Blog

Shift Your Focus: Marketing Is a Must

I was 23 when I started my first online business. It was an online retail store dedicated those who have a love for fashion and the latest trends in fashion. At that time, I was so eager to begin this new adventure that I dove into everything that had to do with fashion to ensure I knew my industry and knew what I was doing. There were so many aspects of running an online business, and I wanted to be completely prepared for everything…well I wasn’t. It wasn’t until the first day that I launched my website that I learned, I had to shift my focus.

I put month after month of work into my presentation and it was flawless (in my head) and then I pushed the enter key and I published my website for the entire world to see. Crickets…nothing happened. I had overlooked a MAJOR piece of the puzzle. I had spent some time marketing my new venture, but it consisted of nothing more than spreading the word among my then 4,000 Facebook friends. Eventually a few days after my website launched, I started to receive a few orders and soon after they picked up even more. It wasn’t until, I shifted my focus on less fashion and presentation and more marketing that my business picked up even more. I realized that a lot of the fashion and presentation piece could be tasked out. I still picked pieces, oversaw photo shoots, and approved everything that came in or went out BUT I knew it was my responsibility to handle my marketing to ensure I was in control of how I was being marketed and to whom.

Some have argued with me in that it could have been just as easy for me to do the exact opposite and hire help with the marketing piece, which is true, but realistically speaking it’s easier said than done. As a new start up, most new entrepreneurs can afford the type of marketing they will need to be done, which is around the clock. That can be costly because not only are you paying for a person’s services; you are paying for their time. I meet some new entrepreneurs who say; I just don’t know what to do or better yet how to do it. To them I ask, do you want your business to succeed? If the answer is yes…learn.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Brandy Kennedy is the Founder of Chyc Studio Digital Marketing. Learn more about her and Chyc Studio Digital Marketing here.