People Are Our Real Customers

Following up on my wildly popular post the other day about the inability to "do" all the social media marketing I'd like... I've got to say that while I'm totally a numbers person, in regards to social media I'd rather have people than numbers.

And what do I mean by that?

I mean it doesn't mean anything to me if 5000 people view my post if they're not even remotely close to buying (we're talking social media marketing here, so yeah... "buying" is the goal... it's marketing, just another form of advertising).

Anyway, yeah it's GREAT to have huge numbers of views, but what's more important than numbers is getting in front of the viewers that are your target audience.

I can hear you (and me) in the back of my head saying, "But hey, you never know where a sale is going to come from so don't be so closed-minded!"

That's not what it's about.  It's like this...

If you sell $2000 engagement rings, would you rather have 500 teenagers walk past your booth at a show or 100 disposable income 30-somethings?

That's just an example, but I hope my point is getting across.

Spend your energies where they will do the most good.

1. Figure out your target market
2. Figure out where to market to your target market
3. Spend you valuable time and resources marketing THERE rather than willy-nilly all over the places that are trending at the moment

 Now, back to the "people" comment.

Yes, I'd rather have people than numbers.  People are entities I can talk with, inform, and interact with.  People are entities I get to know and learn from.  People are the entities who will remember me and whom I will remember.

So while higher numbers are better than lower numbers, people are better than any numbers.

Get to know your target market... seek them out... interact with them.  Do what sets you apart from the mass-produced high-end jewelry stores... give them personal service... emphasis on the "person".

If I were buying a piece of art (and that's what our jewelry is, right?) directly from the artist, I'd be thrilled if he spent a little time with me talking about the techniques he used to create the piece, sharing the inspiration for the piece, telling me where he sourced the materials, etc.

Our work has stories... let's use that to our advantage.  Now go out there and meet some PEOPLE!