6 Tried and True Marketing Tips for Your Small Business

When it comes to selecting the best marketing tactics for your small business, one of the best ways to learn is from those who have been extremely successful at it.

BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Gwen Jimmere, CEO & founder of NATURALICIOUS, one of the fastest growing natural haircare brands in the U.S., to learn a few of her tried and true marketing tips.

[RELATED: 8 Ways to Get Free Publicity For Your Small Business or Startup]

Let customers do the talking
One of the main ways NATURALICIOUS reaches new customers is through word of mouth. When a product is phenomenal and has excellent utility, it sells itself in the form of current customers talking it up. Word of mouth has always been, and will always be, the best and least expensive form of advertisement. The fact is that consumers, in general, do not trust brands. They trust people who like them first, then people they admire and third party experts. People like them are the most effective when it comes to making a purchase decision. By over delivering on quality and customer service every time, and continuously wowing our customers, they do a lot of the marketing for us.

Connect with select influencers
Social media  provides everyday people with a brand new career opportunity to become celebrities in their own right, and therefore influencers in their space. This is a win-win for everyone. As with any career opportunity, there is usually a dollar amount tied to that. Unfortunately, because companies oftentimes pay hefty salaries for positive reviews, sometimes it dilutes the authenticity of what the influencer is saying. Consumers are very smart and savvy, and most see through this sort of practice. However, there are several key influencers who are very selective about the companies they work with and the reviews they provide. Some others seem to “love” every item they’re sent, as they’ve been paid to say so, unbeknownst to their viewers. Legally, influencers are supposed to reveal when they’re being paid for a review, but many don’t. We absolutely love positive reviews and we adore our influencers, so we do our best to work with those who have a reputation for being authentic and organic in their testimonials.

Focus on being a big fish in a small pond
We host and attend live events all the time, but we are careful to not always go where the competition is, which is usually natural hair events. NATURALICIOUS is a haircare company, but our target customer base doesn’t spend all day

thinking about their hair. They are into other things also, such as fashion, personal finance, live music, family events, etc. We find that by forgoing some of the beauty events and instead having a presence at other places that our customers frequent, we can be a big fish in a small pond. Don’t misunderstand: we absolutely do attend natural hair events. But we also make sure that we show up at other events where our customers are, but where the competition is much less or sometimes nonexistent, allowing us to reach more people more easily.

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Educate the consumer and dispel misinformation
I spend a good deal of time educating consumers about what they truly need for their hair, rather than drilling into them that they need to buy NATURALICIOUS. No one likes to be ‘sold,’ so this approach is much more effective than constantly inundating them with sales tactics. It boggles my mind that there are so many blogs, so much information (oftentimes misinformation) and products available for natural hair, yet many people with natural hair still don’t really know why their hair is so dry, why it’s breaking, or why it won’t perform the way they want. I see my job as being a go-to

source for the vast lack of consumer education. I’d love for everyone to buy NATURALICIOUS. But even if they don’t, I want people to be well-equipped with accurate information so that when they go to buy any product, they can make a good, informed decisions and stop wasting time and money on things that aren’t even made for their hair, despite what the label says. I believe it’s apparent that I truly do care and that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to haircare; that’s what helps people trust me, which helps drive our sales and allows us to continuously grow at the rate we have.

Create your own Live TV show via Periscope
Periscope is a new mobile app that allows you to livestream video right from your phone. It’s like having your own live TV show using your phone as the video camera. Periscope has been an incredible marketing tool for NATURALICIOUS. Every time I “scope,” we see a surge in sales on our website. I usually scope daily, so you can imagine how effective this tool is for us. Now, I’m naturally comfortable being on camera and talking in front of hundreds of people. If that’s not your forte, Periscope might not be right for you. But if you have no problem chatting it up on camera, it’s a great place to be. If you’re an early adopter of this technology, you can quickly gain a cult following on this app. And if you’re likeable, relatable, and talk about things your audience cares about consistently, you can totally crush it on Periscope.

Help other small businesses
I find that many small businesses hoard information, afraid that the next guy is going to come along and steal some of their customers if they help someone else out. Look, the government is not going to stop printing money just because someone else made some. I share as much as I can via my private entrepreneurs group on Facebook. By reaching back and helping other entrepreneurs market their businesses, we all build strong, loyal followings.  It costs me nothing to support another businesses with the knowledge I have gained on the entrepreneurial journey, so why not? Dawn Fitch of Pooka Pure and Simple, serial entrepreneur Lauren Maillian, and personal branding consultant Amanda Miller Littlejohn are all incredible businesswomen who have taken time out of their schedules to help me in ways that have legitimately allowed me to grow my business monetarily, and they definitely didn’t have to.