Community over Competition – Low Cost, Effective Marketing for Makers – Lu & Ed Swag Bags

If you are interested in applying to be a part of Lu & Ed Swag Bags, hop over here and fill out this short form! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at cody@luanded.com.

As an owner of handmade business, I am always looking for creative ways to reward my customers for supporting my dream and allowing me to stay home with my young children. As an advocate for the handmade community, I’m always looking for ways to introduce people to shops I love. So, several years ago, the Lu & Ed Swag Bag program was born! If you have ordered from my shop in the last 6 years or so, you probably received a sweet little swag bag with your order, full of coupons & samples from other small shops, like the ones shown below.

I’m always looking for new shops to collaborate with, and so I wanted to talk about the program’s benefits, effectiveness & perks of sponsoring the Lu & Ed Swag Bag program.

If you’re just discovering Lu & Ed and aren’t sure about my reputation – hi! My business has been featured in Parents Magazine, on Buzzfeed, in top parenting blogs around the world including Hello Wonderful, Mindful Mavericks, Destination Nursery, Punky Moms  and more! I’ve been making monsters for almost 9 years and have a highly engaged audience that frequently makes purchases from the swag bags!

It sounds a little strange, right? Send me your products to send to my customers? I was worried it might, but I know for a fact putting products right into the hands of your target audience works. Here are a few real life examples:

• I won a giveaway The Gnarly Whale Shop had 6 years ago, and after trying their lip balm from that giveaway, I became a loyal customer. I exclusively used their vegan lip balms and shampoos for years, thanks to that one sample lip balm!
• I recently got a swag bag from Mommy Con, which had a sample of a face wash & lotion in it. We now use that brand exclusively for my son, because it is the only face wash that helps with his break outs!
• I was recently drawn to test a product for Mandelin Naturals. Long story short, I just spent $40 in her shop & my mom now exclusively uses their soap, rollers and lip balms as well.

For further testimony directly regarding working with Lu & Ed, I have heard from people who won prizes in my multi-vendor giveaways I’ve held on my blog over the years who have emailed me to tell me that they purchased from the vendors many times after receiving a prize from them.

A lot of Lu & Ed Swag Bag participants receive multiple sales from the bags + some makers have gotten up to $1000 total combined first wholesale orders with repeat orders from participating in the bags over the years! Most makers participate in 2-5 rounds of the swag bags because the ROI is so high. Yay!

In addition to purchases through the bags, a lot of buyers show off their swag on social media, tagging the sponsors, which in turn offers even more exposure from the bags!

Participating in the swag bags is low cost, direct, effective marketing that isn’t costly and uncertain, like online ads, and has a much higher ROI (return on investment).

How are they so effective? Being a maker with a tiny budget for marketing services myself, I knew from the start that I wanted to make this program truly beneficial to swag bag sponsors as possible, and in doing so, I only accept swag sponsors that I know my customers would adore so that everyone will benefit greatly from it. Our target audiences need to be similar in order for the samples to convert into purchases. I have spent almost a decade getting to know my amazing customers & what they like, so I only accept swag for kids,  parents & women that fall in line with sustainable, alternative brand.

For my first initial bags, I received items from hair clips made with upcycled fabrics, eco-friendly greeting cards and bookmarks to coupons for 30% off for over ten brands for the trial bags. As the first few swag bags went out, I remember that I was a so nervous – I really wanted my customers to enjoy this extra reward and I hoped that each artist involved would benefit immensely from it. As the first bags arrived to my customers, I received instant feedback – people loved them and adored the products from the sponsors! Armed with newly inflated confidence, I set about collecting applications for round two of the swag bags – and I have now sent out swag bags with samples and coupons from over 250 different makers!

I *wish* I could do the service for free but the bags add about a half pound to every order, which greatly increases shipping costs, so I charge $5 per 25 items (or $5 per 50 art prints, as they are much lighter) though I do not make money & still lose quite a bit of profit in shipping fees, assembling the bags & in time spent communicating with sponsors, promoting the makers on social media, etc. but it is a labor of love and I adore using my established small business to help other makers grow their business!

As I have developed and refined this program, I have learned a lot about the handmade community and it’s unique needs – especially that it can be really difficult for niche shops to find effective ways to get their products in front of new consumers, and I want to bridge that gap. I want to help make it easier for like-minded businesses to be discovered and loved the way they should be for their unique offerings! I am excited to see where this swag bag program goes and how people benefit from it!

If you are interested in applying to be a part of Lu & Ed Swag Bags, hop over here and fill out this short form! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at cody@luanded.com.

3 Ways to Market your Online Shop – Offline

I work directly with a lot of makers, and often they are struggling to get their online shop found. They make Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, start blogs, and even join eleventy million groups for entrepreneurs, buying and selling, and all things crafty – but they still struggle to drive traffic to their online store.

Some of the most impactful things I have done to grow Lu & Ed online has nothing to do with wi-fi, computers, or social media. Those things were done outside of my home, away from my laptop & face to face with other humans – and I want to share some ways you can leverage offline marketing to grow your online shop, too!

Vendor Events

Craft shows, exhibitor events, markets, pop up shops, even weekly farmer’s markets – setting up shop for local in-person sales is a HUGE way to grow your brand in an affordable way while generating revenue.

There is typically a cost involved with setting up – the booth fee or vendor fee. Keep in mind, the higher the price, while intimidating, typically means the event is better promoted, in a good venue with lots of traffic, and brings in higher quality wares which means established sellers with wide audiences are most likely the vendors. The better the vendors, the better the event, so a higher cost is typically a really good thing and should not deter you from trying an event.

In order for in-person events to be successful, you need to have a visually appealing display, which can also involve costs to get props to properly display your wares, but these are tax deductible and you will use them for DOZENS of events so the ROI is very high on them! But before you head to IKEA and whip out the check book, keep in mind: Most displays for craft shows can be found at thrift stores or garage sales for very cheap, often less than $10, and can be spiffied right up with a coat of paint that matches your brand colors & given a new life as your display. My entire display cost less than $30! My table cloths are colorful sheets I found for less than $1 each, my tables were gifts from family, the shutters and shelves and racks all cost less than $5 total. So I cannot recommend visiting various thrift shops locally to find pieces to tie into your displays!

Ready to learn more about events? Read my article 20 Tips for Craft Shows to get more info on what you can do to make an event a success, including scouting events, building your display and what to take with you on the day of the event!

Get Involved in your Community

Join your local small business association, join a local moms group, teach a class at your local library or community center, join a yoga class, go to a weekly event a venue near you hosts. Get out of your house, get offline and go meet real people in your area.

I cannot stress enough the importance of being active locally to grow your online business. I’m in no way advocating telling everyone you meet about your business – please, don’t.

I’m advocating creating meaningful connections within your community. Get active. Meet people. Make authentic connections with other humans. Find people you relate to & get to know them – strike up conversations with people at the coffee house, volunteer at the animal shelter, join a class at your local college doing something you love, go to yoga in the park,. Find something you love to do, and connect with other people who love to do that as well.

For instance, I started a moms group here. I am also a member of a local home school group for my son. This has been an invaluable resource for me. Connecting with moms gives me a sense of belonging, helps me decompress when my online shop stuff stress me out – but also, spending time with people who happen to be my target audience has brought me numerous sales & even a wholesale opportunity from play date acquaintances and word of mouth! In any group setting the “what do you do” question comes up – and if you have perfected your elevator pitch, that is when you can create ties within the community that will revibrate points of contact back to you.

The Spider Web Affect

Think of community involvement like a spiderweb. You are at the center of it, and every connection you make is a string that works to the outer circle. All of the connecting strings are people that they know, that knows someone else, that knows someone else. Every string you create, the bigger your web gets. Every time you pluck a string (initialize discussion about your online shop, products or what you do with a connection) the entire web connected to that string vibrates. It creates a ripple effect, with more and more people learning about your online shop & what you do through word of mouth and referrals.

Word of mouth is still considered one of the most valuable forms of marketing, and you can tap into that goldmine by becoming active in your local community & making authentic connections with other humans. This is not about telling people about your business. This is about creating a real connection, maybe even making friends, referring people to the connections you make, and strengthening community ties! A rising tide lifts all ships, and all that!

Teach or Volunteer

One of the best ways to get your business out there is to share it! Here are some examples of how to use your trade skills to grow your online business while generating revenue or donating your time:

Jewelry makers: teach a simple workshop teaching Girl Scouts or home school children to make bracelets. Send the finished works home in bags with a coupon for your shop!

Potters: have a thumb print ornament making work shop. Have your other items out on display and let people know that they are available for purchase, or say maybe if they make a purchase they can make a second ornament for free. Get creative!

Toy makers: host an art hour for children at your local library. Put together goodie bags for the moms with your business info & a coupon, perhaps a small sample.

Artists: offer a wine & painting/creating session for women, and have an art print sale going during the event!

Fiber arts: offer basic skill classes at your local community center, and have finished products available for sale. In everyone’s kits, include promotional materials for your shops.

Clothing: put together a “party” at a local venue where people can shop your goods, try them on, and receive a swag bag with jewelry, gift cards, etc in it from local or other handmade businesses. Make it a fancy, exclusive event like those legging parties (you know the ones!) with food, fun & best of all, YOUR clothing! This would be a great way to collaborate with other local businesses to borrow their venue – maybe a jewelry boutique or a winery would be willing to let you host a party at their establishment and market it to their customer base.

Homework: set goals today!

Don’t put it off! Set some goals today – make a list of things you think you would like to do to grow your business offline. Then research ways to make those a reality, and start making some phone calls, turning in show applications or signing up for local events!

I would love to hear from you in the comments – how do you feel about growing your online business offline? Does it make your uncomfortable, or is it something that you are excited to try? If you already are active offline, share how in the comments, too!

Monster Mash! Easy Peasy Monster Halloween Costumes & Accessories

This year, I had the honor of collaborating with Opposite of Far for a monster themed Halloween photo shoot done by the lovely Qiana K! Opposite of Far launched her Monster Masks, which are fun, colorful, and when paired with basics from Primary.com & monster trick or treat totes or stuffies from my shop – make the cutest simplistic monster costumes ever!

Aren’t these little monsters the cutest you ever did see?! Hurry to place your monstrously awesome Halloween orders – it’s spooky how soon it will be here!

 

Making Back to School Monstrously Awesome – Qiana K Photo Shoot!

Just because we’re homeschooling this year, didn’t mean I didn’t get to have fun with back to school photos! I was honored to be able to send some of my monsters to the awesome brand photographer Qiana K to be a part of her Back to School shoot – and boy, I love love love what she did! Here’s a collection of images from the shoot – Qiana made it easy to make back to school monstrously fun, with cute clothing, great fall accessories and fun monster toys to give as back to school gifts from yours truly. 😉

Other brands featured:

Little Nugget Knits / The Wishing Elephant / Bright Eyed Baby  / Greyson & Cole / FJ’s Pop Shop / Pegheads / Sunshine by Channon / Spunky Onion

Aren’t these images darling?! Those grins! Gah, these little dudes stole my heart!

If you are a maker looking for awesome brand photos, definitely be sure to book a session with Qiana – her work is amazing, she is incredible to work with and her fun style & great attitude is infectious! Coming soon: A gallery of images from my monster mash Halloween collab shoot by Qiana, with Opposite of Far!

Why I Won’t be Using Etsy Pattern

There’s some major hub-bub in the handmade world – Etsy just launched a sort of “stand alone website” option for sellers to have a more personalized experience for buyers. You can take a peek at the customization options & offered features here.

I’ve been on Storenvy for six years, but the idea of a stand alone website option from them piqued my curiosity so I looked into it – I figured hey, more options for selling online without losing my branding, can’t hurt to take a look. A little research and I immediately knew Etsy Pattern was not a good option for me. Not because it’s a bad option, not at all, I think this is a super awesome option for Etsy sellers to allow them more room for growth! But…

Why pay for something when I can get  better customization options & better features for free with Storenvy? 

Here is a comparison of Pattern vs Storenvy Custom Store Builder features that helped me  decide to just stick with Storenvy rather than try out this new venue:

• Cost: Storenvy Custom Store Builder is FREE (to use, to list, to sell). Etsy Pattern is $15 a month  plus listing fees, plus relisting fees, plus transaction fees when you make a sale. 
• Customization: Storenvy Custom Store Builder allows 100% customization from logo to background, font and color customization to complete HTML alteration including embedding your blog & photo galleries. Etsy Pattern offers themes, but unfortunately from what I’ve read, none of the themes are highly customizable – you are limited to your shop name and icon with preset colors and fonts.
• Email Capture: Storenvy Custom Store Builder allows you to embed HTML to capture emails for your mailing list. Etsy Pattern does not allow you to capture emails for your mailing list. Not being able to capture emails is a huge drawback for me, as email marketing is where more than 70% of my new clients come from!

So while I think Etsy Pattern is a great option for Etsy sellers wanting to expand a little and build their branding into their business, it would almost be like backtracking for me to consider utilizing this new selling platform because I’d actually be paying more for less features than I get on Storenvy, for free, in addition to free listings in the Storenvy marketplace. No matter what website you compare it to, price (free, plus up to 500 free listings and no selling fees) and customization options (unlimited), Storenvy will always come out on top.

If you are curious about Storenvy, I wrote a little more about it & why it appeals to me over the Etsy Pattern options below, along with some examples of customized store fronts to give you an idea of the expansive customization options, and how to use it in conjunction with your Etsy marketplace shop instead of Etsy Pattern for better results & less cost.

Screenshot of my store with basic customization (header and background)

Storenvy has been around for years, and offers sellers a FREE Custom Store Builder in addition to their super hip marketplace. The Custom Store Builder allows you the ability to completely alter the look of your store by giving you free range to edit your CSS and HTML. You can embed your current blog, photo galleries, videos, a custom about page, product sizing charts, and more for FREE, plus there are never any listing fees, you get up to 500 listings for free, and there is no selling fees when you sell through your custom store. It allows for true individuality, branding and a custom shopping experience for FREE. I’ve written a post previously about how you don’t have to choose between Storenvy and Etsy, that you can read here if you want to consider listing on both platforms, and I also cover how you can use Storenvy Custom Store Builder & Etsy marketplace together as an alternative to Etsy Pattern with better customization options, while also having inventory management & synced listings, below, in addition to some images of custom Storenvy shops.

Example of Storenvy customization, Milky Mama

Etsy Pattern directly imports your listings to the template you have chosen, making setting up listing there super easy. If you are concerned about transferring your items from Etsy to Storenvy, don’t be, it’s also easy peasy. There’s an Etsy to Storenvy importer you can use to easily transfer products from Etsy to Storenvy!

Now, I’m going to go off topic for one moment here but it’s super important you know this. One thing you can’t expect is to use Storenvy’s Custom Store Builder & start generating sales with no effort. It is just like having a stand alone website – it is up to YOU to drive traffic to your custom store! You have to build your audience up, and use a killer marketing campaign to drive people to your custom store. The best ways to do this is to have business cards printed with your Storenvy Custom Store URL on them (or your custom domain, if you have purchased one and directed it to your Custom Store), and even if you ship out orders from Etsy offer a coupon code for them to purchase through your website. This will begin to funnel Etsy’s organic search engine traffic to your website, making Etsy a powerful marketing tool that benefits you, rather than you being a megaphone for a for-profit business model that takes away from your hard work making connections & driving them to your Etsy store, where they get a cut from your hard work marketing & driving sales. Make sure you update your Facebook, Instagram & Twitter URLs to direct to your custom website, and when clients ask where to find you, drive them ONLY to your custom website. If you drive people to Etsy and not your custom website you created with the Storenvy Custom Store Builder, then you are missing the opportunity to generate sales there & drive brand recognition. Use Etsy as a form of organic new traffic, and your custom website you create with the Storenvy Custom Store Builder as your central hub that you push all of your traffic and marketing efforts towards. THAT is how you generate sales on a custom website. Not by sending people to Etsy – by sending them to your custom website & making that your center of sales.Failing to do so is why so many makers who try to stand alone from Etsy seem to fail – they are continue to drive sales for another platform, not their own website, making it difficult for them to build a name for themselves.  And Etsy is aware of this and with Etsy Pattern, has built the perfect model to keep sellers from being able to grow beyond their platform. Selling through the Storenvy Custom Store Builder, people will say “I bought it from luanded.com!” not “I found it on Etsy!” and that is what you should be striving for with a stand alone website builder.

Example of Storenvy Customization, Bubble Gum Emporium

Back on topic! Storenvy offers paid extras that are totally optional – you can domain host on Storenvy (like luanded.com vs luanded.storenvy.com) like you can on Etsy Pattern, and you can pay for a special discount bundle to offer your clients awesome deals, like Free Shipping, percent off, dollar amount off a purchase, or BOGO. Even if you pay for both of these extras, it’s just $14 a month – a dollar less than Etsy Pattern, with so much more customization options plus domain hosting and killer ways to offer your buyers discounts. Bonus, you can turn off Super Discounts when not in use, and just activate them for the month that you will be running promotions, so you don’t have to pay the special discount bundle price monthly!

Storenvy is best known for it’s awesome, trendy marketplace that you can list in as well with a minimal 10% fee ONLY when you sell (come on, a FREE custom store builder with unlimited customization options and streamlined checkout? It’s essentially a free stand alone website with no hosting headaches!) and never any listing fees, relisting fees, etc. Just pay a tiny 10% fee when you sell (ONLY through the marketplace, never through your custom store), and that’s it. It’s totally worth it and a great way to reach a new audience with minimal effort on your part. I realize Storenvy isn’t 100% handmade (neither is Etsy, but that’s neither here nor there), but they have a killer handmade marketplace extension of their regular shopping experience that has brought me many sales. They also frequently host Marketplace Sales Events that give sellers a huge boost in exposure with minimal effort on their part.

So, that’s my highlight reel of why I love Storenvy’s Custom Store Builder and think it makes a solid alternative to Etsy Pattern for makers looking to expand to a stand alone storefront option while keeping their Etsy marketplace shop open. What are your thoughts?

 

500 Monsters in 2016: Update 4

Whew! I am actually really excited about this week’s numbers & the amount of work I got done!

I am using Craftivity to help me track my progress by setting measurable goals, and according to that web app, I am already two weeks ahead of schedule! Woot woot!

I have made 76/500 monsters so far! That’s 15.2% My goal for January was to get to 15% and I’m so excited to have it that already. I hope I can keep up this momentum!

Here is the pictures I have of the cuties from the past two weeks!

If you don’t want to miss out when I stock my shop, be sure to sign up for my newsletter – Mon-stors typically sell out within an hour or so, so if you want to get your hands on one you have to act fast!

I’ll be taking a brief break from making so that we can move into our new home! Hooray! I’ll resume Mon-stor making full tilt the moment we are settled into out new place. 🙂 It shouldn’t be more than a week and a half from now – keep sending me all your positive vibes! Until I actually move into a place it won’t feel real!

Social Media Clean-Up: Get ready to start deleting

Similar to last week’s post about things to review and refresh in your online shop, today’s post is all about reviewing & refreshing your social media campaigns! A lot changes in a year on social media (remember when Periscope wasn’t even a thing? That was just like six months ago.) and so you should at least take some time out to clean your social media accounts – they are, literally, the face of your business, so keep ’em looking good!

So here’s some things you should start deleting STAT.

Old Instagram Pictures

If you are anything like me, your IG game has seriously improved in the last year. And if you are anything like me, again, you probably find a shop with killer images & start scrolling through their entire lifeline (actually, just the past year or two of Instagram pictures, but you know what I mean). And usually halfway through there’s a wtf!? moment because suddenly the pictures have nothing to do with the products (remember that phase everyone went through where their entire feed was plates of food, cats or coffee?), or they are of a starkly different quality and make what you thought was an incredible product look sketchy. Yeah. That. We don’t want that. So girls (and guys) – get to digging. Scroll through your Instagram account and remove any images that do not show the very very very very very very best of your skills or any images that are totally unrelated to your business that got little to no interaction (sorry, I’m look at you, cat & coffee pictures). While you are digging through your feed, look at it objectively – is it cohesive, appealing? Would you follow you on Instagram? Are all of your photos the same quality/lighting/styling? Remove anything that is irrelevant, doesn’t fit with your vibe or doesn’t beautifully showcase your work.

That person you followed 19 months ago but never interact with

Seriously, when was the last time you went through your IG/Twitter/Facebook/Blog lists and cleaned up? Remove inactive accounts you are following, accounts you don’t interact with or benefit from  (IE, them posting education or useful tools regularly) and all those super famous people you followed in hopes of them noticing you. Not only does this eliminate a huge time suck of getting caught up in the virtual world and scrolling for hours, it also cleans up your feeds and helps you actually interact with your audience, peers & clients in a much lower stress, much more efficient way, which leads to a much higher conversion rate in your online shop. Winning all around.

Irrelevant Content on your Blog

Back in the day I used to post a music video when I didn’t have anything to blog about. A ton of irrelevant content totally killed my old business blog. Delete any and all irrelevant content from your blog – if you use your blog to grow your brand/promote your shop, there is no place for recipes until you have food related products, no need to post outfit of the day posts until you sell clothing or accessories & no need to blog about your two year old potty training, ever, on your business blog unless you sell cloth diapers or something and poo is something that actually relates to your business. That sort of content should be on a personal blog, not on your business or brand blog. If the content has nothing to do with your target audience, your products, your brand or your process, get it off your blog. You don’t want traffic coming in just for one or two posts that isn’t related to your brand – you want to bring in your target audience and keep them hooked with relevant content so that’s all you should be putting out! For instance, on my blog – if it’s not business related, monster related, eco-friendly or parenting related, I don’t post it, because my audience is eco-friendly, entrepreneurial parents. Find a theme, stick with it. Remove anything that doesn’t fit. It’s basically working less for better results. Promise.

Facebook Groups & Paid Communities

This one is going to be controversial. But hey, hear me out! Using Google Analytics, find out what is actually driving sales (not traffic) to your shop. That conversion rate? That’s what you need to focus on. If you have a lot of traffic and not as many sales as you would like, it’s probably because odds are,  Facebook groups and paid communities of crafters/makers/business owners are not where you find clients, and you are investing valuable time there. These communities are great for building connections, but make sure they are actually worth the time you spend in them. If you aren’t obviously, without a doubt benefiting from them either by:

• opportunities that drive sales (features, cross promotions etc, but please, don’t fall prey to the “it increases your numbers” thing – if it is not driving sales that you can 100% without a doubt prove is from the opportunity, it is not benefiting you)
• actually driving sales (can you prove that the Facebook group or community is responsible for X number of sales? Now divide those sales per hours spent in the communities. Is it a good hourly figure? If not, invest your time elsewhere. You’ll thank me later.)
• or things that help you drive your own sales (e-courses, work shops and resources that you can directly tie to increasing sales).

… then you need to remove yourself from these groups/communities. Some communities are incredibly beneficial – but honestly, trust me, after six year in business & being a member of over 300 groups and communities in that time, only four groups/communities actually drove consistent sales & helped me improve my business by providing me with free resources to improve my business.

So end game on the communities discussion: Take a hard look at your numbers. Is Facebook groups sucking up more time you could spend working and not actually benefiting you sales wise?  Remove yourself from them and focus that time and energy on actually making & promoting your wares to your target audience. I did this last year and increased my conversion rate by 15% since then. And no, I’m not lying. Photo from last month’s stats via Google Analytics:

Of course, if there is a community you just LOVE then by all means, stay there. But if you are in 287318726198271092819874287631 groups in hopes of increasing your exposure and sales, seriously narrow down which ones to invest your time in.

 

I hope these tips help you clean up your social media channels & refocus your energy into constructive habits! By keeping my social media feeds free of clutter, my feed free of unrelated images/content & focusing my time where I see the best results, I was able to increase sales, improve my conversion rate & get featured in major publications like Parents Magazine. Where you invest your time truly determines where you thrive!

3 Things You Should Review, Refresh & Revise RIGHT NOW in your online shop

January marks a new year, a clean slate for you & your indie business alike. For some, this is their busiest time sales wise – for others, the slowest. Whatever it is for you, make sure you carve out some time to Review, Refresh & Revise your online shop! As a year wears on and passes by, we as business owners grow and change. Our business changes, too. It is constantly evolving and improving as we do. We improve in certain areas, learn  & do better at certain things, which is always sculpting and shaping the future of our little businesses we take such pride in.

As we evolve as business owners & refine our processes, we need to make sure every aspect of our business evolves with us. Here are three things I sit down to review & tweak every January to make sure my business is performing efficiently & looking good while it grows:

Product Listings/Descriptions

When was the last time you updated your product listings? Maybe you have thought of better ways to describe your products, or new ways to use them, since initially writing your product’s descriptions. Maybe you have narrowed down your target market better, and have a better idea of what words & phrases trigger purchases in your audience. Review, refine and refresh your verbiage in product listings at least annually, if not seasonally. Here is a great post on writing keyword rich product descriptions.

Product Photography

As we grow as business owner, we refine certain skills – like product photography. I like to think of it as ever evolving. If your product styling has changed since you listed the products in your store, take some time to update your product listings with fresh images so the vibe you radiate between your shop & social media is cohesive. This is something I often forget to do (especially since I moved! So my product pictures I took in Missouri don’t match with my NC photos – working on updating that this month!) so I need this reminder as much as anyone else, haha! But also, photography is something we only can get better at – make sure your image styling on Instagram is as beautiful as your product listing photos, or vice versa – basically, make sure only the BEST images of your products are currently on the internet!

Your FAQs & Store Policies

A lot can change in a year. Maybe you’re fulfilling orders differently through a new supplier, or maybe you no longer offer refunds, or maybe you had a customer use a product incorrectly & it broke, or perhaps you moved like me, and need to update your location settings – whatever the case, make sure to review & update your shop policies & FAQ’s appropriately so that all information is accurate & easily accessible.

 

Here’s to a great year, indie biz buddies! I’ll be back next week with another post about reviving & refreshing your business because hey, isn’t that what January is all about? (Other than taxes, but ugh, who wants to talk about that, amiright?)