It might be hard to believe, but I kind of love recessions. I mean, I don’t LOVE them but I do like them more than I hate them.
Recessions are an interesting time as a business owner because they show us what we are doing right and wrong. They create opportunity for us to pivot, strategize and improve with a fresh perspective on our businesses. Believe it or not, some of the most successful businesses are born and/or grow during recessions.
You are might be thinking – yeah right. (cue the giant eyeroll)
I’m not making this up to sell you some fantasy about the realities we are facing. The data speaks for itself, just check out this article over at FORBES about this.
The reason why successful businesses are built and grown in recessions is because they force us to acknowledge what our business looks like without easy sales. When your current audience has extra money – they are easily supporting you. But what about when they don’t?
This is where many maker businesses are finding themselves right now. Medicore social media strategy, no focus on target market, constantly pushing selling their products instead of marketing their products, and zero customer reach growth or customer connection.
It is a lovely notion to think that having a Facebook group or posting the trendiest products is going to make a stable business – but it isn’t reality. Sure, factors like the algorithm changes aren’t doing you any favors but at the end of the day, the real problem is that you are not marketing to and nurturing your audience to grow your business. The biggest mistake of small business owners is forgetting what it’s like to be a customer and what matters most in the customer experience.
Want to get back on track with your business? Now is the time. While your sales are down, you can start changing the way you do things to create connection, improve audience reach and start attracting customers who want to buy your products.
Here are 5 things you can do next month.
- No sales posts or posts with external links. The social media algorithm hates sales lingo and links that take users off the platform. This is true for Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. If you want your posts to be seen, not suppressed – get creative. Tell people to “Click the Link in Bio” or “Visit the Shop Now” button when you are promoting a product.
- Diversify your social media. If you’ve been relying heavily or exclusively on a Facebook group for sales then it’s time to diversify. Facebook wants groups to be a community – not sales incubators. Instagram and TikTok are reigning – Facebook should be the lowest rung on your marketing ladder.
- Pick 3 products to MARKET for the next 30 days. Marketing is creating a story around your product that lets the customer visualize themselves with your product. It is not enough to show your product with some trendy audio or sharing it “for sale”. You need to curate the customer experience in a non-sales fashion by creating a story that features the product, what it has to offer and ideas that are related. I.E. If you sell coffee mugs, don’t just post the mug for sale. Create posts featuring it in use and share recipes, coffee facts or spotlight on coffee roasters.
- Be consistent. The most important metric is being consistent with creating and sharing content on your business pages. This feeds the algorithm in a positive manner and helps boost your potential reach. Don’t enter your marketing trying to get X sales this week. Focus on falling in love with the process. Aim to share 5-10 posts per week including video/reels content (which is weighted heavily).
- Engage. End the days of sporadic posting and ghosting on your business pages. Every time you post content, you should also be engaging with comments that have been left. Like them, respond, visit their profiles and comment genuinely on their posts. This takes only a few minutes and makes a big difference in your exposure when you are consistent.
Do you like to be sold all the time? Of course not. We all gravitate towards good marketing and it heavily influences how we perceive everything from toilet paper to vehicles to where we live and shop. Want a crash course? Sign up for the 4-Hour Crafter Marketing Bootcamp on February 26th – available live and for replay and download after the event.