Imagine starting a business selling razors to men aged 18 to 30. It would be a tough sell. The market is already crowded with razors, including many global brands.
So only a lunatic would try to sell yet another razor in this crowded market, right? Well, wrong, actually.
Dollar Shave Club have grown a massive business in a short time by being super-creative with their marketing. It’s an inspirational story, we can all learn something from.
It all started with this video, which went viral online. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out.
This viral video was not just pure luck. The founder of Dollar Shave Club, Michael Dubin, is a smart marketer. He know exactly who he was targeting (men aged 18-30) and he knew he had to get their attention by speaking their language.
The power of video
A great thing about video is you can connect with your audience at one-to-one level. You can create a video that speaks to that ONE person (i.e. you ideal customer) and thus create a strong emotional connection.
Video is fantastic for telling stories. You can develop a voice and personality, which helps your brand to stand out even in a crowded marketplace.
A recent survey by HubSpot found some compelling reasons why it’s a smart move to diversify into video marketing:
- More than a third of all online activity involves watching videos
- More than a third of consumers trust video ads (higher than other types of advertising)
- 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others
- Enjoyment of video advertising increases purchase intent by 97% and brand association by 139%
Know your audience
Dollar Shave Club realised at the outset they were not just selling razors. What a boring product. No one really wants to buy a razor. So Dollar Shave Club have turned buying a razor into a fun experience.
They achieved this, first and foremost, by knowing their audience. Their first viral video used the slogan “Our Blades are F***ing Great”. You can see how this immediately resonates with young men in their target age group.
I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable using that kind of language. And it’s partly the shock value that makes it effective in this case. If everyone else tries to get on the bandwagon by using four-letter words in their marketing, it will lose its effect.
The point is, not so much that Dollar Shave Club used profane language but they were willing to step outside the conventional norms in their market. Most companies selling razors are big brands. Their marketing is conservative.
So the lesson is, find a way to stand out from everyone else in your market. And the best way to do this is to understand your target market, how they think, and speak their language.
The power of social media
Most businesses today realise the importance of having a Facebook page and maybe Twitter, Instagram etc. But honestly, if you have a Facebook page like most businesses do, the benefit is questionable.
When I refer to the power of social media, I mean its potential for TRULY GREAT content to go viral rapidly. The emphasis is TRULY GREAT content.
Now, before you feel daunted and give up, thinking you could never produce truly great content, here’s what you need to bear in mind. You content only needs to be riveting to a small, target audience.
You don’t need to create world class comedy. You just need to create content that speaks one-to-one to your target audience. Speaks their language and resonates with their needs – particularly at an emotional level.
This kind of content, with humour (where appropriate) and interesting stories is likely to get shared via social media and reach an audience far beyond what you might have thought possible.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for inspiration with your marketing in 2017, see what you can learn from the success of Dollar Shave Club.
Figure out how to develop unique content that will captivate YOUR target audience. You just need to understand what they want and discover how to talk to them at an emotional level.
You don’t need to be funny. You just need to be authentic and sincere, with a consistent message.
I’m inspired to focus on better content marketing this year. How about you?