Hello to all my BBWO online friends. I wanted to take the time to write this blog post today because I think it is an issue that many of us struggle with. In addition, it was something that Richelle touched on in her online chat today with LaShanda and that LaShanda has said to us over and over again.As many of you know, I create natural bath and body products with the aim of adding moisture to the skin. I use shea butter, cocoa butter, virgin coconut oil and several other oils. As black women (and men) we are fighting ashiness, especially in the winter. We are no strangers to grease. Not those of us who were brought up on Vaseline and Crisco and used A&D ointment on our babies' bottoms (I'd slather that stuff on my baby's bottom!! It' was like an inch thick.)When I first started out, I gained a lot of knowledge from boards where there weren't a great deal of Black women, or alt least they weren't many of them posting. The advice was to add cornstarch to your butter to "cut down on greasiness". So I did. And I chased after a target market that was not very interested in my products, or at least from what I could tell from click and sales.Now, a year later, with my experiences with BBWO and other sites of its kind, as well as the many Black business folks I interact with on Twitter, I've finally come to understand and embrace my target market. It's not about trying to sell to the world or to exclude certain demographics. It's about being REAL.My products are meant for people like me - black women with children who have eczema - (Eva's Shea Buttah is the mix I use on my own little one's eczema) but also want a touch of luxury for themselves. The products are affordable and handmade with love by me - Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.By the way, I took the cornstarch out of my recipe for success, both literally and figuratively (wink) - why stunt the effectiveness of the pure natural butter on your skin? (big grin)Understanding your target market is so important - it' saves you a lot of time, money and effort.Currently, I am working on a blog post about exactly how I found my target market - will post when I'm done!And of course, don't forget to visit www.neosoulessentials.com - we now have layaway and Gift Baskets for Christmas and Kwanzaa.
Thanks Cee Cee. I signed up but missed the call with Richelle this time around. I have two tweens, a toddler who has eczema, and a new born, boy has life changed, between getting dinner ready, homework, etc. I looked up and it was 8:30. Anyway, I'll be looking for your post.
Comments
I look forward to reading your post.
Take care
It's great that you finally found your core audience to sell to, hopefully with the revisions you will start to see an steady increase in sells!!!
Pam
I'm curious though: Have you tried to address your child's eczema through nutrition?