Marketing is a big word. It encompasses a lot of different ways to reach customers and grow your brand. Some areas of marketing include:
Research - identifying your customers, knowing where to find them, how they shop and what gets them to spend money
Brand development - logo, website, messaging, consistency in design, knowing what your brand stands for
Advertising - from social media and Google Ads to print and digital ads, and everything in between
Public relations - press releases/media advisories, getting your products into print and digital publications, websites and blogs, and more
Promotions - knowing when and why to create deals that impact sales
While nothing beats working with a marketing professional, who can ask you the right questions and design a comprehensive, well-rounded plan within your budget that ensures you are reaching the best selection of shoppers most likely to buy from you, there are some things you can do on your own to get the process going.
Add a subscriber pop-up to the home page of your website. Most website design programs either have a built-in option or an app you can add to create a pop-up that captures visitors' email addresses. This will grow to become a valuable list.
Write regular blog posts containing useful content to get people back to your site again and again. Keep them brief (300-500 words is great), write catchy headlines that make the reader want to click, and include good photos. There are photos sites that let you use their images for free, just remember to read the fine print so you don't use them in a way you aren't supposed to.
Use your mailing list to send out a teaser of your blog post. You want them to come back to your site, so don't give it all away in the newsletter. Typically you can give the first paragraph or two in the newsletter and then provide a link to continue reading. Again websites either have built-in options to create newsletters, or you can use a program like Mailchimp.
Make sure your newsletter is simple and easy-to-navigate. Less is more when it comes to a newsletter. If it takes too long to load, has too much content to sort through or is generally just too busy, it becomes easier to delete it then to read it. Go with clean design that is pleasant and just a few items to read through in each newsletter.
Include a current promotion and promo code in each newsletter. Keep this code different from any other promotions you have going on so you can see where the sales are generating from.
This is a great start to get you on your way. If you don't want to do it on your own, or would like to have a comprehensive plan developed for your brand, reach out to us at info@detroitsewn.com. We offer free 30-minutes consultations to review your needs and determine the best course of action for you and your brand.