I’ve recently become obsessed with Sophia Amoruso of Nasty Gal and #Girlboss fame. For the record, yes, I’m well aware that I am so late to the party. But hey, better late than never.
Anyway, back to Amoruso. It all started when I heard her on Lewis Howes’ podcast. They were talking about how she built Nasty Gal, and she kept dropping one marketing lesson after another. Then, I watched just about every interview I could find on YouTube and started listening to her podcast. I even bought her book.
Suffice to say that I am now a fan for life. Here are some of the marketing lessons I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks, after binging on all things #Girlboss.
1. Find Your Niche in the Market
In the beginning of her book #Girlboss, Amoruso talks about when she was trying to name her company. In case you don’t know the story, she started her company by selling vintage clothing on eBay.
At the time, she noticed that a lot of the other eBay sellers of vintage clothing were pretty hippie-fantastic with their names. Amoruso knew she was much edgier than that, and she went for it. Before long, even one of her favorite photographers had heard of Nasty Gal Vintage.
Here’s the marketing lesson in this: Find your niche in the market. Amoruso wasn’t a bohemian, she was an anarchist with a love for Bette Davis.
2. Know Thy Customer
One of the marketing lessons Amoruso mentions over and over again is to know your customer. This will determine everything you do—from the clothing you put up for sale, to the product descriptions.
3. Create a Feeling Around Your Brand
In an event Amoruso did for Experian, she talks about how Nasty Gal is more than just a company—it’s a feeling.
This is perhaps one of the most important marketing lessons for us in the 21st century. There is a lot of noise on social media; there are flash sales left and right, and someone always vying for customers’ attention.
What Nasty Gal has done right, is that they evoked a feeling with their brand. There is something else driving the purchase besides a sale, and there’s something deeper going on in the minds of her customers.
I’m not exactly sure how Amoruso would describe the feeling behind Nasty Gal, but if I had to describe it, it would be one of empowerment for women. It lets women feel like they can be both sexy and smart, and it’s refreshing.
4. Be Transparent
If you’ve read #Girlboss or watched Amoruso while she’s being interviewed, you may notice that she’s a little bit of a hot mess. By the way, I mean this in the best possible way.
From spilling coffee on herself, to being very open about a past of petty theft, she’s not trying to be anything she’s not, which is part of what makes her so endearing. She even admits how terrified she is of speaking in front of large crowds while she’s doing it.
When people talk about marketing lessons these days, they are always talking about authenticity. Amoruso epitomizes that in both her brands and in just being.