KIM DOES MARKETING
Kim Darragon, founder of Kim Does Marketing, is a French-Laotian consultant supporting small businesses and startups from around the world with their marketing and events. Previously based in London, Kim now calls LA home. She has a bachelor's degree in fine arts, focused on literature and geography, and studied the (very niche!) art of making maps – all before heading to business school to get a master's degree in business management and marketing. Here, she tells us how she got into marketing, launched her consultancy, and her top tips on marketing for small businesses.
Photo credit: Emily Metcalfe
What made you want to start a business?
I would say a combination of entrepreneurial curiosity, side hustle opportunities and experience with burnout in a few different corporate jobs. That's the short version!
Here's the long version: For about a dozen years, I worked as an in-house marketer for businesses like global magazines, tech startups, marketing agencies and big publishing companies, everywhere from Paris and London to Stockholm. I was constantly on a plane, I was learning on the fly, and I was in charge of everything from digital marketing and events to managing teams. It was intense.
But this constant shifting of roles, responsibilities, sectors and countries always left me with the feeling that something was missing in these corporate roles. Something I can’t quite describe. I was chasing abstract targets and I was burned out, dissatisfied, and always in search of a greater sense of accomplishment that never really emerged. All of this gradually pushed me in the direction of doing my own thing.
So, while working hard as a head of marketing during the day, I started going to more networking events and meeting up with people outside of my 'work circle'. And for the first time in my adult life, I felt that I was more than my job title. I started side hustling and working as an events consultant for brands like Courier magazine. I discovered the fantastic world of small businesses, entrepreneurs and startup founders in London, and I realized there was a niche market of businesses that needed marketing support but which weren’t yet at the stage of hiring staff, or didn’t have the budget to work with a marketing agency. A lightbulb went off in my head.
This eureka moment, combined with more and more people coming to me for advice and support, finally encouraged me to launch my own consultancy, Kim Does Marketing, at the end of 2019 – just before the pandemic! It took courage to leave my senior marketing role and full-time salary to go solo, but after seeing the opportunities out there I knew it was time! Today, I specialize in helping small businesses and startups, especially founders from underrepresented backgrounds, with all their marketing needs. And I'm loving it.
Why the move to LA?
I would say a mix of personal life reasons, a thirst for a change of scenery, the push to challenge myself and the opportunity to live in the States. But also let’s be honest: the sun, blue skies and ocean! For someone from the south of France, this is a lifestyle I’ve always gravitated towards.
What three platforms are the best to use and why?
First, Adobe Express. If you create content, this one is pretty fantastic. I’m actually an Adobe Express ambassador, so I use it all the time and love it. It's particularly helpful if you're a small biz owner and lack solid design skills, as the platform is packed with templates and tools to create marketing assets yourself – things like social media graphics, logos, flyers and ad banners. It's also extremely easy to do things like removing the background in photos or merging PDFs.
Next up is Mailchimp. I've been using Mailchimp for my in-house marketing gigs since 2010, and now with my freelance clients. I've always found it super intuitive and I'm also a big fan of their ethos and mission of supporting small biz. I particularly like their drag-and-drop editor, which lets you edit and rearrange content blocks very easily. Basically, Mailchimp makes email marketing easy; it’s super intuitive and easy to design campaigns and set up automations. But they go beyond just email, and have other powerful features—everything from social media and websites to ecommerce.
And let's not forget Google Analytics. Data, data, data… don’t be scared of it! I love Google Analytics and it's so powerful and helps businesses get a better grasp of their website. Google Analytics is perfect for analyzing the efficiency of campaigns and also how content and marketing are performing vis-a-vis user engagement. It's great.
What are your top three tips on marketing for small businesses?
1. Give your website some serious TLC. Small business owners are in a rush to tell the world about their new service or product, and they're posting all sorts of content on social media and setting up ads… but is their website ready for it? Most of the time, no, not really. Lots of small business owners get into promoting without first spending enough time fine-tuning their web shop. Slow down and ask yourself: is my website easy to navigate? Does the copy fully show off the benefits of my offering for my target audience? Is there enough info for them to actually buy from me? Go back to your digital foundations and give some TLC to your homepage, 'about' page, product descriptions and imagery. All of these are key.
2. You’re not alone – collaborate! Don’t think you have to do everything alone and promote your business on your own too. Instead, collaborate with other small business owners to amplify your reach. You can collaborate on content, from social media to blogs, or events, like sharing a stand or a pop-up. You can collaborate on a product, of course, and you can even collaborate on ads and split the cost! Basically, when your marketing budget is lean, be resourceful! And don’t forget to tap into your network to bring you leads via word-of-mouth. It’s one of the most powerful and efficient marketing tactics when launching a new business.
3. Be consistent with your content marketing. The more consistent you are with your messaging, content delivery and frequency, the more you’ll be impactful with your audience. Consistency helps create a better customer experience, but it also helps build credibility and trust. All of these are the perfect ingredients to boost your brand awareness and reputation. P.S. Don’t think you’ve been too pushy if you promote your products multiple times in a week – people are busy and might not have seen your latest post or email!
What kinds of clients are you working with and how do you help them?
I work with founders from all backgrounds, from solo entrepreneurs ready to turn their business ideas into reality, to startup founders ready to scale. I also specialize in supporting founders from underrepresented backgrounds and immigrant founders in the UK and US. I tend to work with creative industries, like publishing, art, fashion, retail, food and hospitality.
My most popular services are digital audits (from websites and email marketing to social media); 1:1 consulting sessions to brainstorm and tackle challenges; junior marketing team training and monthly guidance (I can act as an external head of marketing); strategy development; and also ongoing marketing support.
Plus, I’m also a public speaker. I regularly speak at events and run workshops on topics from marketing and freelance life to female entrepreneurship. I work with online business communities, coworking spaces, tech and ecommerce companies like Squarespace and Depop. I also mentor new entrepreneurs, young creatives and refugee entrepreneurs through various programs.
What's the best tip you've come across when it comes to marketing on social media?
It’s a quote from Jay Baer: “Focus on how to be social, not on how to do social”. All of which means, no matter how many social media tools and platforms you're hooked into, none of it will resonate unless you ARE social. Social media marketing is about more than just posting. It's about engaging in conversations, commenting and sharing. So, make social, social! It's a great reminder I love sharing with my clients.
How important are Newsletters for a small business?
There's a super interesting research stat from OptinMonster: 58% of people check their email first thing in the morning, while only 14% check social media. That's huge and really shows the importance of email marketing vis-a-vis people's behaviors and habits – especially as social media becomes ever more saturated and dictated by algorithms. Email marketing is a direct marketing channel, making it more personalized than social media marketing. With email, you have direct access to your audience's inbox, allowing you to build and nurture relationships, promote your offering and build trust.
Everyone's raving about TikTok. Why so? How important is it and what if you don't have time to invest into the platform?
People love consuming videos. According to a survey from Statista, 91% of people want to see more online videos from brands in 2023. That’s why TikTok's become a go-to video platform for brands and marketers willing to create bite-sized marketing content. And the TikTok algorithm allows every creator, no matter how small, an equal chance to go viral. There's basically an uncapped opportunity to grow fast and get seen. Whereas other platforms have stagnant reach and engagement rates, the brand awareness potential on TikTok is incredible. That’s why more and more brands are jumping on the wagon, especially those that want to reach a younger demographic.
But like any new marketing channel, small businesses need to allocate time and resources to be on TikTok. A proper strategy, an understanding of trends, a willingness to think beyond the traditional curated type of content, and time to film and edit! If you don’t have time to produce content and engage with a new social media channel, don't worry. There’s no need to open an account and have it only half working. Sticking with what makes you most comfortable is okay, too!
TikTok has also published its ‘Year on TikTok’ report, which provides an overview of all the creators, moments, songs and trends that resonated the most in the app in 2022. Check it out as it can inform your understanding of TikTok and the key trends. Also worth noting from a marketing perspective are the top products on the platform last year, i.e. the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt products:
What sort of things do you cover in your newsletters and how can we sign up?
My newsletter is written for my core audience and clients in mind. I provide insights, tips and inspiration for small business owners who are managing their own marketing and want to know some great marketing tactics, best practices, new features and tools to apply to their business straight away and help alleviate their busy daily life as an entrepreneur! I also feature some brilliant marketing campaigns and updates on what I've been up to that month. It comes out once per month, it's practical and insightful. You can sign up here! Kim is a TERN advisor (The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network) and has been listed as one of The Dots' Top 100 Rising Stars Inspiring Change in 2022. She also regularly mentors new and young entrepreneurs through diverse programs.
Take a look at her website, follow her on Tiktok, Instagram, LinkedIn––if you’re interested in learning some tips and tricks on how to improve your marketing, sign up to her newsletter.
