If you're running a SaaS and wondering how to do email marketing right, It's not about having six types of sequences it's about understanding the six reasons you should be sending sequences in the first place.

If you're running a SaaS and wondering how to do email marketing right, It's not about having six types of sequences it's about understanding the six reasons you should be sending sequences in the first place.

If you're running a SaaS and wondering how to do email marketing right, It's not about having six types of sequences it's about understanding the six reasons you should be sending sequences in the first place.

If you’re running a SaaS and wondering how to do email marketing right, It’s not about having six types of sequences it’s about understanding the six reasons you should be sending sequences in the first place.

User Journey

Before you even think about email software, grab a pen and paper. Map out how someone goes from “never heard of you” to “can’t live without your app.” Talk to your product team. Talk to customer service. Talk to anyone who deals with users. Figure out when they struggle, when they succeed, and when they leave.

This is the foundation. Everything else builds on this.

Nurturing Sequences

You’ve got people who downloaded your guide or signed up for your newsletter but haven’t tried your app yet. They’re interested but not ready. These people need nurturing.

Send them valuable content on a regular schedule. Teach them how you solve their problem. Share insights they can use right now, even without your app. The goal is to stay top of mind until they’re ready to try.

Clean your list regularly. If someone hasn’t opened an email in three months, remove them. They’re dragging down your open rates and costing you money. Focus on the people who actually read your stuff.

Keep emailing the engaged ones forever. As long as they keep opening, keep sending. Some people take months or even years to convert, but when they do, they’re often your best customers.

Onboarding Sequences

When someone finally signs up for a trial, you have 7-14 days to blow their mind. Any longer than 30 days and they’re gone.

Your only job is to get them to their first win as fast as possible.

Send a welcome email immediately. Follow up with tutorials showing exactly what to click. Share case studies of people like them succeeding. Give them the top 5 actions that lead to success. Make it impossible to fail.

Every email should move them closer to that “aha” moment where they realize they need your app. If you mapped their journey right, you know exactly what that moment looks like.

Survey Sequences

Want to know what users really think? Ask them. But do it smart.

Keep survey sequences short, three days maximum. Ask one or two questions, not twenty and make it easy to respond.

Perfect times to survey:

• Right after someone upgrades (why did they do it?)
• When someone doesn’t upgrade after a trial (what stopped them?)
• When someone uses a specific feature way more than average (what do they love about it?)
• Every 3-6 months for general feedback

Sometimes a $5 gift card helps response rates. Sometimes just asking genuinely is enough. Use what you learn to make everything else better. These insights are gold.

Win-Back Sequences

Someone’s subscription expired 30 days ago. They haven’t logged in for weeks. Most companies give up here. That’s a mistake.

This is the perfect time to re-engage. Show them what’s new since they left. Remind them of the problems they were solving with your app. And yes, this is where discounts actually make sense.

Here’s an example: Someone can’t afford the monthly payment anymore. Offer them a discounted annual plan that works out cheaper per month. Sometimes it’s not about your product – it’s about making the economics work.

For high-ticket SaaS, pick up the phone. A personal call asking “What happened?” can save a customer worth thousands per year.

Just don’t waste time on people who’ve been gone for a year. Focus on the recent departures,  30 to 60 days after they leave is the sweet spot.

Transactional Sequences

Payment confirmed. Cart abandoned. Credit card about to expire. These aren’t just notifications, they’re conversation starters.

Someone left something in their cart? Don’t just send one email. Send three:

• 30 minutes later: “You left this in your cart”
• 24 hours later: “Still thinking about it?”
• 3 days later: “Last reminder”

Keep the message simple. Remind them they were about to make a good decision. If there’s urgency (like a deal ending), mention it. But be helpful, not pushy.

Same goes for expiring credit cards. Don’t wait until it fails. Email them a week before, three days before, and the day before. Make it easy to update. Your revenue depends on it.

6. Trigger-Based Sequences: The Smart Stuff

This is where you get to be clever. Set up emails based on what users actually do (or don’t do).

No login for 7 days? That might mean they’re stuck. Send a helpful email with quick tips to get them back on track.

Using one feature 10x more than average? They’re probably your ideal customer. Ask them why they love it. Their answer will help you sell to others like them.

Approaching renewal date? Don’t wait for them to remember. Start the conversation two weeks early. Show them their usage stats. Remind them of their wins.

The key is studying your specific patterns. What behaviors predict success? What behaviors predict cancellation? Set up automatic emails for those moments.

“I thought I was going to kill people for a living.” – Ian Stanley, Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman (page 5)

Wtf is a Persuasion Hitman and who tf is Ian Stanley? I’m gonna start this review by answering the second part.

And rather than tell you, it’s easier for me to just show you. You may or may not have seen Ian’s parody videos around the interwebs.

Like Lie Topez:

Or Very Grinderchuk:

Or Cant Gardone:

If you didn’t notice, those are parodies of Tai Lopez, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Grant Cardone.

He’s got other parody characters as well, all of them from the online business/internet marketing space.

Ian Stanley is an entrepreneur, standup comedian, and copywriter (though he never calls himself that; I’ll tell you why in a minute.)

He’s been entrepreneurial since childhood, but since his start in the online business world, he’s made over $100 million dollars selling products and services.

He managed to do this in contrarian, innovative ways. And, most importantly, making a game of it and having fun along the way.

That’s what his book is about…

Get your copy here.

Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman

Across 17 chapters and 180 pages, Ian Stanley reveals 13 rules you can use to…

Persuade people to hand over their money to you…

In more copious amounts than they would if you did not.

And, he does this by telling you stories – from his childhood and adult life…

Where he used these 13 rules to make a lot more money than other people doing the same thing.

• Like the time when – as a 10-year-old – he sold cups of lemonade for $1 while other children were selling for 25c
• Or the time he strung tennis rackets for $25 a piece while other Stringers were charging $12 to $15… he was 12 years old
• Or the time after college when he coached tennis for $70 an hour while his friends were making $10 an hour up to $50k per year… and did this while making his own schedule and working whenever he wanted
• Or the time he was trying to decide whether to charge a client $20,000 or $25,000 upfront to write some copy… he went with $25k because “Why not?”
• … I could go on and on

Because there are so many examples of Ian making a crapton of money for very little work.

All because he chose to not follow the herd…

And decided, instead, to live life and do business on his terms.

Take the title of the book, for example…

What’s a Persuasion Hitman?

Ian uses copywriting as his primary mode of selling.

But he is not a “copywriter.”

Or, at least, he chooses not to call himself one.

Because calling yourself a copywriter means you attach yourself to all the baggage and preconceived notions that come along with the title.

• A copywriter only does certain things.
• They only charge a certain amount.
• They’re mostly introverts and anti-social.
• They miss deadlines.
• … And so on.

But what if Ian chose to call himself something else?

A title no-one’s ever heard before.

They don’t know what it means and don’t have any preconceived notions.

And so…

• Ian gets to define what it means.
• Ian gets to define what he does.
• Ian gets to charge what he wants.
• Because he’s the only Persuasion Hitman that exists.
• He’s created a Category of One.

If you’ve read the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing…

You’ll recognize it as the 2nd law:

• 1st immutable law of marketing – it’s better to be first than it is to be better
• 2nd immutable law of marketing – if you can’t be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in

And, while we’re on the subject of persuasion…

You can also look at it another way:

Frame Control.

When you “control the frame” in an interaction, the other person accepts your worldview and plays by your rules.

As you can imagine, in this state it is far easier to persuade.

If you only took away one insight from this book, this would be the most important.

And it’s right there on the cover and in the introduction of the book.

But what’s inside is even better.

Yours Beardly reading the pdf version of Confessions Of A Persuasion Hitman. Included with your purchase.

The 13 Rules In Confessions Of A Persuasion Hitman

I hope one of these will interest you enough that you’ll invest in the book:

1. Rule #1: Set clear boundaries – The first sale I ever made (page 19)
2. Rule #2: Get the highest average order value on every purchase – My second sale; the world’s most profitable lemonade stand (page 21)
3. Rule #3: Time and money are not related – My third sale; how I got paid $50/hour to watch TV when I was 12 (page 41)
4. Rule #4: You’re not charging enough – A short story to prove time and money aren’t related; $5k in 30 seconds (page 51)
5. Rule #5: You’re always selling a feeling – How to use the 8 core emotions to make people cry and buy (page 55)
6. Rule #6: Do the math – How I became the top salesman in the office in just 2 weeks (page 73)
7. Rule #7: Combine short-term cashflow with long-term recurring revenue – The secret of turning one sale into countless sales (page 85)
8. Rule #8: The first line is most important – The one sentence that can make or break any sales message (page 107)
9. Rule #9: Use the same language your prospects use – My not-so-secret sales weapon (page 115)
10. Rule #10: Identify your “click moment” – How to use unpredictability to make predictable sales (page 125)
11. Rule #11: Sell them what they want, give them what they need – Two sentences to live or die by as a salesperson (page 133)
12. Rule #12: Tell the stories that scare you the most – The most profitable story you’ll ever tell (page 137)
13. Rule #13: Don’t let the stories you tell yourself define you – How to rewrite the stories we tell ourselves (page 141)

Some of these rules may look obvious or be something you already know.

Ian’s writing will help you understand them in ways you did not.

Some of these rules may look like they aren’t related to persuasion at all.

Ian’s writing will convince you otherwise.

And the stories from Ian’s life will keep you turning the pages from start to finish.

But you don’t have to take my word for it, because here’s some…

Praise For Confessions Of A Persuasion Hitman

By a few of the world’s greatest copywriters and marketers…

People whose business it is to persuade for a living:

“While I don’t know Ian Stanley, I’ve followed him for a while. I’m not a stalker… just obsessed with lively minds doing interesting things.

So… while ‘not stalking’ him I got my hands on his new book, Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman and loved it.

His take on subjects such as lifetime value, using the same language your prospects use and “telling the stories that scare you most” are particularly good… and he comes at the topic of persuasion as both a copywriter and a marketer which I really appreciate.

And his informal style, sense of humor and good summary (i.e. accentuation of the key points of each chapter) made it a terrific read and very usable.”

– Brian Kurtz, direct marketing legend and author of Overdeliver

“Ian Stanley manages to breathe new life into proven, time-tested marketing principles with these entertaining stories from his own life. I found myself looking at familiar principles with fresh eyes, and learned a few new tricks as well.

If you’re looking for a short, entertaining read that can also give you an idea or two about how to get more bang for your marketing buck, you’re sure to enjoy Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman.”

– David Deutsch, A-list direct response copywriter

“’God damnit, why didn’t I think of that?!?!?’ That’s what I always think to myself after listening to Ian speak, or after reading his ideas in his latest book.

Ian’s a clear, concise and clever thinker that makes me jealous of his every word! Read this book. It’ll make you smarter. And your bank account will thank you for it.”

– Joe Schriefer, publisher at Agora Financial

“Ian Stanley is one of the most creative, original, and effective copywriters I know. He combines a unique talent for storytelling with a superb understanding of fundamentals to create compelling, high converting sales copy.

Whether you are looking to create a new offer, make an absurd amount of money on an email marketing campaign, or to build your brand – there’s no one I would recommend more highly than Ian.”

– Stefan Georgi, A-list copywriter with over $700 million in sales

“When I first met Ian Stanley I thought to myself, ‘This dude is too young to be this wise.’ And ever since reading Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman, my reaction is the same. Ian is just too young to be this wise.

This book contains tons of great lessons that can help you sell a lot more stuff if that’s what you want. And who knows, if you’re open to it you’ll discover all kinds of lessons that will help you in several other areas of your life, too.”

– Doberman Dan, Serial Entrepreneur and Three-Time International Bestselling Author

“This is probably one of the easiest-to-read books about the stuff that really moves the needle when it comes to selling. Each chapter will make you money. And you can read like 3 pages at a time, which makes it great for finding little nuggets to implement in your business right away.”

– Justin Goff, 8-figure entrepreneur and copywriter

Obviously, I haven’t included all of the praise, or this review would be 5,000 words long.

But you can find more inside the book.

Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman is a timeless book…

Filled with enduring truths about human psychology and what gets people to take action.

It teaches you how to think about persuasion.

But not what, precisely, you must do to get people to take action.

And therein lies the…

One Major Drawback Of Confessions Of A Persuasion Hitman

In making a book evergreen, it’s necessary to focus on fundamentals over tactics.

My own book, Dragon Energy: The Tao Of Personal Branding, is also written in this way.

The problem is some people will read a fundamentals-based book and come away unfulfilled.

People love a clear action plan they can take and use to get immediate results (this is another fundamental of persuasion.)

So, to make sure you get your money’s worth…

And so you have no excuse whatsoever not to purchase…

Your very own copy of Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman…

I’m offering you an exclusive bonus gift:

My 10-Day “Special Event” Email Promotion Sequence

The holidays are coming.

Thanksgiving. Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Christmas. New Year.

What if you had a step-by-step email promotion you could use to…

Turn your email list into an ATM, make in rain, stack racks on racks, et cetera?

That’s what I’m offering you if you purchase a copy of Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman using my special link.

I’ve used this promotion to…

Presell 83 copies of my book before I wrote a single word:

And take an eCommerce store from 0% to 30% of revenue from email in 2 weeks:

And then do it again the next month…

For 26% growth in email revenue…

And 15% growth in total revenue…

With only 2 weeks of emailing:

And remember…

Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman is just $5.89.

You only pay for shipping.

Click the button below and get your copy of Confessions of a Persuasion Hitman today…

Yes! I Want Ian’s Book & The Bonus Gift →

She works 20 hours a week, takes 1 week off every month and makes all the money she wants.

She has clients she loves working with who can’t imagine not working with her.

She doesn’t care about building an empire. Her business is defined by her.

She’s unknown to the world. But a f***king rockstar in her circle of influence.

Her name is Sarah Temte.

Copywriter, messaging strategist, offer-creation consultant.

She lives the kind of life many consultants dream of but few ever get to.

Join Sarah and Nabeel, as they answer questions and talk about:

• A copywriter’s magic that only other copywriters can see
• How to get your first gig as a brand new consultant
• How to communicate the transformation and value your business offers
• Why you need to focus your broad range skills and experience into solving a specific problem for your clients
• How to coach your clients to trust and defer to your authority
• Why you may need to stop doing so much marketing and do this instead
• How the high-ticket coaching/consulting space is changing and predictions for 2020
• An effortless way to build a personal brand online

…And much more!

As a copywriter, I’m in the persuasion business. It doesn’t matter what I’m writing, my job is to convince you to take action.

Buy a product. Click on a link. Enter your email address. Open an email. Share a blog post. And so on.

It makes sense for me to to learn about persuasion from others who are great at it.

Let me ask you something. How do you feel about Donald Trump? Do you think he’s the savior of mankind? Do you think he’s the harbinger of its destruction?

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny the phenomenal success of his presidential campaign. Every passing day, it is more and more likely that Trump will secure the Republican nomination.

Media pundits, heralding his doom ever since he announced his candidacy, were all wrong.

Except for a tiny group of social commentators and media personalities.

In the news, “has Donald Trump finally gone too far?” has been replaced by “Donald Trump is the inevitable Republican nominee.”

Ever wondered why?

Scott Adams, creator of the ‘Dilbert’ comic, has been writing about Trump’s mastery as a salesman since last July.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kydKTVLmP58

Mike Cernovich, best-selling author and firebrand social media personality, is another who predicted Trump’s success.

Using his understanding of the current socio-cultural climate in America:

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/620821081377669120

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/622842321965481984

And his understanding of marketing:

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/702828404220039168

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/702828732428521472

A year on and after the fact, political pundits are re-packaging (plagiarising) Cernovich’s and Adams’s commentary and insights.

Trump openly acknowledges this mastery over his voter base. Look at how he describes his supporters.

I mean, here’s a guy who can refuse to denounce the Ku Klux Klan and still come out unscathed.

Instead of being dismissive, I got curious.

I’ve been studying his antics for the better part of 6 months.

Feels over facts: how we make decisions

Trump’s secret to success can be found in our brains.

We are cognitive misers.

Our brains avoid the energy-draining process of using logic and reason, in favor of faster, more efficient decisions using emotion.

Humans behave irrationally, even though we’d like to believe otherwise.

Don’t turn your nose up at it; you do it too.

Why do people support him?

Take a look at why people support Trump.

Mark Cuban:

I don’t care what his actual positions are. I don’t care if he says the wrong thing. He says what’s on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years.

Kid Rock:

My feeling: let the motherf*cking business guy run it like a f*cking business. And his campaign has been entertaining as sh*t.”

Tila Tequila:

“Guys, seriously. Wake up, open your eyes. Trump is the man.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hal4LmPRB9I

Mike Tyson:

Let’s try something new. Let’s run America like a business, where no colors matter. Whoever can do the job, gets the job.

Hulk Hogan:

I don’t want to be in the ring with any candidates. I want to be Trump’s running mate.

Stephen Baldwin:

Well, he fired me twice…But I think he’s fantastic…That’s why he’s surging in the polls. He’s saying what he thinks.

Dennis Rodman

@realDonaldTrump has been a great friend for many years. We don't need another politician, we need a businessman like Mr. Trump! Trump 2016

— Dennis Rodman (@dennisrodman) July 24, 2015

Charlie Sheen

dear
O. Wilson
they took ur comment
out of context!
I'm honored!
thank u!
If Trump will hv me
I'd be his VP
in a heartbeat!
©#TrumpSheen16

— Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) August 27, 2015

Azaleia Banks

https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/694066492388810753

Notice something?

All of them justified their support with emotional reasons.

If you ask Trump supporters why they support him, this is the most likely response:

He tells it like it is.

How the hell does he do it?

Here are 11 persuasion tips you can learn from Donald Trump and apply to your copywriting.

1. Sell Benefits, Not Features

Trump follows the cardinal rule of sales.

He’s not selling you a product. He’s selling you a better version of yourself.

We’re going to make America great again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKqCEuv5c6M

2. Keep it Simple

According to the Flesch-Kincaid readability score, Trump speaks at a 4th grade level.

He uses small words and short sentences. He speaks in very black-and-white terms. He uses words that invoke powerful mental imagery (huge, terrible, low-energy.)

Don’t mistake this simplicity with a lack of effectiveness. According to several experts, inspiring, persuasive speech is often very simple.

Watch this in action:

3. Perception is Reality

Trump constantly reframes events to fit his narrative and shift public perception in his favor.

Last July for example, Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, called Trump and asked him to tone down his rhetoric.

The next day, however, Trump reframed the call as congratulatory.

Totally false reporting on my call with @Reince Priebus. He called me, ten minutes, said I hit a “nerve", doing well, end!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2015

4. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Trump gains acceptance for his ideas through simple repetition.

This is a classic, scientifically proven sales technique.

Trump takes this to the next level:

5.Be Relatable

Have you wondered why Trump has so much support among the masses of middle America?

Here’s a privileged white guy who grew up rich, went to school at Wharton, and is wealthier than 99.9% of his supporters. He talks like them. On purpose.

Democrat or Republican, in an age where trust in politicians is at a minimum, it is not hard to see the attraction of that blunt aspect of the New York image…It’s a quality that can be profoundly appealing. – Michael Newman, linguist at Queens College

Can you imagine how much support he’d have if he spoke like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUGT30gGtiI

6. Be Funny

Trump regularly uses humour to deflect criticism and win over an audience. It’s extremely hard to dislike or even disagree with someone who makes you laugh.

Here are two situations when he uses humour brilliantly. The first is World-famous.

Notice how Megyn Kelly is right (he even acknowledges it) but by the time she corrects him, it doesn’t matter.

Her point was drowned out and the audience was ready to accept his justification (it was only a joke) because he made them laugh like that.

Next, watch him flip a boo-ing audience into a cheering one.

7. Create Conflict

When selling, it’s not enough to push customers towards your product.

You also have to have to pull them away from your competitors product.

What’s a good way to differentiate yourself in a market of same-y products?

Joanna Wiebe, copywriting maestro and IRL Peggy Olson, says that you should start a fight.

Since he announced his presidential run, conflict has been a part of Trump’s identity as a candidate.

We are rebuilding other countries while our own country is going to HELL. Time to rebuild the U.S.A.! Tell our stupid politicians, ENOUGH

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2015

I am the only candidate (in many years) who is self-funding his campaign. Lobbyists and $ interests totally control all other candidates!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2016

"@becker_berta: @longtalltexan20 Trump single handedly did what no other politician ever dared to do, attacked the media for all their lies"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2016

Trump is ‘not a politician.’

Trump ‘can’t be bought.’

Trump is ‘calling out the biased media.’

Trump is a ‘winner and America will start winning again if they elect him.’

And so on.

8. Exaggerate for Contrast

Trump’s uses superlatives and hyperbole to create what’s called an adaptation level.

He’s not just going tackle immigration, he’s going to build a HUGE wall and put a temporary BAN on Muslim immigration.

America doesn’t just have problems, it’s “going down the drain.”

China doesn’t beat America in trade, “they kill us.”

The Iran sanctions deal wasn’t just bad, it was “the most incompetent deal I’ve ever seen negotiated.”

9. Use Psychological Hacks

Trump routinely relies on our cognitive biases to generate support for himself and his ideas. Here are three examples.

The Halo Effect – Trump supporters believe that because he is a wealthy and successful businessman that he will be just as successful in the Whitehouse.

Suvivorship bias – It doesn’t really matter that Trump isn’t as successful or as wealthy as he claims, all you see are the towers, hotels and resorts that are still standing.

The Availability Heuristic – It also doesn’t matter than an American is more likely to die being struck by lightning than dying in a terrorist attack. San Bernardino happened and that’s why Trump is right about his proposal to temporarily ban all Muslim immigration.

10. Use Social Proof

Trump is always talking about his poll numbers and the huge crowds he pulls.

He also name-drops. This doubles as an appeal to authority.

11. Use Stories, Not Logic

Our brains like stories a lot more than cold, hard facts.

Have you noticed how Trump loves to tell stories?

He uses anecdote to argue his case, not reason.

Want to learn more?

Do you want to deep dive into Trump’s persuasion?

Read The Art of the Deal and Think Big and Kick Ass by Donald Trump.

Read Scott Dilbert’s blog (everything with the ‘#Trump’ tag) and Donald Trump’s ‘Growth Hacking’ Playbook (Unofficial), by Samuel J. Woods.

Watch these two breakdowns of Trumps persuasion techniques by Charlie Houpert.

You can be a Master Persuader too

Seeing Trump use these persuasion hacks in his speeches, debates and interviews is, in my opinion, better than any textbook you can read on the subject.

You can use these persuasion hacks to see significant improvement in your personal and professional relationships.

Your speech will work magic on your family, friends and coworkers.

Caveat: these techniques are extremely powerful, so only use them ethically.

Don’t use them for evil.

One final disclaimer. I don’t support Trump or any other U.S. presidential candidate.

I don’t even care about the outcome of the election.

My interest in Trump is purely academic.

How many of the above persuasion techniques did you see me use in this article? Let me know in the comments.

This post was written by Azmia Magane and edited by Gina Walker

This post was written by Azmia Magane and edited by Gina Walker

This post was written by Azmia Magane and edited by Gina Walker

This post was written by Azmia Magane and edited by Gin Walker.

It’s no secret that Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion.

Muslim consumers are a rapidly growing demographic with tremendous spending power, present in virtually every market in the world. The disposable income of Muslims in the USA alone reached $98 billion in 2013. In 2015, Muslims spent $1.9 trillion globally, and this figure is expected to reach $3 trillion by 2021.

Despite this, Muslims are a largely underserved and frequently overlooked economic sector. Since a whopping 90% of Muslims say that their faith impacts their buying habits, categorically ignoring the needs of Muslim consumers is clearly a costly mistake. So too is plowing in blindly without considering the particular nuances of this multifaceted market.

So how should you market to Muslim consumers?

Daily Emails To Grow Your Business

Click on the button below and enter your details to receive daily emails on content strategy and growth marketing you can use to grow your business today.

Dropkick my inbox, baby

Halal nail polish – a shining example

If you (wisely) decide you want to include Muslim consumers in your targeted campaigns, there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid major mishaps.

This past year, I brought my own Muslim-targeted brainchild to life, with the help of Tal Pink at Orly. #HalalPaint is a limited edition halal nail polish collaboration between Orly and Muslim Girl, with six moisture-permeable, halal-certified shades, which launched during Ramadan 2017.

The launch was wildly successful (though I say so myself!) and the first production runs sold out quickly. To tease out exactly why things went so well, let’s look at the story of how #HalalPaint came about.

In August 2016, as I was getting ready to head to Morocco for my wedding, I was on the prowl for the perfect polish. Nail polish was one of those products I had a lot of problems finding as a Muslim woman. Most nail polish not only contains a bunch of ingredients that I can’t pronounce and I certainly don’t want on my nails, but it also creates a barrier between the nail and the water we use to make ablution before we pray, generally making it a no-go. There were few options on the market that met my needs and the color selections were really limited.

I saw that one of my favorite brands, Orly, had launched a line called Breathable. Breathable’s unique formula allows oxygen and moisture to reach the nail, so I believed wearing the polish wouldn’t interfere with the ablution that Muslims make before prayer. The polishes were vegan, cruelty free, and halal certified (halal means “permissible” in Arabic). I was overjoyed and knew that if I was this excited other Muslim women would be too.

I reached out to Orly to talk about targeting the particular needs of Muslim women. Almost a year later, my vision became a reality when the collection was released on June 5, 2017.

It was the first collaboration involving a mainstream American brand to cater specifically to Muslims.

As a collaborative effort, #HalalPaint wasn’t something that Orly marketed at Muslim women. One of my main objectives, when I approached Orly, was that Muslim women wouldn’t be tokenized by capitalistic corporate America to sell their product. I didn’t want to “sell out,” so to speak – I wanted Orly to “buy in,” and give Muslim Girl creative direction of every aspect of the project, which they were absolutely on board with. The only way this project could truly bridge gaps and foster beauty inclusivity was to be for Muslim women, by Muslim women, and centering on Muslim women.

We put love and conscious effort into every creative aspect of the collaboration, down to the last detail of the packaging and promotional visuals. It was important to us to showcase that Muslim women aren’t a monolith, and to include our Black Muslim sisters in the visuals as well as Muslim women who choose not to wear hijab. We wanted all Muslim women to feel included and represented.

I wrote impassioned op-eds about how important the collaboration was to me in terms of both beauty inclusivity and sociopolitical resistance, in Elle and New York Times’ Women in the World.

As the partnership began to attract attention, we were extremely vigilant about contacting any media outlets that portrayed us as having invented halal nail polish, because we most certainly didn’t. It would have been irresponsible of us to allow that false narrative to continue, so we were quick to nip such stories in the bud.

With the snowballing media attention inevitably came intense scrutiny. Soon after the launch, petitions emerged online, drawing attention to old social media posts by Jeff Pink, the founder and CEO of Orly. In social justice circles, these posts were seen to be problematic – and assumed to represent Orly’s position, which was never the case.

Although we never worked directly with Mr Pink on the project, Orly took on and handled the situation beautifully. In a gesture of good will, they gave up their profit on the #HalalPaint project and made a donation to a pro-Muslim cause. It wasn’t about money for them – it was about beauty inclusivity from start to finish. Kudos to Orly for launching a product that not only fostered diversity, but catered to other needs of Muslim women, such as their demand for cruelty-free beauty products.

I made this statement about the project in an interview with Vogue around the time of the launch, and I stand by it:

Americans tend to have a very one-dimensional image of who Muslim women are and it shows in the beauty options available to us. There’s a troubling misconception that [we Muslims are] all alike and can’t act for ourselves. A small act like choosing a nail polish color becomes a way of defining ourselves in a society trying to tell us who we are and what we believe.

An open market is about options and choices. That’s what Muslim consumers, like any other consumers, need to have.

And that’s one reason the #HalalPaint campaign was so successful – it focused on the ideal of inclusivity and choice, acknowledging the variety that exists within and between Muslim communities.

Crucially, #HalalPaint also:

• was rooted in the real needs of Muslim women
• was devised by Muslims for Muslims, so the mainstream brand that backed it was not viewed as exploitative
• addressed other concerns of many Muslims (and non-Muslims) in being vegan and cruelty-free
• didn’t claim to have ‘invented’ the concept of halal nail polish, but sought to serve the Muslim community by making the product widely available.

How can you make sure your marketing for Muslim consumers checks all these boxes?

Well, first you must get to know who you’re talking to. It’s Marketing 101.

Market research – getting up close and personal

For any focused campaign, market research is vital. Targeting a population without involving it in marketing decisions can, and inevitably will, backfire – sometimes to the point of causing alienation or even wild offense.

Because Muslims are so often the topic of conversation without any representation, I have a saying I like to use:

Nothing about us, without us.

In other words, if you want to target Muslims, talk to Muslims.

What better way to get reliable information about the needs of Muslims than to ask actual Muslims?

Think about it this way:

A good business solves my problem – it’s transactional. A great business is transformational.

A great business is an ongoing conversation, in which consumers actively participate in the company and the process. There’s not just an exchange of material goods, but an exchange of ideas.

Good sells products. Great creates life-long customers and relationships. Why settle for good when you can be great?

So, invite your customers – actual Muslims – to participate in the research, design, testing, and marketing of your product. To be part of the conversation and exchange of ideas.

When it comes to non-Muslim businesses targeting Muslim consumers, building a relationship through this kind of collaboration is essential to avoid appearing exploitative.

Indeed, in the USA, industries acknowledging Muslims as part of the mainstream consumer base – and offering us a chance for representation on our terms through relationships like this – can go a long way in combating the anti-Muslim and xenophobic rhetoric that has been sweeping America’s sociopolitical climate.

If you don’t know where to find Muslims, perhaps try … a mosque.

Yes, it seems like a glaringly obvious place to start, but in fact there’s little to no research indicating that any business has ever approached a mosque to conduct market research. Most, if not all, mosques would be more than happy to field questions from non-Muslims about Muslims and Islam, especially if it helps serve our community.

After all, by design, businesses are a community service. They pose solutions to problems. What are the needs of the community? What products would cater to the Muslim consumer? What products would be unlikely to sell?

The Internet can put market research at your fingertips.

And Muslims, particularly millennial Muslims, are avid Internet users – The Economist recently revealed that Muslims are using digital technology at higher rates than average – so there’s plenty of useful data out there.

There’s an abundance of information to be found just by perusing original content on major English-language websites for Muslim audiences – Muslim Matters, Productive Muslim, and Mvslim, for example, as well as The Tempest (a Washington, DC-based outlet that recently launched in Dubai). Other popular online haunts for Muslims are re-blogging sites like the London-based Ilmfeed and the Arab-centric Step Feed.

Another popular platform that can be leveraged for market research is Quora – although anyone can answer, you can direct your questions specifically to Muslims, and request that Muslims respond. Here are a couple of examples of questions relating to marketing to Muslim consumers.

Reddit, the self-described “front page of the Internet,” also boasts an active subreddit on Islam at /r/islam, where you’ll find Muslims discussing everything, from debating Islamic jurisprudence to asking for duas (supplications or prayers). You’ll also find material that occasionally makes viral headlines on outlets like Mashable, such as this heartbreaking letter written by a Muslim teen in London.

Granted, Reddit is also home to fake “ex-Muslim” trolls who “voted Trump” and a ton of anti-Muslim trolls, too. So, as for information from any source, it’s always advised to do further research and validate answers.

Then there are popular sites focused on specific locales, such as Cairo Scene, Lovin’ Dubai, UAE Viral, and Time Out Dubai. A quick and easy way for a non-local to expertly find sites like this (or any other categorically similar sites) would be to use Facebook’s “Page Suggestions,” which pop up any time you “Like” a page. If you “liked” Lovin’ Dubai, for example, Facebook might direct you to check out Time Out Dubai.

Online message boards for Muslims like ummah.com provide a wealth of invaluable information and discussion as well.

We can’t talk about Muslims and the Internet without mentioning some of the ummah’s ubiquitous hashtags. In the ummah (Muslim community), hashtags have a multitude of uses – including some revolutionary ones. Social media played a pivotal role in the pro-democracy protests that broke out across North Africa and the Middle East between 2010 and 2012, known as the Arab Spring. Ever since they became a mobilizing force behind these protests, hashtags used on social media (and hashtag activism) have continued to be of utmost importance in the Muslim community.

Some of the predictably basic tags are #halal (“permissible” in Arabic), #haram (“unlawful”), #Islam, #hijab, #hijabi, and #Muslims. A few standout social media stars are #MuslimWomensDay, #BlackOutEid, and social justice tags like #NoMuslimBanEver, as well as Saudi Arabia’s #women2drive tag, which was one of the driving (!) forces behind Saudi Arabia’s long overdue decision to let women take the wheel from June 2018.

Many hashtags like #MuslimsReportStuff, #MuslimID, #NotInMyName, and #MuslimWomensDay are a way for Muslims – so often talked over or talked about, rather than to or with – to reclaim their narratives and make their voices heard.

Using hashtags to jump on a trending topic is a great way for brands and businesses to align themselves with their Muslim consumer base. But take great care not to hijack, exploit, or co-opt the hashtag. Instead, join the conversation and add value by sharing supportive messages, or relevant articles and artwork.

Product market fit – are we made for each other?

Having got to know your potential customers and built up collaborative conversations with them, you should be in a good place to understand how well your profile, your product and the timing and nature of your intended marketing will go down amongst Muslim consumers.

There are several important factors to consider. For example, if you’re thinking about marketing alcohol or casinos in a Muslim-majority country, or products with pork or alcoholic ingredients, you’re pretty much wasting your time, as these things are haram, or impermissible.

By the same token, products that don’t contain pork or impermissible ingredients miss valuable marketing opportunities when companies don’t draw attention to the fact that their products are halal.

A great example would be products that use beef gelatin instead of pork gelatin. Muslim consumers typically avoid gelatin at all costs because it usually comes from pork, but if the label specified that the gelatin was beef-based, halal, or “does not contain pork,” it would create new opportunities for consumption.

You may have heard the old adage “Timing is everything.” This tried-and-true statement definitely applies to marketing to Muslims. Ramadan, the holy month of Islamic fasting, and Eid, a twice-yearly celebration, are times that companies marketing to Muslim consumers should be particularly conscious of. In fact, Ramadan is listed by The Economist as the third biggest sales period for supermarkets in Britain – right after Christmas and Easter. In 2016, The Economist projected that Tesco, a British supermarket, would make $43 million on Ramadan sales alone.

Once you’ve identified that your product is appropriate for a Muslim target demographic, you have a few other bases to touch on. Muslims are an incredibly diverse population – marketing imagery should reflect this. Not all Arabs are Muslim, and not all Muslims are Arabs. Not all Muslim women choose to wear the hijab (veil).

Cultural sensitivity is of utmost importance. Avoid stereotypical imagery – such as camels, bearded men, veiled women, and deserts – unless they’re representative of the specific population you’re targeting or particularly relevant to your product. Otherwise, businesses risk playing into racist tropes or commodifying and exploiting Muslims as an aesthetic for the sake of “diversity.” Georgetown University has an excellent fact sheet on common anti-Muslim tropes, available here.

Because the Muslim community is far from monolithic, it’s important to understand the different variables within markets, such as geographic location. There is no universal “one size fits all” for the Muslim consumer. Know the people and the culture of the country you’re aiming to sell your products in.

There are 11 countries expected to join the list of the world’s largest economies within the next few decades. Marketing to Muslims will be required in more than two-thirds of them: six have predominantly Muslim populations, while two have large Muslim minorities. Markets to watch include Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

Lastly, consider corporate responsibility and your company’s image. Is your company in any way politicized? Do executives or CEOs publicly support politicians or policies that are anti-Muslim or not exactly Muslim friendly? If so, you should probably make a move as a company to address and correct that, as any attempts to engage Muslim consumers in this context will rightfully be seen as exploitative. You can’t expect to have a CEO tweeting in favor of banning Muslims or outlawing mosques, and then expect Muslims to line up to buy your product because you slapped a “halal” stamp on it.

Booming business – tapping into opportunity

If you believe that …

1. Muslims are not all alike
2. Muslims are not terrorists
3. Muslims are people, with needs to meet and money to spend, just like everyone else

… then there are plenty of opportunities to cater to Muslim customers.

Booming sectors right now include modest fashion, halal beauty, halal food, halal travel, Islamic finance, Islamic education, fitness and fitness products, technology, and office supplies.

In 2015, Fortune proclaimed Muslim women as the “next big untapped fashion market.”

They were right. When it comes to fashion, Muslims spend $243 billion a year on clothing – and this number is expected to grow to $368 billion by 2021. Major brands like Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana, and Mango, have all launched Muslim-friendly modest fashion pieces, the majority of launches coinciding with Ramadan.

Worldwide, Muslims are projected to spend $213 billion a year on cosmetics and beauty products by 2021 – an increase of $46 billion since 2013, according to Thomson Reuters.

Everyone loves food, and Muslims are no different.

Halal food is a huge market, worth $20 billion annually in the USA alone, where Muslims only account for about 1% of the population. Halal food and drink is prepared according to Islamic law, following Islamic dietary restrictions. When many people think of “halal,” they imagine heaped plates of meat and rice drizzled in white sauce, and this dish is certainly popular – Bloomberg dubbed such halal plates “a hit” with millennials, including non-Muslim millennials. In fact, The Halal Guys is one of the most rapidly growing fast food chains in the world, going from a single food cart in New York City to a global franchise with restaurants in Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando, and even the Philippines, just for starters. But halal food actually encompasses much more than just meat and rice combos, and offers huge scope for potential.

Halal travel is another industry with enormous growth potential.

By 2020, Muslim business travel is projected to be worth $22 billion annually, while Muslim travel as a whole will reach $220 billion. Muslim travelers in Europe and Asia account for 87% of the market. Within the halal travel sector, muzbnb, a Muslim version of Airbnb, has already taken off. In Africa, tourism offering Muslim-friendly halal activities is booming.

Other Muslim-friendly ventures are happening in the fitness industry and in office supplies. There’s a need for modest workout clothing and halal protein sources; there’s even an Islamic workout DVD … and a Nike hijab. A quick search of Etsy reveals all kinds of fun cards, stationery, and planner supplies geared towards Muslims.

There’s really no industry that’s devoid of Muslim-specific needs.

Many of the entrepreneurs behind the aforementioned efforts are Muslims creating things for other Muslims – entrepreneurship becomes a necessity when mainstream brands are basically ignoring your existence and needs.

While it’s always awesome to support small businesses – especially Muslim-owned ones – sometimes the convenience factor just isn’t there. It would be fantastic to be able to walk into a Walgreens or CVS during Ramadan and buy an Eid card without having to wait for it to be shipped, or to be able to buy modest clothes in a store so you can actually try things on and skip the hassle of returning things if they don’t fit. Verona Collection, a Muslim-owned modest fashion house, understands this, and recently opened brick-and-mortar storefronts.

Other factors in the mix – it’s not just about religion

In listening to Muslim consumers, you’ll quickly realize that marketing to Muslims shouldn’t be based on religion alone. Muslim consumers are multifaceted and have many other important concerns outside of a halal designation. Other decision-influencing factors include environmental and ethical concerns, sustainability, animal welfare, impact on geopolitical conflicts, women’s rights, and workers’ rights.

Yes, Muslims care about halal, but we also care about tayyib.

Tayyib basically means “good, ethical, or pure.” We don’t really want your halal product just because it doesn’t contain pork or alcohol if you were exploiting your workers, raising animals in inhumane conditions, or profiting from war crimes or oppression to manufacture it.

Of particular importance with regards to geopolitical conflict and the concept of tayyib is the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, a global campaign seeking to apply economic pressure in order to end Israel’s violations of international law and stop the oppression of Palestinians. The BDS movement has gained widespread support amongst Muslims and non-Muslims alike in the United States, across Europe, and in Muslim-majority countries like Morocco.

Some of the companies that have been boycotted are Coca-Cola (because they operate plants in illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land), Hewlett Packard (because they run the ID systems used to restrict the movements of Palestinians) and Sabra Hummus (because they fund Israel’s army).

In December 2017, the United Nations was expected to release a full list of companies and firms they allege are profiting from Israel’s crimes. In the past, similar lists published by the UN garnered global support for the BDS movement that helped successfully dismantle South Africa’s apartheid regime.

Muslims’ most common criticisms of businesses or society usually involve the BDS movement – or the portrayal of Muslims in the media, or the current sociopolitical climate. Check out this article from C. J. Werleman about the experiences Muslim airline consumers have had #FlyingWhileMuslim. Our concerns about negative portrayals of Muslims by mainstream media, politicians, and brands are valid and should be heard.

Intersectionality, pluralism and crossover markets are increasingly important, as Muslims often belong to many communities simultaneously. There are British Muslims, American Muslims, and Muslim vegans, for example – and there are plenty of non-Muslim hipsters who use beard-styling products originally designed by and for Muslim men.

Gender and age differences amongst Muslim consumers should also be taken into account. The Economist has reported on the “new Muslim market” – young second and third generation immigrants who:

… want to maintain the values of their faith while participating in the consumer culture in which they have grown up.

This market is driven strongly by women, particularly millennial women, looking for modest fashion, halal cosmetics, and a host of other halal services.

Generation M, the Muslim millennials, have come of age, with money to spend.

FYI, Generation M is a term coined by Shelina Janmohamed, VP of Ogilvy Noor. It’s also the name of her book.

The Guardian reports that approximately a third of Muslims are under the age of 15 – an astonishing two-thirds are under 30. Unlike their older counterparts, who may have found it necessary to compromise their faith simply because halal options weren’t available – Islamic home financing, for example, is a relatively new thing – Generation M are refusing to accept the status quo. Instead, they’re bridging gaps in the market and building businesses to meet their needs: providing non-alcoholic beer, organic and free-range halal food, and halal ready-made meals like lasagna, for example.

Meanwhile, as the world undergoes sociopolitical changes – particularly in Muslim-majority countries post-Arab Spring – policy changes that open new markets are imminent, such as Saudi Arabia’s decision to (finally!) allow women to drive from June 2018. Following this large-scale policy change, there came an immediate outpouring of congratulatory advertisements from various car brands such as Cadillac, Ford, Nissan, Jaguar, Chevrolet, and Volkswagen.

So who’s winning the hearts of Muslim consumers?

H&M – nicely done

In 2015, Mariah Idrissi became the first Muslim woman to feature in an ad for H&M. Far from appearing oppressed in a stereotypical black outfit with downturned eyes, Idrissi, wearing a hijab, looked upbeat, stylish, and chic.

The ad campaign, “Close the Loop,” promoted a sustainable approach to fashion, encouraging consumers to recycle their clothing through a garment collection program at H&M. Not only did H&M feature a visibly Muslim model, but she was presented in multifaceted, eco-conscious messaging.

Predictably, there was a small backlash from Muslims who railed against the idea of the hijab being marketed as a fashion statement. But watching the commercial, the messaging is clear: the hijab isn’t being marketed as a fashion statement, but rather a woman wearing a hijab is being included in sustainable fashion.

Nike – room for improvement

[Update: at the time this article was first written, the Nike Pro hijab had not gone to market. It is now available for purchase.]

Nike’s Pro Hijab, which isn’t even officially available yet, has already infuriated right-wing conservatives, and drawn both praise and criticism from the Muslim community. Right-wing critics accused Nike of “normalizing oppression” and encouraging sharia law, even going so far as to make memes suggesting that Nike are promoting violence against women and gay people and conflating the hijab with female genital mutilation (something that is entirely un-Islamic).

It was not Nike who indulged in anti-Muslim tropes, but Nike’s naysayers, who all employed the false and deeply offensive idea that Muslims are universally homophobic, intolerant, power-hungry barbarians, perpetually engaged in stealth jihad.

Nike included hijabi athletes in the product development and testing, and incorporated their feedback in the product’s design. However, Nike still came under fire from some in the Muslim community for taking a long time to recognize Muslim women – perhaps now they can make up for lost time and drop some new hijab-friendly modest workout gear.

Other criticisms from the Muslim community had less to do with the product and more to do with the company at large, such as allegations regarding Nike’s previous use of sweatshops. This shows once again that Muslim consumers care about more than just halal certifications and the inclusion of women wearing hijabs.

The Muslim community’s most significant criticism of this product was that Nike didn’t invent sports hijabs, contrary to the media’s presentation. TIME called the Nike Pro Hijab one of 2017’s “best inventions” (despite the fact that it isn’t even for sale yet!) TIME’s article completely ignores the Muslim women who have been creating and wearing sports hijabs for decades, long before Nike ventured into the market. While it’s amazing to see a product catering to a market of Muslim women on TIME’s inventions list, it would be responsible (and commendable) of Nike to reach out to the magazine to make it abundantly clear that Nike themselves didn’t invent the sports hijab.

It’s important for brands to create, own, and control their narratives and stories – not the media.

A public relations effort making it clear that Nike didn’t invent the sports hijab – but instead worked with Muslim athletes to improve upon it, and make it widely available – would go a long way to ensure that Muslim women feel heard and acknowledged, rather than ignored and alienated.

Muslim women don’t need Nike to validate their existence – but it’s nice, albeit overdue, that they have done so in developing the Pro Hijab.

The backlash against the Pro Hijab from both sides – anti-Muslim bigots and Muslims alike – prompted one of the athletes who helped develop it, Amna Al Haddad, to address the issue in this Instagram statement.

Meanwhile, rapper Waka Flocka applauded the Nike Pro Hijab, calling it “low key lit.”

And many Muslim women too were supportive of Nike. Those calling for a boycott haven’t impacted Nike’s bottom line yet – Nike is still in business, and the Pro Hijab is still launching.

And who’s getting the cold shoulder?

Pepsi – checkbox diversity

Pepsi’s ill-fated #woke commercial of April 2017 featured Kendall Jenner shedding her supermodel status to join a street protest – at which she hands a cop a can of cola. In so doing, it seems, she single-handedly puts an end to police brutality, racism, xenophobia, and even – we might assume – Trump’s “Muslim ban.” Phew!

Besides the tone-deaf and fantastical scenario of the commercial, which trivialized overwhelmingly real social and political concerns, Pepsi’s decision to cast Jenner was seen by many as a particular slap in the face for people of color.

Although considered a trendsetter within the white-washed urban market, Jenner is a classic “culture vulture.” She’s a rich, elite white chick, who (alongside her family) has fashioned a lucrative career by fetishizing, stealing, and exploiting Black culture in everything from her own aesthetic to her clothing line. Despite being incredibly indebted to the Black community, she fails to use her position of privilege to take a stand on the struggles Black people face in America.

As if this weren’t problematic enough, the commercial also exploits Muslim women and the hijab to sell soda.

Pepsi included a veiled (and visibly frustrated) Muslim woman, tokenized as a trademark of diversity. She served no real purpose in the commercial except as an aesthetic – a placeholder to prove Pepsi’s “tolerance” in a climate of xenophobia.

At the time the commercial aired, Trump’s revised “Muslim ban” was set to be heard by a second federal appeals court the following month. And yet Pepsi’s commercial made no attempt to acknowledge this glaring elephant in the room. The protesters’ signs were bland, generic “peace” signs and hearts – nothing to suggest that the reason American Muslims might feel frustrated and inspired to protest could be that an unconstitutional “Muslim ban” was hanging over their communities!

The commercial totally ignored the issues and injustices that people in America have taken to the streets to protest against. Rather, it co-opted the struggles of minority groups, marketing their protests as fun, trendy, and glamorous.

In a statement, Pepsi explained that they were:

trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark and apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue.

So what Pepsi seemingly intended as a socially provocative piece, to prompt important discussions about diversity and unity, instead resulted in division and derision. The commercial was widely mocked online for days, among Muslim communities and many others. Pepsi ultimately pulled it amidst the backlash.

Pepsi’s blunder is a cautionary case study, for which industry experts blame the company’s in-house ad team. They missed the mark disastrously because they didn’t get outside input.

An external perspective from minority group stakeholders could easily have prevented this costly embarrassment – and indeed given Pepsi the opportunity to take a positive stand by showing their solidarity and alignment with important civil rights causes.

It wasn’t that such insight was unavailable – it was that Pepsi didn’t ask.

Tesco – turkey tokenism

Tesco supermarket’s Christmas TV advertisement for December 2017 showcased 14 different families – meant to represent Britain’s diversity – celebrating Christmas. Included amongst them was a Muslim family. It was the first time that a Muslim family had appeared in a Tesco ad – and it was for a Christian holiday. Despite raking in about $43 million last year during Ramadan, Tesco ran no Ramadan ads featuring Muslims.

Predictably, there were pissed-off people everywhere. Muslim-haters hated, and threatened to boycott Tesco. Some Muslims responded that Muslims shouldn’t have anything to do with Christmas – although many Muslims in the West observe Christmas as a cultural holiday, with lights, decorations, office parties, days off work, family gatherings, and food.

However, here’s where the biggest grievance with the ad should lie. Tesco captioned the video with:

Every family has a different turkey tale … However you cook yours – from barbecuing to basting – we’ve got a turkey for you. #EveryonesWelcome.

But Tesco don’t carry halal turkeys. Not even at Christmas.

Arguably, the ad concept was a good idea in theory – diversity and inclusion, yay!

But representation is about more than just aesthetics and visuals. It’s about meeting the needs of consumers.

In this case, Tesco is acknowledging Muslims, but ignoring their needs for the very product it’s using them to advertise. This takes the ad from potentially inclusive to reeking of tokenism and exploitation in order to sell turkeys to other people. Simply put, if they cared about selling turkeys to Muslims, they’d have halal turkeys on the shelves.

Mattel – taking all the credit

On November 13, 2017, Mattel unveiled its first veiled Barbie, modeled after Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammed, the first U.S. athlete to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab.

Hijabi dolls aren’t anything new in the Muslim community – Muhammed herself reports sewing hijabs on her dolls as a child, and Instagram user @hijarbie went viral for making Barbie over as a hijabi. She even posted a photo of a doll styled as Ibtihaj Muhammed more than a year before Mattel announced their version.

I would love to see Mattel – and Ibtihaj Muhammed – acknowledge @hijarbie’s pioneering creativity in making the first hijabi Barbie, rather than appearing happy to take all the credit.

Mattel’s mini-Muhammed doll will be available sometime in 2018.

Ford – hackneyed imagery

By and large, it seems like Western companies tend to create ads with Western narratives, even if the ads are for non-Western distribution. Ford’s “Welcome to the driver’s seat” ad celebrating Saudi women’s right to drive is a perfect example of this.

In Adweek’s gushing article, writer Tim Nudd (not a Muslim woman, I’m guessing) praised the Ford ad, reporting that it showed:

An image of a woman’s eyes in a rearview mirror, surrounded [by] black rippled material that’s evocative of a veil.

Even as he’s describing the imagery, Nudd is clearly oblivious to its glaringly stereotypical portrayal of Muslim women.

Someone was inevitably going to do it, and it was Ford. Go ahead and Google “Muslim women” and see what comes up. Stereotypes. Veiled women, mostly in black, some wearing niqabs – intended as a textbook representation of oppression.

While Saudi Arabia requires women to cover their hair, it does not require them to cover their faces. Yes, some Muslim choose to cover their faces – but vast numbers do not.

Ford meant to welcome women to the driver’s seat – but maybe Ford needs to just sit this one out.

Coca-Cola – yet more stereotypes

At the beginning of November 2017, Coca-Cola Middle East released an ad called “Change Has a Taste,” depicting a father teaching his daughter to drive, set (inevitably) in the desert. This ad too was intended to align with the customer by celebrating Saudi Arabia’s recent decision to allow women to drive.

While some praised the ad, others have criticized the company for capitalizing on the plight of Saudi women. This isn’t the first time Coca-Cola has come under fire for a potentially insensitive and stereotype-laden ad – a 2013 Super Bowl commercial called “The Chase” featured the overplayed and outdated cliche of Arabs riding on camels in the desert.

Marketing to Muslims – summing up

So we’ve covered a lot of ground – what have we learned?

Here are ten top takeaways to help you ride the wave of opportunity offered up by the surging Muslim demographic – and avoid some classic face-plants.

1. First, as for any other audience, do your market research! Targeting any sector without building a real relationship with consumers cannot end well – and, when cultural sensitivities are so key, it could be disastrous.
2. Work out whether your product or business is really a good fit for Muslim consumers. How does it serve them? Could it ever be considered inappropriate, insensitive, or just plain offensive?
3. Avoid any suggestion of tokenism or exploitation, by seeking to serve the real needs of Muslim consumers – and celebrating the contributions of the Muslim community to your product evolution.
4. Choose to focus on a booming sector in the largely untapped Muslim market – modest fashion is growing exponentially, for example, and halal cosmetics, food and travel are ripe for expansion.
5. Many other factors matter to Muslim people beyond their religion – especially environmental, ethical and sociopolitical concerns. To really impact the Muslim market, make sure your tayyib ducks are in a row!
6. Focus on the ideal of inclusivity and choice, and acknowledge the huge variety that exists within the muslim community.
7. Muslims use technology more than the general population, so an online presence is vital. Get talked about on Muslim-friendly blogs and websites, as well as apps like MuzMatch and Minder that cater specifically to Muslim populations.
8. Exploring trending topics in online Muslim communities via hashtags is a great product placement tactic – as long as you’re adding value somehow, and not just co-opting the tag purely for a marketing opportunity.
9. Muslim travel is booming, so advertising in airports and on planes is a smart bet, especially in Europe and Asia, where Muslim travelers account for 87% of a billion dollar market.
10. Consider placing billboard ads in strategic locations such as near mosques or halal food markets, and time campaigns during Ramadan to take into account when Muslims are waking and fasting. Ads will likely gain more traction when pushed out earlier in the day rather than in the evening, when it’s time to break the fast. I don’t know about you, but after a day of fasting, the only thing I really want to see is what’s for dinner!

And finally …

As I quickly learned during the #HalalPaint launch, you can’t please everyone – including all Muslims.

There will always be criticisms – whether from ticked-off Muslims, or from far-right conservatives mad as heck that you’re even acknowledging Muslims are people too.

Accusations may range from exploitation, appropriation, and stereotyping, to supporting “creeping sharia” or “stealth jihad.” (I solemnly swear that Muslims really don’t want to take over your company or your country … )

People may even get peeved enough to start a petition to ban your product or boycott your company, which can be scary – especially for smaller businesses.

But, if you’ve done your due diligence and taken all of the above into consideration, chances are you’ve gained an understanding of a new target audience, how to speak to us, and how you can convert us – not to Christianity or Judaism or Pastafarianism … but into contented customers that keep coming back.

Marketing to Muslims isn’t hard. All you have to do is remember two simple things:

1. We just want to buy things we like, which meet our needs, from brands we love. Like everybody else.
2. To avoid major mishaps in your messaging, always ask a Muslim.

OR …

Hire us here at Dropkick Copy. We’d be delighted to design you a kick-butt Muslim-friendly campaign that will get your customers clamoring (in a good way) – and WON’T mobilize furious masses to destroy your social media mentions or write soul-slicing think pieces on your copy.

Azmia Magane is a writer and content marketing expert. Check out her website – azmiamagane.com – or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Gin Walker aka the Copy Genie has been writing to transform and help people’s words shine for more than two decades. For high-converting custom copy, content to enchant, or a makeover of your magic words, summon the Copy Genie – your wish could well be her command.

A Copy Tribesman asks:

“…how to make the switch from day job to copywriting full time? I’m sure it’s done to death.”

It has, but I’m gonna tell you anyway.

Uncle Nabeel gon’ gi’ you the medicine.

This is a common challenge in the gig economy.

Freelance marketers or marketing consultants who want to transition to running their own agency or micro-agency, listen close.

Hell, if you are or plan on doing anything entrepreneurial at all, you need to pay attention.

Because here are 4 strategies to set you up for long-term success.

Step #1: You’re going to have to eat sheeyit for a while

You need to find at least 5 hours a week to work on your business.

That’s less than an hour a day.

Where will you find it?

If you want to eventually transition to working for yourself, it doesn’t matter where.

You’ll do what it takes to make the time.

Spend that time a) finding clients and b) servicing clients.

Don’t spend it faffing about on getting logos and business cards designed and building a s***ty-looking website from scratch using Wix or Squarespace.

^^You don’t even need a website.

Step #2: Unf*** your dysfunctional ideas about money

There are two parts to this.

Part 1: Optimize for YOUR happiness.

It’s cute to say, “I just want to follow my passion and do what I love, I don’t really care about money.”

^^I call bulls***.

Until you have bills to pay and mouths to feed.

I have a wife and kids.

Happiness for me is being able to buy five plane tickets on short notice to go see my parents in Sri-Lanka or Germany.

Or buying my mother a 1st class ticket to Dubai when she tells me she wants to visit.

Or sparing no expense in homeschooling my children.

Or being able to set up my very own home gym for powerlifting and weightlifting.

Even if you are single…

Imagine being able to take a cab whenever you want without caring about the fare.

Imagine going out for a meal with friends and picking up the tab without thinking ‘I hope I have enough money in my account’.

Imagine being able to effortlessly write a check for a charitable donation.

Do you see what I’m getting at?

Having enough money gives you flexibility. It gives you choices.

You can choose to do what makes you happy.

Part 2: Optimize for your CLIENT’S happiness

This is something I learned from Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to Be Rich and Growth Lab.

Money mindset #1: clients pay you for the value you create.

I’m a copywriter but clients don’t pay me to write words.

They pay me to solve their problems through writing words.

The better you are at solving your client’s problems – you make him happy – the more he will be willing to pay you – he is happy to pay you.

And If you are the only one who can solve his problems – this is where positioning comes in, which we’ll discuss more in the next strategy – price is no object and you can charge whatever you want.

Money mindset #2: the more money you make, the more value you can create.

By investing back into your business.

It could be something as simple as hiring a personal assistant or an accountant so you can spend more time working on your business rather than in your business.

In my case, I could invest in paid subscriptions for conversion optimization technology, or purchase an online marketing course so I can offer link building services as an upsell.

I can now solve more of my client’s problems, making him happier.

It’s a virtuous cycle.

Money mindset #3: money is the best metric to know whether you are doing the right thing.

This is a corollary of #1.

It’s hard getting people to buy. A 5% conversion rate is huge.

The fact you can get people to buy from you is proof you are able to make them happy, for the simple reason that it takes a ton of trust for someone to pull out his wallet and pay.

Working for yourself is not easy.

Don’t put limitations on yourself before you even start by having the wrong mindset about earning money.

You are setting yourself up for failure before getting started.

Step #3: I don’t care what you do, your real job is ‘Salesman’

Imagine you’re a web developer, a graphic designer or an internet marketer.

And you’ve decided you’re going to become a remote freelancer.

What’s the first to-do item that comes to your mind?

“I need to set up a website”?

“I need to get my official pages up on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram”?

STOP:

Do you know how to position your services in a crowded market?

What’s your Unique Selling Proposition?

How will you price your services?

Do you know where to find clients?

Do you know how to send an effective cold pitch?

Do you know how to write a statement of work?

This is something I learned from Mike Cernovich of Cernovich Media.

I’ll quote him verbatim.

“If you are an author, you are not an author. You are a marketer and a salesman.”

He mentions it over and over when talking to his listeners.

If you can’t get people to pay for your services, you are just another starving artist.

Even if you have a passion-project blog (like me,) if no one reads it what you really have is a diary.

You need to be good at your craft, no doubt.

But being able to market yourself and close sales is the single most important skill you need for success.

The majority of my financial and time investment in my copywriting business has been learning these ‘soft’ skills, and I recommend you do the same.

In contrast, you can set up a beautiful, search-engine-optimized website in under an hour and for less than $100.

That’s how easy the back-end ‘tech stuff’ is.

Step #4: Give yourself room to fail

AKA don’t quit your day job.

What I mean is, don’t quit your job until:

• you have incoming revenue from your side gig equal to your minimum monthly living expenses for three months in a row
• you have six months of minimum living expenses saved up

This is also something I learned from Ramit Sethi.

What’s the thinking behind this?

Mitigating risk.

Making a gradual transition in this way has a number of benefits.

First, you know your side gig works and you can make more money if you spent more time on it because you have the numbers to back it up.

Second, you have a cushion of savings if things go horribly wrong for you.

Third, and most important, an immense amount of pressure has been taken off you.

The third benefit is key.

You now have the flexibility to focus on the quality of work over quantity.

You don’t have that air of desperation because you need to close that client to pay your bills.

You can work on the projects and for clients you want to, rather than have to.

You can also feel comfortable charging what you are worth, rather than competing on price.

In Summary

• Carve out a MINIMUM of 5 hours per week where you work on your business
• Reframe how you think about money: you are creating value in the world and you deserve to be compensated accordingly
• You MUST get comfortable marketing yourself and asking for the sale if you want your business to grow
• Burning your boats is overrated: nothing will ruin your ability be your own boss more than NEEDING to close that one client just to pay the bills.

Can you think of any other mindset shifts I missed?

If you’ve made the shift from employee to entrepreneur, did you do anything different?

Leave a comment below and let me know. I read every response.