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Creating a marketing strategy

Marketing, social media, advertising

B.Cotter

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Creating a “market strategy” or a “marketing strategy”?

There is a plethora of free information out there for you.
 

BizyDad

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yea I do actually so I'm actually getting starting on doing research on my competitors, im curious have you ever used semrush?
Yes. What's the third question?
 

Devilery

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This is a forum full of successful entrepreneurs, many people here probably do know more than a bit about marketing strategies.

What everyone tried to ask you is to be more specific.

- What's your plan?
- Where are you now? (e.g. have a product/service, but no customers)?
- What have you found/tried already?

For example, I just started a pressure washing business, but I struggle to reach new clients. I printed leaflets and handed them out in the neighborhood, but got little to no inquiries/calls. Should I explore running paid ad campaigns?

Your question is too broad. The answer currently is "yes", people here know "something about marketing".
 
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Vasili27

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This is a forum full of successful entrepreneurs, many people here probably do know more than a bit about marketing strategies.

What everyone tried to ask you is to be more specific.

- What's your plan?
- Where are you now? (e.g. have a product/service, but no customers)?
- What have you found/tried already?

For example, I just started a pressure washing business, but I struggle to reach new clients. I printed leaflets and handed them out in the neighborhood, but got little to no inquiries/calls. Should I explore running paid ad campaigns?

Your question is too broad. The answer currently is "yes", people here know "something about marketing".
Hi yes I do apologize my question was a little too broad, Im at the very early stages of creating a brand, I have a product that im interested in and my father suggested I do research on the customers . So I went out and looked for who my customers would be exactly, what they prefer and all the analytics. So I have that information but I was also told to create a marketing strategy, I did go online and looked around and do see that there are more components involved. obviously I now realize that doing the 5c, PEST and SWOT analysis is beneficial too me so I went and checked out a website called semrush and was looking into purchasing a monthly plan to do research on my competitors and all that information. But my main question is if anyone has some tips to creating and executing a marketing strategy and also with all the information Im looking at obviously I should be retaining but should I be writing it down?. im only 17 years old im hungry to succeed in ecommerce and learn as much as possible, I previously had a drop shopping store about a year ago and didn't do much of these things, simply because I didn't know until I started learning these things
afterwards. any help is appreciated, much thanks.



Also my plan is after I do my research, I thought I would be good to go out and purchases some leads through uplead and maybe try a referral campaign to try and get some free leads. I figured this would be a good idea because I used klavyio before during my drop shipping store but the only emails I had were the people that purchased through my site. So after realizing I can purchase leads I figured I should collect some after I do my research and set up an email blast with klavyio before I launch my store so I have it ready ahead of time. I also was looking into setting up my FB or IG ads before touching the store as well. because then when I made my original store I didn't set these things up till after my store was up. so im kinda learning from my mistakes here.
 
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woken

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Basics like knowing your target audience is vital, yes.

But who on earth does SWOT analysis for a business you’re just starting?

I agree with the quote
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

But sometimes Nike’s “ Just do it.” fits better.
 

Vasili27

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Basics like knowing your target audience is vital, yes.

But who on earth does SWOT analysis for a business you’re just starting?

I agree with the quote
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

But sometimes Nike’s “ Just do it.” fits better.
well I was just looking at market strategy plans online and I saw that and figured it was important, but I understand what you mean because the business hasn't been started yet I too thought the same thing when I read about it.
 
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Itizn

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I'm actually getting starting on doing research on my competitors,
Wouldn't bother with this part.

In the beginning stages, talk to your ideal customers and you'll soon find out where to concentrate your efforts.
 

woken

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Vasili27

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Let's start over.

What are you trying to sell?
Hey this is kinda of an old thread from awhile ago, but what im trying to start is a car based apparel business
 
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Johnny boy

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Hey this is kinda of an old thread from awhile ago, but what im trying to start is a car based apparel business
okay now we are getting somewhere.

Post car related instagram content and organically build a large audience over the course of a year, and sell the apparel to your followers every 1 out of 5-7 posts.

And don't expect jack shit to happen for an entire year of 10+ pieces of content a day.

Bring your audience value and they will reward you.

You might think "that doesn't sound easy" because it isn't, but it beats having a job! After a year at a job you'll have nothing much to show for it. A year of this and you might have 5-10k a month rolling in living on the beach somewhere beautiful and no one to call boss.

If you take your idea a step further and think of solving a different, more profitable, slightly more difficult to solve problem for your audience and you'll be making much more money. For example, you run a page that posts content about restoring vintage Datsun 240z cars, and you offer a free ebook that upsells to a $1,000 offer that helps people restore their datsuns, or maybe you even find a manufacturer that can help you make parts to sell. Either way the idea is to use creativity and intelligence to find solutions to problems. A t-shirt is nice but it doesn't really solve a problem. Think beyond that and you'll bring in the big bucks.
 
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Vasili27

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okay now we are getting somewhere.

Post car related instagram content and organically build a large audience over the course of a year, and sell the apparel to your followers every 1 out of 5-7 posts.

And don't expect jack shit to happen for an entire year of 10+ pieces of content a day.

Bring your audience value and they will reward you.

You might think "that doesn't sound easy" because it isn't, but it beats having a job! After a year at a job you'll have nothing much to show for it. A year of this and you might have 5-10k a month rolling in living on the beach somewhere beautiful and no one to call boss.

If you take your idea a step further and think of solving a different, more profitable, slightly more difficult to solve problem for your audience and you'll be making much more money. For example, you run a page that posts content about restoring vintage Datsun 240z cars, and you offer a free ebook that upsells to a $1,000 offer that helps people restore their datsuns, or maybe you even find a manufacturer that can help you make parts to sell. Either way the idea is to use creativity and intelligence to find solutions to problems. A t-shirt is nice but it doesn't really solve a problem. Think beyond that and you'll bring in the big bucks.
I appreciate the feed back and advice!
 
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Andy Black

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Vasili27

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If you had to make a sale this week then what would you do?
ok in my mind the fastest thing to do would be to purchase leads and set up an email marketing campaign with klaviyo or omnisend. set up say a 1hr or 2hr sale only and send out multiple emails leading up to days before it starts until half way till the sale is over in order to try and bring in as many people as possible through constant reminder since I feel like 1 email isn't not going to cut it. maybe there is a better way of doing this like I said im still learning, but in my mind that I feel that is the fastest way to set something up to bring people in if I only had a week
 

Vasili27

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okay now we are getting somewhere.

Post car related instagram content and organically build a large audience over the course of a year, and sell the apparel to your followers every 1 out of 5-7 posts.

And don't expect jack shit to happen for an entire year of 10+ pieces of content a day.

Bring your audience value and they will reward you.

You might think "that doesn't sound easy" because it isn't, but it beats having a job! After a year at a job you'll have nothing much to show for it. A year of this and you might have 5-10k a month rolling in living on the beach somewhere beautiful and no one to call boss.

If you take your idea a step further and think of solving a different, more profitable, slightly more difficult to solve problem for your audience and you'll be making much more money. For example, you run a page that posts content about restoring vintage Datsun 240z cars, and you offer a free ebook that upsells to a $1,000 offer that helps people restore their datsuns, or maybe you even find a manufacturer that can help you make parts to sell. Either way the idea is to use creativity and intelligence to find solutions to problems. A t-shirt is nice but it doesn't really solve a problem. Think beyond that and you'll bring in the big bucks
okay now we are getting somewhere.

Post car related instagram content and organically build a large audience over the course of a year, and sell the apparel to your followers every 1 out of 5-7 posts.

And don't expect jack shit to happen for an entire year of 10+ pieces of content a day.

Bring your audience value and they will reward you.

You might think "that doesn't sound easy" because it isn't, but it beats having a job! After a year at a job you'll have nothing much to show for it. A year of this and you might have 5-10k a month rolling in living on the beach somewhere beautiful and no one to call boss.

If you take your idea a step further and think of solving a different, more profitable, slightly more difficult to solve problem for your audience and you'll be making much more money. For example, you run a page that posts content about restoring vintage Datsun 240z cars, and you offer a free ebook that upsells to a $1,000 offer that helps people restore their datsuns, or maybe you even find a manufacturer that can help you make parts to sell. Either way the idea is to use creativity and intelligence to find solutions to problems. A t-shirt is nice but it doesn't really solve a problem. Think beyond that and you'll bring in the big bucks.
you are correct, a t-shirt doesn't really solve a problem. but can you not skew the value a little and do something better than you competitors creating more of a want?. because If I create a car based apparel company and yes there are others like that out there, but if I skew the value I have something the differentiates me from my competitors, wether it be better experience, better quality, better customer service.

edit: im not disagreeing with you at all, but a need as stated in TMF can be a problem solving need or a want if im not mistaken
 
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Andy Black

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ok in my mind the fastest thing to do would be to purchase leads and set up an email marketing campaign with klaviyo or omnisend. set up say a 1hr or 2hr sale only and send out multiple emails leading up to days before it starts until half way till the sale is over in order to try and bring in as many people as possible through constant reminder since I feel like 1 email isn't not going to cut it. maybe there is a better way of doing this like I said im still learning, but in my mind that I feel that is the fastest way to set something up to bring people in if I only had a week
Can you start closer with people you already know? Family, friends, groups and communities you already belong to?
 

Andy Black

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does anyone know anything on creating a market strategy?
Don’t overcomplicate this.

Marketing (and business) can be as simple as:
  1. Find out what people want to buy.
  2. Find out how to sell it to them, profitably.
  3. Do it.
The best way to do 1) and 2) is to do step 3).

So, don’t “create a marketing strategy”, and don’t get hung up over needs vs wants.

Go find out what people want to buy, and how to sell it to them.

Engage the market rather than navel gaze.

Also, try the most direct route you can. Do you really need a website, email list, etc? Can you contact people you already know? What about posting on your Facebook profile saying you’re doing/selling XYZ and does anyone know anyone interested in XYZ?
 

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Do people even want another car based apparel brand? I imagine you want to start with tshirts?

I agree with whom ever said stop researching competitors, it's a bit of a waste of time. You can get started and apply basic fundamentals long before you need to check in on competitors. You likely have no idea if what they are doing is actually working at this stage.

But again I ask, do people want this? You don't need to produce a tshirt before you sell it these days. Take your design, post it in whatever community your target customers are hanging out and see if they even want it in the first place. Just 1 or 2 people isn't going to be enough.

The advice I wish I had when i was 17 (i didnt start til 20) was make sure there is an actual need for your product before you sink tons of time and money into something. If they want it, you'll be in business already and your questions will be more specific.
 
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Johnny boy

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you are correct, a t-shirt doesn't really solve a problem. but can you not skew the value a little and do something better than you competitors creating more of a want?. because If I create a car based apparel company and yes there are others like that out there, but if I skew the value I have something the differentiates me from my competitors, wether it be better experience, better quality, better customer service.

edit: im not disagreeing with you at all, but a need as stated in TMF can be a problem solving need or a want if im not mistaken
you're right, except it's relative to the market. There's lots of already good looking t-shirts so it's hard to make one better. It's hard to have even better customer service because most companies for products have somewhat decent customer service. My business does well because the other companies don't even answer the phone, it's easy to add value. But for an online apparel business, it becomes much harder to add value.
 

Johnny boy

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ok in my mind the fastest thing to do would be to purchase leads and set up an email marketing campaign with klaviyo or omnisend. set up say a 1hr or 2hr sale only and send out multiple emails leading up to days before it starts until half way till the sale is over in order to try and bring in as many people as possible through constant reminder since I feel like 1 email isn't not going to cut it. maybe there is a better way of doing this like I said im still learning, but in my mind that I feel that is the fastest way to set something up to bring people in if I only had a week
how do you think 'buying leads' would work for selling apparel?

Who is going to sell you a list of people like "oh yeah bro these people are totally looking for a shirt with a car on it I can just feel it"

If this was 2008 you could just throw up some facebook ads for cheap and get sales. Those days are gone.
 

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how do you think 'buying leads' would work for selling apparel?

Who is going to sell you a list of people like "oh yeah bro these people are totally looking for a shirt with a car on it I can just feel it"

If this was 2008 you could just throw up some facebook ads for cheap and get sales. Those days are gone.
ive never personally used leads before I don't have a good knowledge on how they work it was just what I thought of since you can use them to reach a lot of people fast, like I said earlier im still learning.
 
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Vasili27

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Do people even want another car based apparel brand? I imagine you want to start with tshirts?

I agree with whom ever said stop researching competitors, it's a bit of a waste of time. You can get started and apply basic fundamentals long before you need to check in on competitors. You likely have no idea if what they are doing is actually working at this stage.

But again I ask, do people want this? You don't need to produce a tshirt before you sell it these days. Take your design, post it in whatever community your target customers are hanging out and see if they even want it in the first place. Just 1 or 2 people isn't going to be enough.

The advice I wish I had when i was 17 (i didnt start til 20) was make sure there is an actual need for your product before you sink tons of time and money into something. If they want it, you'll be in business already and your questions will be more specific.
appreciate the feedback and advice
 

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appreciate the feedback and advice
As a follow up... good on you for posting, you are already ahead of the game even though the advice here isn't what you thought you may get. Most your age won't even post to ask questions out of fear, or they will put in minimum input and move on.

Keep asking, keep working on things, and keep your spirits up, this is a long term game that is well worth sticking to.
 

Vasili27

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As a follow up... good on you for posting, you are already ahead of the game even though the advice here isn't what you thought you may get. Most your age won't even post to ask questions out of fear, or they will put in minimum input and move on.

Keep asking, keep working on things, and keep your spirits up, this is a long term game that is well worth sticking to.
I really appreciate this, sometimes when I can't think of anything or when I feel stuck not knowing what direction to go next, seeing a comment like this really gets me back into it. I know its a long term game and its a process to reach and achieve what I want too but its 1000% worth it.
 
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