies, children’s books and toys that represent mirrors, windows and sliding doors.
Merrell says to approach messaging more like an invitation than asking someone to buy something. “Invite them to experience your product or service,” she says. “This is your opportunity to show tips and tricks and spotlight other people,” she says. You also want to demonstrate your authority, including your testimonials and success stories. “Stats are a great way to share your authority,” adds Merrell. “Use CTAs [calls to action], remind them to save the post, and tag a friend. These are organic ways to increase your audience.”
Media: Instagram is a great free marketing tool, adds Merrell. How can you leverage Instagram to build a virtual community, provide a feeling and a service to the customer beyond what you’re selling so they come back for more, and provide value to your customer? “Value, value, value, and then sell,” says Merrell about the frequency of your messaging on social media.
Baker found that her audience was more active on TikTok and started to focus her marketing energy there. “We’re living in a world where social media is how people buy, so you cannot not have it,” she says. Brown Boy Brown Girl is now sold in 260 stores of a major retailer too.
“Selfmade is a great opportunity to help women entrepreneurs grow because sometimes capital is hard to come by, especially for women,” says Baker. “The fact that Office Depot OfficeMax offers a scholarship program so that every entrepreneur is able to have the opportunity to get what they need to help build their business and become more successful is what I loved about Selfmade.”
Baker was also able to score office supplies to help her accomplish more in her business, after earning a gift card from her Selfmade pitch session. “Thanks to Selfmade and Office Depot OfficeMax for allowing me to get a beautiful desk. Anytime I get something new, I love it. It’s like a new toy for me!”
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Illustrated by Daniela Jordan-Villaveces
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