It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon, I’m laying in bed all cozy, scrolling through my phone. I look over to my husband and with a smirk, say something to the effect of:

“I have a proposition for you on something I found…” or “Wow this is something we should really look into…” or “I found this really cool ____ we can’t pass up!”

He looks over and says, “They sucked you in with their marketing again didn’t they...”

Why yes, yes they did. Hi, my name is Michelle, and I’m a sucker for good marketing that’s directed right at me. I fall for it every time! Don’t worry though, I still remain within budget and make wise buying decisions when we do decide to purchase something.

In an effort to mix things up a little bit, rather than give you marketing strategies I use, I’m going to give you 2 marketing strategies that work on me… like, for real… they work… and I’m a sucker for them. And if they work on me, I’m willing to bet that they work on many, many others!

Targeted Emails

Yes, I know what you’re thinking, my inbox is already overflowing with junk mail, how can you say email works on you!?

Hear me out. I know, we are all super busy, with a million messages coming at us every day. That inbox number just never seems to get down to zero. It’s frustrating, and I’ve been there. That’s why at the beginning of this year, I went through my entire inbox and unsubscribed to junk mail and everything that was no longer pertinent to me, or that I no longer found value in. And guess what… it worked! Half of the emails I used to receive, I know longer do, and it’s glorious!

In return, do you know what this did? It left some breathing room. In an effort to not have another cluttered inbox at the end of the year, I’ve become extremely selective as to who I give access to my inbox. Do you know what this means? It means that the emails I do get, from companies I love, trust and find great value in, I actually read!

When I come across a company with not only gorgeous branding that I identify with, but more importantly, provides me with things (both free and at a cost) that will bring true benefit to my life or help me grow my business, I click yes to their email list almost every time! In fact, many of the systems, tools and companies I utilize for my business, was due to targeted emails, not to mention some of the small businesses I like to support in my personal life.

Now, sometimes you click yes and get inundated with emails you find unhelpful. This doesn’t often happen, but if it does, guess what, you can simply unsubscribe.

I love it when the voices who I know and trust pop into my inbox with freebies, helpful tips, and major discounts on products I actually need. In fact, I actually look forward to them. They’ve done the work in honing in on and truly understanding the thoughts and needs of their specific audience, without being “sale-sy”. Remember, we are all telling stories, making our customers the hero. And yep, as a customer, I like being the hero. So, maybe there IS something to this whole email list thing.

Insta Stories

Ah, us millennials just love a good Insta story. While this amazing feature of Instagram has been around for awhile now, many businesses and influencers are beginning to catch on to the power of Insta story for marketing purposes, and many of us just eat it up.

Just like with my email inbox, at the beginning of this year, I also went through my Instagram “follow” list and unfollowed the brands or companies I no longer wanted cluttering my feed. Again, this left some breathing room for me to follow the companies and brands I truly find value in and trust.

Then cue the Insta stories. What do I love about them? Firstly, they are quick. You have 15 seconds per story to keep me (the potential consumer) engaged. While that’s a tall order, if it’s a brand or topic I care about, I will take the time to watch. Secondly, they are good ways to give quick updates like “hey, check out this new product we are launching today!” or “this product or service is on sale for this week only!” or “here’s a behind the scenes look at xyz,” or “check out our booth and sale items at xyz pop up shop or market.”  

I also like to see actual faces, especially if the brand is being driven by a creative entrepreneur. I like getting a peek behind the curtain. This helps build trust and relationship with your audience and followers (which is me!). Furthermore, once I trust an “influencer” or brand on Instagram, when they recommend other brands or companies to me, I also eat that right up, especially if they’ve used it themselves. Why? Because over time they have gained my trust.

Moral of the story? While we can look at the times we’re in with negativity, focusing on the materialism and consumerism, at the same time we can also see the positive. We live in one of the greatest times in history with incredible technology at our fingertips. If we can leverage that technology to create work, share creativity, create jobs, support small or local businesses and add value, why not?

Now, if I could just figure out a way to convince my husband that I really do need that new pair of leather boots from the local leather shop I follow on Instagram. Don’t worry, I’m working on it;)