For years we dreamed of leaving the corporate world. We’d walk to coffee shops and daydream about “one day” not quite knowing when that day would be. What we didn’t expect was how our corporate experience would shape our entrepreneurial journey. It would become our biggest differentiator in how we build marketing strategies for our clients. From corporate to entrepreneurship, on this episode, we dig into how those agency years brought us to where we are today.
What Is Shopper Marketing?
First, let’s chat a bit about what type of marketing we started in. Our marketing niche and background was in shopper marketing. What is shopper marketing? It’s marketing that is focused on a very specific shopper mindset. In all of our marketing efforts, we were trying to create the very best customer journey by understanding the customer to their core. Our goal was to influence purchase decisions throughout their day depending on their mindset.
Confused? Let’s try a real life example. If you are an avid Target shopper, you most likely shop in a variety of different ways. One day you may just need a couple items ordered through DriveUp because you have a busy day ahead of you. While another day you might have a spare hour to peruse the home section with a coffee in hand. As marketers, it was our job to understand your motivations and influence your purchase decisions for the brands we worked for.
How That Corporate Background Influences Us Today
That corporate background and thinking has influenced our entrepreneurial journey — especially in how we deliver high performing organic content for Duo. Marketing is all about intimately knowing who your audience is. You need to understand how to reach them before they even know they have a problem. Then provide content that provides value and makes them want to work with you.
Our Organic Content Strategy Broken Down By Shopper Mindset
So, how do we think about our own content strategy in a shopper mindset? This is similar to how we approach our clients strategies as well! These are just some of the ways we reach our audience and influence their decisions.
Pinterest is one of the biggest search engines in the world so this is likely the first time someone will interact with your brand. Understanding that they may not know you yet, it’s important to start by building trust. For us, we provide free resources and introduce ourselves as experts. Finally, it’s important to end with a call to action, giving your audience more ways to engage with your brand.
Most people who join our email list have already had some form of interaction with us from a free resource or social media. They are admitting that they want a deeper connection with us, so now email is our medium to focus on building trust and sharing our expertise with our audience. While, of course, occasionally selling our offerings.
Podcast
Yet another way a particular “shopper” can find us. For us, this is our space to deliver free information regardless of whether you have the dollars to become a client or not. You can hear our personalities, which will naturally get you excited to work with us — whether that is tomorrow or years down the road. The more we are in your earbuds, the stronger our relationship can get.
Social Media
Social media, specifically Instagram for us, is our opportunity to serve you daily regardless of where you are in that shopper journey. This is likely where our most engaged audience members hang out, whether they are ready to buy or not. That’s why our content strategy is to serve everyone. From free content to unique ways to work with us and client proof. Our content pillars need to serve future clients, those with and without budgets, as well as past clients.
Blog
This is not a space to let our personality shine. Of course you can understand a bit about our writing style, but it’s not quite as fun as the Duo On Air Podcast! Which is exactly why we constantly invite our blog readers to engage with us elsewhere like through our Tuesday Tips & Sips email newsletter, our podcast obviously, or Instagram. This medium is specific for those who have a very particular problem they need help to solve. Blogs are all about providing value for those using the Google search bar.
From Corporate To Entrepreneurship — It Still Shapes Us Today
Regardless of what avenue you decide to serve your customers, try this exercise with us! Try thinking about it in a shopper mindset. From email to Instagram or your blog, where is that shopper on the journey of purchasing something from you? Are they ready to buy? Do they need to understand you better? Are you a stranger or a best friend? Next, be sure to create content that serves each stage of the journey. This mindset tool might just be the thing that is missing from your organic marketing strategy!
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
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