Unlock these simple marketing copy hacks
4 tips to write marketing copy that converts, a hot community campaign and an interview with La Basketry
Hey everyone,
I hope you’re all doing well and getting ready for spring! In this edition…
I’ve got awesome tips to help you level up your messaging and convert like a pro
I’m sharing some cool campaigns that show just how important it is to understand your audience and build a strong community in 2025
Check out the latest IG and LinkedIn features you don’t wanna miss
And read my interview with the amazing Tabara N’Diaye, founder of La Basketry, a brand that beautifully blends home and fashion by creating stunning, handwoven accessories made by talented female artisans in Senegal
As always, if you’re looking for marketing guidance and support in Q2, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Enjoy the read 💛
Kim
Fresh marketing stuff
If, like so many small business owners out there, you’re having trouble translating the brilliant idea in your mind into ink on paper (or pixels on a screen), don’t give up! Here are my 4 easy tips to remember when writing marketing copy.
1. Write content with your customer personas in mind
If you’ve lost your creative copy mojo and clarity on what to write, pause for a second and return to your marketing foundations. This means thinking about for whom you’re actually writing, i.e. your customer personas.
Who is your customer?
What do they want to hear or know?
What are their challenges, motivations, or pain points?
Address these in your content! Basically, don’t write for you, write for them.
2. Take into consideration your audience’s motivation level
A big mistake when writing marketing content is treating your audience as people who already know and love your brand. Wrong! Don’t assume people on your social pages or email list know your products/services or even care about them strongly. You need to think about the sales funnel stage of your target reader:
Are they aware of your brand or product?
Are they going to purchase something soon?
If not, what's holding them back from doing so?
Understanding their awareness and motivation helps when crafting your content, especially when you’re designing calls to action!
3. Keep it simple and avoid jargon and buzzwords
Yeah I know, you live and breathe your brand. But do people really know what POS or FSR mean? Probs not. Avoid jargon! If your audience has to google your words to understand what you're trying to say, you’ve already lost them. Try using a readability testing tool to see if your content is too buzzwordy. Check out Readable, Grammarly or Datayze Readability Analyser.
4. Write for mobile users
Make sure to remember your mobile audience when writing content! How many people read your content on their mobile devices? Probably quite a few! Check your website and email insights to find out. And keep in mind sentence length, font sizes, paragraph lengths... all of it. It matters!
Buzzy Campaigns
Ikea is sliding into DMs with a cheeky offer for night owls
Ikea recently excited its followers by sliding into their IG DMs with a fun message. The ‘U Up?’ campaign saw the company messaging people between 10pm and 5am. Those who responded were rewarded with either a free mattress or a discount.
This is such a clever, fun (and unexpected!) approach. By tapping into a moment we all know well – late-night scrolling when you can’t sleep – they’ve found a way to connect with their audience in a personal way. A great example of how a brand can get creative with timing and really speak to what people are experiencing in the moment, all while making it memorable and engaging.
Huda beauty hotline is bringing their community closer than ever!
The makeup brand is kicking off something exciting with Huda Hotline, a new podcast where the founder, Huda Kattan, gets real about beauty, personal growth and entrepreneurship. The best part? Huda Beauty community members and customers can send their questions and Huda’s there to answer them, covering everything from beauty tips to life lessons and biz advice. Plus, the Y2K aesthetic gives it a fun, nostalgic twist that vibes with the community.
This is a brilliant marketing move – it brings Huda even closer to her community, creating a space that’s authentic, empowering and super relatable. It’s all about creating a deeper connection – that’s what makes this podcast and hotline such a win for her brand in 2025!
Kim Does Marketing news
Interview for Pretty Little Marketer
I was recently interviewed by Sophie Miller from Pretty Little Marketer as part of the relaunch of her marketing community platform! We talked about my journey in the marketing world, from France to the UK, from corporate life to freelancing, and some important lessons I’ve learned while running my consulting biz. This interview will only be available on the PLM platform but I’ll share some clips on IG too.
New features
Instagram is rolling out new DM features, including scheduled messages (up to 29 days in advance) and enhanced translation options (99 languages!)
LinkedIn is introducing a new way to track the impact of your contributions, allowing some users to view impression counts on their comments under posts. This could encourage LinkedIn users and creators to leave more comments, which play a big role in driving growth on the app
For this month’s big interview, meet Tabara N'Diaye, the founder of La Basketry. She’s a French entrepreneur crafting colourful home and fashion accessories, all handwoven by talented female artisans from her native Senegal. Tabara also runs weaving workshops and has even written two books! We met through IG during lockdown and I worked with her at the beginning of my consultancy. We’ve been friends ever since and enjoy Frenglish conversations whenever we meet up :)
Hey Tabara! Tell us a bit about yourself and La Basketry
Hi! I’m Tabara N’Diaye, the founder of La Basketry, a brand celebrating the art of basket weaving. I launched the business in 2017 as a way to reconnect with my Senegalese heritage. Though I’m originally from Senegal, I grew up in France and always felt a pull towards my roots. Basket weaving is a craft that’s always resonated with me – it’s passed down through generations of women in rural Senegalese villages.
Through our online shop, we offer homeware, accessories, and craft kits, helping people discover this timeless skill for themselves. I also run workshops for individuals and businesses, encouraging mindfulness through making, and collaborate on creative projects with brands. I’ve also written two books, Baskets (2019) and Woven (2024), both celebrating the beauty and versatility of basket weaving. These days, I juggle running La Basketry with life in London and being a mum to my lively 2.5-year-old!
What are you most excited about for 2025?
Continuing to grow the business in ways that feel meaningful and inspiring. I want to share the beauty of basket weaving with even more people, whether through my books, creative collaborations, or hands-on experiences. I’ve just wrapped up an incredible project with The Postal Museum for its upcoming Voices of Resistance exhibition, opening this April. The exhibition explores the stories of enslaved people whose labour powered 19th-century postal ships in the Caribbean. As part of this, I worked with a community group on a series of workshops to create baskets inspired by those traditionally used by coal workers in St. Thomas during that era. Their creations will be on display in the exhibition for a year.
These are the kinds of projects I thrive on – where craft becomes more than just a skill, it becomes a bridge for storytelling, heritage, and community. I’m hoping to do even more work along these lines in the future, finding new ways to honour traditions and bring people together through craft.
Your new book is absolutely beautiful! Can you share more about the behind-the-scenes process? What advice would you give to business owners looking to publish one?
Thank you so much! Writing Woven has been such a journey, both exciting and challenging in the best way. Behind the scenes it was a real balancing act – running the business, being a new mum, and carving out time to write and make. There were definitely moments of overwhelm, but I kept coming back to why I was doing it. That kept me going.
For small business owners looking to write a book, my biggest piece of advice is to be really clear on your why. Books are a labour of love and having a strong vision will help you stay motivated through the long process. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to publishers or even consider self-publishing – there are so many ways to bring your ideas to life. Most importantly, trust your voice and your unique perspective. There’s room for your story to be told!
Are there any marketing tools or platforms you swear by?
For me, Instagram has always been a key platform for growing La Basketry and my own personal brand. It’s such a visual space, which works perfectly for showcasing the craft, sharing behind-the-scenes moments, and connecting with our community. Reels and Stories in particular have been great for engagement and bringing people along on the journey.
Email marketing is another tool I really believe in. Social media is great, but having a direct line to your audience through newsletters is invaluable. It’s where I share updates, new launches, and exclusive content with people who genuinely want to hear from us. You might even see me on Substack very soon…
Beyond that, collaborations have played a huge role in growing the brand, whether partnering with brands, working on creative projects, or teaming up with like-minded businesses.
You’ve worked in events before/alongside running La Basketry. How has that experience helped you when launching and managing your brand’s comms?
I love this question! Managing events taught me the importance of storytelling. It’s all about crafting a narrative that resonates with your audience. It also helped me understand how to build anticipation and excitement, which is key when launching a new collection, for example. Another thing I’ve learned is the value of building relationships. In events, you’re constantly networking and collaborating with others, and I’ve carried that forward since starting the business.
Any creative personal projects you’re working on?
Thank you for bringing that up, haha! I’m actually renovating La Maisonette Rose this spring. For those who don’t know, I bought a beautiful Regency dollhouse on Facebook Marketplace a couple of years ago with big plans to renovate it for my daughter, but then life got in the way. She’s turning 3 in June, so now feels like the perfect time to finally work on it. I’m really excited to bring my vision to life and create a magical little space for her to enjoy. It’ll be a mix of playful charm and creativity, with plenty of love and attention to detail. I can’t wait to share the progress and hopefully inspire others to dive into their own little projects!
Another big project for me this year is developing the “La Petite Senna” range. It’s a collection of 3 crochet dolls with diverse skin tones, along with a miniature basket cot that I launched in December 2023. This project holds a special place in my heart because, growing up, there weren’t many dolls that had my skin colour. I’m excited to expand the range with little accessories so watch this space!
If you could hire any celebrity as your spokesperson, who would it be?
Lupita Nyong’o – from Dior and Lancome to La Basketry :)
Instagram or Pinterest?
I’m going to say Pinterest because I’m honestly falling out of love with Instagram. I love the way Pinterest helps me to organise boards and visually curate. It’s helpful for gathering inspiration. I’m also turning 40 this year, so it’s been fun to create boards for the party.
TikTok tutorial or YouTube?
Neither! Find a local workshop and learn from someone in-person.
Describe marketing in three words or less.
Storytelling, connection, fun.
If your business were a song, what would the title be?
I’d say a symphony but I mainly listen to classical music while I work because it helps me focus, without the distraction of lyrics. I feel like a symphony captures all the layers of running a business: the slow start, the crescendos, the drama. Listen here.
💛 Discover La Basketry’s website and follow on Instagram.
Need to sort out a marketing challenge?
No problem! Let’s arrange a bespoke consulting session with a practical approach and come up with an effective solution. From developing your marketing foundations and optimising your website for conversion, to mapping an email strategy to boost sales or refreshing your content approach, I’ll brainstorm with you and provide bespoke guidance. I’m available for 90-minute and half-day sessions. See more here.
Things on my mind
Watch Mo Season 2 on Netflix
Read An A-Z of Chinese Food (Recipes Not Included) by Jenny Lau
Go to the Noah Davis retrospective at the Barbican
Love this edition and great interview!