It’s simple. Your friends and family have more of an emotional investment in their favorite celebrity’s brand. When people buy something endorsed or sold by a celebrity, they’re not just buying the product, they’re buying the celebrity. They’re buying that celebrity’s “lifestyle” and it’s a way for that person or persons’ to live vicariously through that celebrity.
The emotional part is the FEELING they get when they have a piece of their favorite celebrity, whether it be through their clothingline, their shoes, the alcohol they endorse, etc. When someone buys Jordans or Louis Vitton or Gucci, it’s not about simply buying those products to support those brands, but more so to have an experience or represent a lifestyle or both.
Some people’s small business doesn’t have a brand that stands out. They don’t have a lifestyle that they promote. They’re not selling an experience. Their small business is lacking BRAND ALIGNMENT and something that will make people want to become a part of the “club.” In addition to not having brand alignment, their small business doesn’t have exclusivity. Their small business sells products and/or services, but their small business doesn’t sell a lifestyle.
This is something I’ve been learning about and it’s something I’m working on. When people buy a luxury car, they’re not just buying a car. They’re buying how the car makes them feel. They’re buying the prestige that comes with having a luxury car. When a man buys a bottle of D’usse’, they’re trying to be like Jay-Z or at least feel like Jay-Z for a moment. When a woman buys something endorsed by the Kardashians, they want to feel like they are a Kardashian in the moment. When people buy Jordans, they’re not buying it to give Michael Jordan money. They’re buying Jordans because of how cool it makes them feel. When someone buys a football jersey, they’re trying to feel like they’re a part of their favorite team and it’s a way to represent “their team.” It’s a feeling of part ownership of the team. We could go on and on, but y’all get the point.
I brought this up because I’ve been seeing a lot of posts lately that mentioned how friends and family don’t support people’s small businesses. The feedback on some of these posts is what sparked my post. In all honesty, I used to feel a certain way when my own friends and family wasn’t supporting my business. I’ve learn to get over that and realize that that’s just how it is.
A lot of people who run a small business feel that they don’t get enough support from their friends and family. It’s a normal feeling and it comes from the fact that we have a built-in expectation to just automatically get support from loved ones. Unfortunately it’s not the reality for a lot of us out here. We may have a few friends and family who actually do support, but a lot of the people who buy from us are strangers. That’s just how it goes.
Friends and family more so support their favorite celebrities and shop at the places they are most familiar with. Your friends and family might be more inclined to take your business for granted, especially if it’s not popular enough. A lot of people go along to get along, so they wait to support something when that something gains traction and becomes popular.
The key for us content creators and small businesses out here in the trenches is to have what we sell create an experience for people. Not just sell something, but sell a feeling or experience. People can buy computers anywhere, but some of those same people go to the Apple store to get a MacBook. The Apple store gives people an experience that the computer section in Target and Walmart or Best Buy doesn’t give. Just thought I’d drop some jewels for my folks out there who have a small business but don’t feel like they are getting the support from their friends and family. I hope this helps.
