This week, social media has been set aflame with Popeyes vs Chick Fit A chicken sandwich wars. And like everything on social media, there are many waves of naysayers. I’m going to skip past the “Popeyes isn’t all that” group (because honestly, they don’t seem to like anything on social media) and address the latest wave. Entrepreneurs/side hustlers/your cousin Kiki with the online boutique are now showing their discontent about the fact that people are raving about a corporation, yet showing no love for their own entrepreneurial endeavors. If this is you, first I would like to tell you that this message is written in love and I am merely presenting opportunities for growth. We are far from getting Popeyes notoriety, but there are things you can do to set yourself on a better track today. So let’s breathe deep and proceed.
Do people even know about me?
Popeyes spends millions of dollars every year to grow and maintain brand awareness. Many business owners who are just starting out may not have the money for advertising, but you do have your own social presence to start with.
When I first started my boutique, I used to post here and there on social media but got discouraged when I didn’t feel like anyone was paying attention. Then, I would mention it in passing to someone and they would say “Oh, I didn’t know you had a store!” That’s because social media, with all the algorithms and stuff that generally makes us crazy, is a fleeting opportunity. Things move so fast and people post so much that there is a chance that many of your followers miss a random message posted every 4-6 months. One way to combat that is to post more often about your hustle and post in different places. Your Facebook friends may be different from your Twitter friends who are different from your Instagram friends.
Are my friends/family even my target market?
Starting out as a graphic designer (look, I have many side hustles, a singular stream of income freaks me out), I used to price low to make sure I could get any entrepreneur that needed a logo. What I soon learned, was the people who I was graciously discounting my price for were not as gracious when it came to their demands for me. That, coupled with my desire to sit around and do nothing meant that I needed to charge something that was fair to my time in exchange for the services I was providing. To me, that meant I may not always be able to reach people that were just starting out, but I could help people that were still in somewhat of a beginning stage but ready to level up their efforts. Similarly, your product could not be a direct fit to the people you currently have access to via social media. This group can be very finite and you have to begin to think beyond that group to expand your business.
So who is your ideal customer, after all? Here are some tips determine your ideal customer:
- Think about your customers, individually and as a group. Are there common themes in their age, gender, socioeconomic status, etc?
- Think about people who were interested, but did not bite. Are there common themes in their age, gender, socioeconomic status, etc?
- Using your answers from the above questions, create an ideal customer profile. Be specific in naming them, providing age, gender, daily activities, pain points. To start, download this customer profile worksheet below.
Do I instruct people on the best way to support me?
So let’s say you’re at the stage where you are posting to your friends but know your customer base is beyond that. And let’s say you feel a way that your friends are posting about Popeyes and never said anything about your business. Here’s the thing, people cannot read your mind, nor do they always readily think of ways to support your business outside of their own personal needs. What people are far more willing to do is to do what is asked for them. So rather than posting a meme staging a battle against social media users that are amused by the chicken sandwich war (which will definitely alienate your friends/family), how about you ask (extra points if you do it in a comical way) for viewers to share your information?
It can be easy as this: “Hi everybody, I started business providing (product) for (this group of people). My next future customer could be just a share away, do you mind sharing this to your friends and followers? It would be greatly appreciated!”
Support doesn’t always have to be a buy, but maybe they can get you in front of someone who will. Which is also awesome.
I hope these 3 questions are helpful in making you feel better about your business and planning for success. As a reminder, Popeyes is an established brand with multimillion-dollar advertising money. You are at a different stage, but there is still an opportunity for you to stay scrappy and get thy coin. I believe in you!