If you’re struggling with slow sales in your ethical, sustainable, circular or slow fashion brand, it might feel like ads are the only way to change things.
Spoiler alert, I highly recommend not advertising if things are going slow. Ads are not the solution and they could make things worse.
Here’s why…
1️⃣ Facebook advertising might seem like a fix-all shiny solution, especially when you're struggling and looking for ways to increase sales fast. But when you start considering quick-fix things like ads instead of fixing up your long term strategy, it’s a temporary bandaid, and temporary bandaids aren’t good business decisions.
2️⃣ Advertising is an amplifier. If you're not making enough sales to survive, there's a reason for that and there could be a problem somewhere with your pricing, your branding, your website or your products. Ads are just going to exacerbate those problems, not fix them. It’s like taking Panadol and eating a Marsbar for a headache instead of drinking water and taking a breather. You have to address the root cause, not just numb the symptom.
3️⃣ If you're already struggling with cash flow, how are you going to pay for ads? You need to be in a surplus-cash state in your business before you even toy with the idea of ads or you’ll even up in an even worse financial position.
4️⃣ Advertising can make a good thing better, but advertising can also make a bad thing worse, and when you're juggling enough as it is with a slow fashion business, the last thing you need to do is throw another expense into the mix.
So, what do you do? Roll up your sleeves, work out a better strategy, fix what needs fixing, and do the work. I'm all about slow fashion and that means slow, strategic and manageable growth too.
Running a slow fashion business is about taking small but practical steps towards growth and putting one foot in front of the other in a strategic order to increase sales. You probably don’t want to hear it, but you have to crawl before you walk! It pays off in the long run.
Save your money on advertising and spend it on mentoring instead. When you invest in yourself and build your skillset, you can apply long-term strategies to your business yourself for free.
Claire x
