I had been working in Marketing and communications in the not-for-profit arts sector for about ten years, before I took a break, had a baby, and also birthed by first Business idea. Starting my vintage furniture store in 2012, I opened a tiny shop based in an old mill in a rural setting. I had absolutely no passing trade, and I needed to get people to notice me. I was working on a shoestring budget, completely on my own, and with zero retail experience. This is how I found out the best way to market a small business and grow my audience.

While still in fulltime employment, I had already toyed with the idea of starting my own small business for a few years. I was living in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the time, and was missing cool little interior decor shops. So I thought….maybe I could run one myself! It all started with a seed, then it grew, and before I knew it I was completely obsessed by the idea of opening my own vintage furniture business.

I made vision boards, wrote endless lists in notebooks, and went to several free business courses offered by local business and startup support services. I was hoping for some good advice from experts on how to run a small business, and was arriving with great excitement, eager to learn. But… I felt so deflated. The people teaching the course had no idea about the type of business I was about to launch. The advice was generic, sales-y and too corporate. I was bored to tears, and I hated it. But where else could I find help as a creative entrepreneur?

I came from the creative industries and not-for-profit sector, so I had been trained to write well and clear, and produce shiny cool brochures and flyers, but I never learnt to do any hard selling. How could I become more commercial, running a shop? But at the same time, did I even want to be like that? It was confusing, and I felt a strong resistance to the whole business and marketing world. I figured I had to stop looking for outside help, and instead look at my own strengths.

Stop posting about your products

As I already had an interior decor blog, I decided to continue writing articles on it, now also promoting my new shop. I set up social media accounts, including Facebook en Instagram, but instead of only posting products and new stock (I quickly found out these types of posts do not get many likes), I started telling stories, little sneak peeks into my own life and business, funny behind-the-scenes stuff etc. This showed me as a real human being, not some anonymous shop front. Just posting daily about new cupboards and chairs arriving in the shop wasn’t really helpful, as not all of my followers needed new furniture all the time.

The more personal your stories and posts, the more engagement you get. People are nosy, and love learning more about how someone is creating and doing something cool. They secretly are a bit jealous of you having the guts to follow your dream. Take them on that journey, inspire them, make them laugh, make them excited to come and see you.

What they liked to hear and see were posts about how to style something in their own home, the funny or beautiful story behind a piece of furniture, or my own day-to-day life at the shop, and sharing the life of a solo-preneur. They may not have wanted to buy that day, but they wanted to keep following me because they liked what I did and shared. This built a loyal following and audience, and within a few years I grew my Facebook followers to 5000 strong.

I created a reputation as an approachable person with a good sense of humour, but also as someone with great taste and creativity. So despite me being a bit silly in my posts sometimes, I still shared my expertise and know-how, showing up as a leader.

Of course I did also post photos of new stock. But because I created enough engagement on non-stock posts, many people saw them on their timeline, and I often immediately had people sending me direct messages to enquire about availability.

Moving on from shops to coaching

I have since moved on from having my shop, and have become a business coach. Still, no matter whether it is selling a 1960s desk or an online course, my approach to marketing is the same. The best way to market a small business is never any different. I refuse to go all sales-y and push people into buying. If you treat people with respect, and try and really, deeply understand what they need, you can help them. And if they see that you can help them, they will buy from you. It is as simple as that. Sometimes they need to think a little because the price is higher than they had budgeted for. But if your offer is exactly what they want, they will come back for it.

I strongly believe in the power of honesty and authenticity. The world is full of BS, and nobody needs any more of it in their lives. Understanding the needs of your customer, crafting a compelling marketing message, and having fun in the way you market yourself and your business. Not taking yourself too seriously! This is what I help my clients with: joyful and effective marketing.

Helping you with your small business

If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of marketing your business, get in touch. If you do not know where to start or what to post, and you are turned off by corporate jargon and sales-y approaches, I get you! You do not have to do any of this. As a fellow creative, I understand your desire to make a change and follow your passion. I help people like you find joy in expressing themselves and all they do. Together we will create a crystal clear marketing message which will capture your unique essence, and which will inform all of the content you create. Marketing becomes easy and fun.

If you want to know more about how I could help you, please schedule a free call with me:

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