4 MISTAKES BLACK OWNED BUSINESS MAKE

I have been an entrepreneur since August 2018. But already before, I had the opportunity to observe as a consumer certain things on the market that have always caught my attention. Now that I am on on the other side, and almost 2 years of experience with my target later, here are the most common mistakes I see from black owned companies.

1- Selling with no target

During my coaching sessions, to the question "what is your target heart", too many entrepreneurs answer me either that they do not know, or that they want to attract as many people as possible.

The problem is: trying to sell to everyone means potentially not selling anything at all, because no one will feel targeted by your message.

If you don't define at least one population that your product or service is supposed to be interested in, and to whom its communication is supposed to speak, you take the risk of going around in circles for a long time, preaching in the desert to sell little to nothing.

You may mention Fenty Beauty as a counterexample and exception to this rule. But even there, I don't think everyone finds themselves in their main target. Let me explain: one of the first values ​​that we associate with Fenty Beauty is inclusiveness. And inclusiveness aims at a population in particular that which has always been discriminated against and / or underestimated. The diversity of models and different backgrounds of brand ambassadors reflects this value, and this targeting for the brand. Which had the effect of massively attracting black women, even if Fenty Beauty offers shades for all skin tones.

The scheme remains the same: from a concept we define values, these values ​​will concern a target, and according to the messages to which the target is used to responding, we define its pricing and its communication strategy.

So even Fenty Beauty has a defined main target.

Understand that when creating your business, you have two options:

1. Meeting a need, or

2. Creating one by proposing an innovation that changes so much the daily life of your target that it becomes essential (a bet made by entrepreneurs in tech industry, for example)

So study carefully in which category your product or service fits. If you plan to sell makeup, spices, wigs or even simple pens, you need to identify your ideal client. Who is that persona who will buy what you offer without hesitation?

It is important that you have answers to these questions before starting anything. And that’s what market research is for.

2- Turn away from your target to "stay open"

I'm not ashamed to say it: 99% of my clients are Afro-descendants. Speaking to an Afro target has never prevented me from selling my services, actually it’s quite the contrary: I owe each professional development to the confidence that my target has in me with their money.

What I'm trying to tell you is that having a black clientele is ABSOLUTELY NOT a PROBLEM you absolutely must get rid of.

As a black entrepreneur, make sure you have deconstructed the preconceived ideas that may have polluted your beliefs to the point of believing that staying confined to an Afro target will not allow you to be successful, because "the enemy of black man , is black man ”, that“ black people don't support each other ”, and that“ black people don't like spending on their own ”.

Although I have had very bad experiences with black clients, I have never strayed from this target, because it is the one who still pays me, encourages me and promotes me since my beginnings.

So rather than turning away from it to go to a target that I am not even sure to convince (from the content and the services that I offer), and therefore to which I am not sure to sell, I chose to establish my legitimacy and to perpetuate the income of my business by focusing on the loyalty of a target that already pays me.

No need to bring your models to a majority of non-blacks in your advertisements if you know that your main target heart is Afro. You may disappoint them by giving the impression of abandoning them, and ending up with a main target heart that cancels you, and a new target that rejects you.

The best example I can give you is the Shea Moisture hair product brand. They had to face a major bad buzz during an advertising campaign in which they completely excluded the population that made their success: black women with 4c hair.

The now deleted by the brand, the video has forced its CEO to apologize, and this misstep will have taken more than a year to be forgiven, Thanks to a Shea Moisture Men campaign celebrating black fathers for Father's Day (the flesh is so weak).

So to avoid any similar situation, i'd advise to stay strategic and study the possible impact of your decisions before trying to expand your clientele.

3- Neglecting your brand identity

Many companies offer products of excellent quality, with many virtues, but to which the marketing is a disservice. A good yet poorly packaged product does not make you want to buy it. Quality service that nobody ever hears of ends up attracting no one. Fuzzy or poorly executed communication gives the impression that what it presents is of poor quality.

You get my point: you can't be stingy when it comes to defining your brand identity. And when I say brand identity, I mean much more than a logo! It will be a question of positioning, target, values, etc.

For your branding, I highly recommend the Pool Malebo's services.

And for your content strategy, feel free to make an appointment with by clicking on this link.

4- Thinking that being "black owned" is enough

I talked about it in episode 6 of the first season of Live with Jessy : basing all your commercial arguments around your identity as a black person will lead you to your loss.

If you want your products or services to be respected in the same way as those of any other, it is important to focus your value proposition (your selling points) on something other than being black owned: tell us more about what you do, so that your target has other reasons to buy from you, than the mere fact that a black person who created it. Otherwise, what you sell will only be reduced to the simple fact that you are black rather than the fact that, even without this information, it is intrinsically attractive.

Sticking to your roots can also attract customers who may feel like doing you a favor by buying from you. Remember that even with political scope and social commitment, a black-owned business remains a business. You are not doing charity work for anyone by selling your product or your service because it is a SALE. Your customers make PAYMENTS, not a DONATIONS. If you give them the impression that you are begging them to trust you with their money as a non-profit would, they will treat you as such. And this is how you end up hearing "I wanted to buy from a black owned company, but this is the last time".

So you don’t have to put “afro” of « black » in the name of your concept, throw some african print everywhere as soon as you create clothes, or use an African shaped logo in order to get through to your target audience. A good storytelling on your website, and marketing that will reflect your values ​​will do.

I summarize. To avoid finding yourself in the sauce, here are my 4 tips:

1- Define your target after conducting your market research

2- Don't be afraid to focus on a target of black people

3- Invest in a professional brand

4- Develop solid selling points outside of being black-owned

And for any need you may have concerning online marketing, do not hesitate to consult the page of my services !