All posts tagged business

How to Make Your Online Store’s Sections More Appealing to Busy Shoppers

by G.B. Oliver

Last week I wrote about altering your shop sections/categories to make them more in sync with seasonal buying habits. For example, adding categories for Mother’s Day, Prom, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, etc. (in case you missed it: Keep Your Online Shop Categories In Sync with Seasonal Buying Habits).

But there are also other ways you can help visitors zero in on what they really want to find in your shop, in order to maximize purchases. People don’t have a lot of time these days. A lot of the reason online shopping is so popular is because it is easier to find what you want, due to searching capabilities. So consider some of these shop categories used by popular online stores that might work for you:

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Piperlime

Piperlime is an online clothing store with all the typical categories such as Dresses, Tops, Pants, Shoes, etc. But they also offer the visitor other ways to shop with categories such as Spring Trends, Girl on a Budget (Everything Under $100) and New to Sale. 

West Elm

West Elm sells home décor products. In addition to searching by categories such as pillows, furniture, etc., they offer other categories such as Most Pinned Products, Eco/Green, and the Monogram Shop. 

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P.S. Kids Aeropostale

P.S. sells children’s clothing. They have interesting shop categories that appeal to moms who are looking for something specific, the convenience of already put together outfits, or a bargain, such as: Mix & Match 2 for $12, $5 Fun Finds and Shore Things (items for the beach).

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Victoria’s Secret

Everyone knows what Victoria’s Secret sells. What was interesting in their online store is how they really push the deals, with shop categories such as 2/$40 Tops and Tees, 2/$60 Shirts, and 2/$40 Yoga Bottoms. 

YOUR NEXT STEP: Think about how your typical buyer shops. Do they want something for a specific occasion, do they want a deal, do they want style advice? This is an opportunity to really facilitate that buying decision and generate more sales. For more great marketing advice, download your copy of Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!.

© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on April 25, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on April 25, 2013

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6 Sure-Fire Tips to Still Get Sales When Things Are Slow

by G.B. Oliver

I hear online businesses complaining all the time why people aren’t buying. There is definitely a slow down after the holidays as people have bills to pay and spending may be limited. There is also another slowdown around tax time for obvious reasons.

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So if visitors to your store like your product, but dont’ feel they really need it, they won’t buy if money is tight. They may come back, but it you want to make the sale, you have to create a strong need to buy it now.

6 Ways You Can Still Make Sales in Slow Times:

  • Provide a Low Price Section – People always have that desire to buy something new, even when they can’t afford it, so have a category in your online store marked “Under $20″ if you can. Even call it something like, “Inexpensive Pick-Me Ups Under $20″. Highlight it with a ★.
  • Offer a Freebee – Buyers love to take advantage of free offers, but it has to be a limited time offer, and that is key. “Buy any 3 prints today ONLY and get the 4th for free”. Screen shot 2013-04-29 at 10.38.39 AM
  • Offer One Day Only Free Shipping – Shipping costs can be a real deal breaker, but, again, if you say it is just for one day only, people will take advantage right away. While it might take a toll on your bottom line, the key is to get that initial customer which will lead to repeat business.
  • Buy Now, Pay Later – If you can, allow buyers to purchase items, but you will not process the transaction  (or send the items) until the end of month (which is typically when they get paid again).
  • Last One – Put a “Last One Available” icon right on the product photo. If the buyer thinks they can’t get it again, or not for a few weeks, they will act quickly. Screen shot 2013-04-29 at 10.24.58 AM
  • Sold Out – Have a sale, but mark certain items with a “Sold Out” icon. This indicates to buyers that your items are selling quickly and they have to act fast.

FINAL WORD: If times are slow to keep making sales you’ve got to pull out all the tricks and appeal to buyers’ need for a deal.

 

GB OliverABOUT ME: I’m G.B. Oliver, a small business marketing consultant and author of the new ebook series, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work! – 145 Detailed Tactics. I also do private consultations for online businesses. Feel free to contact me at attentiongetting@gmail.com.
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© 2013 G.B. OLIVER

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by Attention Getting Marketing on April 18, 2013  •  Permalink
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3 Easy Ways to Find Inspiration for New Products

by G.B. Oliver

Everyone wants to come up with that next great product idea. So how do you find the innovator in you and either start or identify that next big trend? Try these tips to get inspired.

Find Inspiration in Commercial Establishments

I’m sure you have noticed the huge “chalkboard trend” the last few years, whether it is in home decor products or wedding products or graphic design, do you wonder how it got started? Think of the proliferation of Starbucks and other coffee shops and how they turned their everyday chalkboard menus into works of art. The same trend is now with subway or transit signs. You’ve looked at these signs for years, but suddenly they have become decor chic.
Was it Starbucks Menu Boards that Launched the Current Chalkboard Trend?

Was it Starbucks Menu Boards that Launched the Current Chalkboard Trend?

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So go to the downtown core of your city and check out:
  • restaurants
  • retail shops
  • coffee shops
  • churches
  • museums
  • libraries
  • historical buildings
and really look at everything. From the art on the walls to signage to  light fixtures to packaging – try to note interesting design details and how you can apply to the types of products you create.
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Find Inspiration in other Eras

Another big product of the last few years has been the slogan, “Keep Calm and Carry On“, a propaganda poster made by the British government in 1939 during the start of the Second World War.  People love inspirational sayings and slogans, so when a British bookstore rediscovered this poster back in 2000, it launched a whole slew of products and reworkings of the slogan itself.
  • So go to a library or bookstore and pull out every pictorial book you can on every decade and really study the photos.
  • Ask to look in your parents or grand parents’ attics (or just look around their homes) to see memorabilia from their era.
  • Take a look at their old photo albums, even their wedding album.
  • Watch movies and television shows from other decades, but with an eye for detail. Don’t focus on the story, but instead look at the set design, the wardrobe, and see what can inspire you.

Find Inspiration in Currently Popular Products

A lot of inspiration can come from creating products as add-ons to currently top selling products. iPhone cases came about because of the popularity of the iPhone and now there are over 160,000 iPhone cases listed on Etsy alone.
All the different accessory products for the iPhone

All the different accessory products for the iPhone

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Take a journey over to Amazon.com and see what the most popular products are in any category – from food to baby to beauty to jewelry to gadgets – and see if you can find inspiration for a complimentary product for one of these top sellers. You now have a huge market to sell to.
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Of course, pop culture is always an influencer as well. Please see my post, How to Predict Trends Before They Happen.
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FINAL WORD: Sometimes all you have to do is stop and look around you to get inspiration. There are obviously many more ways to get inspired, these are just a few to get you started.
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PINTEREST BOARD: Product Design I Love
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GB Oliver
ABOUT ME: I’m G.B. Oliver, a small business marketing consultant and author of the new ebook series, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work! – 145 Detailed Tactics. I also do private consultations. Feel free to contact me at attentiongetting@gmail.com.

© 2013 G.B. OLIVER

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by Attention Getting Marketing on April 16, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Home, Marketing 101, Trends
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How to Attract New Customers With “How To” Advice

by G.B. Oliver

I wanted to give an excerpt from my ebooks today, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!, because I want to talk about a popular trend in marketing – giving advice your customers are looking for, in order to bring them to your online business.

MalloryHopeDesign_AGMarketing_eBook_HomeProducts

Well, that’s kind of what I do here, but I am going to discuss it from an online retail point of view.

A lot of online retailers will offer sections on their websites or blogs that give expert advice on topics you are searching for on Google. The hope is that page will turn up in search results and bring these potential customers over to their website (and their shop).

A good example is World Market. They are a popular online store selling a variety of goods from all over the globe, and they have a section on their home page this month entitled, “9 Ways to Tie a Scarf” and each of the nine ways shows a different scarf they sell. Each way also includes a 40-second clip on how to do it.

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Why is this brilliant? Well, besides showing how to wear their scarves, they are capitalizing on the fact that the phrase, “Ways to Tie a Scarf” is searched over 8,000 times a month on Google. So when someone searches that phrase, there is a good chance their home page will come up.  Plus, visitors can now Pin, Tweet, Facebook this video tutorial (social media loves videos) and World Market can add it to their YouTube channel, spreading this advertorial even further.

Pottery Barn is another online store that knows what its customers are looking for. They have a page called, “How to Hang Curtains” because that phrase is searched about 3,600 times a month on Google. While it is a nice value added service to offer this information to customers, it is also a great hook to bring in new customers who are searching on this, especially when Pottery Barn products are used in the tutorial.

FINAL WORD: What do your potential customers want to know related to what you sell? Be a source of advice for them and they may “accidentally” discover you.

Get More Great Marketing Advice in My Ebooks (because I don’t give away everything here :) )

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“Best buy ever!” . . “Cannot recommend this enough!” . .  ”You will not be disappointed!” . . “Incredible!” 

Take your online business to the top, before your competition does. My expert, innovative advice, ideas and tactics will make you an online superstar! Download your copy of Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!, HERE (versions for selling Home products, Jewelry / Fashion Accessories, Kids & Baby products and Wedding products).

PLEASE Tweet, Post to Facebook, Stumble, PIN & more this post using the SHARE button below. Thanks!

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by Attention Getting Marketing on April 3, 2013  •  Permalink
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Make Your Shop’s Title Tag Product-Specific to Do Better in Searches

by G.B. Oliver

Just how important is that title tag for your home page that describes your overall online business? Pretty important if you want search engines to find you. When you click on a website, look at what is written in that line in the top bar above the search box. This is the title tag. What you have here will determine whether you get found in searches.

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Now, if you are a big online store with a lot of backlinks, you can be quite generic in your home page’s title tag and still turn up on the front page.

Some Examples of Top Online Stores’ Title Tags:

West Elm: “Modern Furniture, Home Decor and Home Accessories”

BaubleBar: ”Women’s Jewelry – Bracelets – Necklaces – Designer Fashion Jewelry”

Pottery Barn Kids: ”Kids’ & Baby Furniture, Kids Bedding & Gifts, Baby Registry”

Amazon: ”Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs and more” (tend to list their most best selling categories)

Apple Store: ”Buy iPad mini, iPad, iPhone 5, Macbook Pro with Retina display, Mac mini and more” (gets specific with actual product names)

How Small Businesses Can Use Tag Lines to Get to the First Page on Search

Now, if you are a small business, you will need to be more specific in your shop’s home page’s title tag if you want to be noticed. You just won’t be able to compete with the larger retail chains on the more generic, popular keywords, like “designer jewelry”. You have to target in on one of your most prominent products and hope you can upsell other products once buyers are in your shop.

So maybe you want to say, “The Shop for Leather Wrap Bracelets” if these are your top seller, and, depending on how many other people are using that title tag, it has the best chance of getting your business on the first page for that search. (It should be noted that if you don’t want to get overly specific in your shop’s title tag, make sure your product category title tags are very specific, like “leather wrap bracelets”, as these are picked up by search engines as a secondary choice).

For example, I searched the phrase, “Cute iPhone cases“. Well the shop, Lolli Mobile came up on the first page, because sure enough, the shop title tag is, “The Place for Cute iPhone Cases”.

I tried another search, this time for “natural handmade soap”, and the first online store that showed up was the Natural Handcrafted Soap Shop because their title tag is “Pure, Natural, Handmade, Handcrafted Soap”.

FINAL WORD: The big retailers (with the exception of Apple) are not going to get product specific in their shop’s home page’s title tag, so this is where you can compete. This includes the title tag on the landing page of your blog as well. You get 70 characters, so make the most of it.

Want My Very Best Marketing Advice (That I Keep Exclusive to my Ebooks)?

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“Best buy ever!” . . “Cannot recommend this enough!” . .  ”You will not be disappointed!” . . “Incredible!” –  If you want my VERY BEST marketing tactics and advice, I save that exclusively for my Ebooks,  Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!, available at my Etsy shop.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 26, 2013  •  Permalink
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4 Social Media Sites You May Not Be Using … But Should

by G.B. Oliver

★ THIS BLOG POST  MADE THE NY TIMES – THIS WEEK IN SMALL BUSINESS

When you think social media, the top sites always come up Facebook (750 million users), Twitter (250 million users), Linked In (110 million users), Pinterest (85 million users). But there are others that also host millions of users that might be better for your type of business.

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DeviantArt  (26 million users) – if you sell any kind of art, photography, artisan craft, you should profile your business on DeviantArt. They allow you to post your products, include a detailed profile, link to your website, and will actually sell your creations for you. Now, you don’t have to sell on DeviantArt, they will let you link directly to your own shop to purchase.

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BuzzFeed (15 million users) – BuzzFeed was founded by Jonah Peretti, who co-founded the Huffington Post, which is the most-read blog on the Internet. BuzzFeed is a magazine/blog with a variety of articles on different subjects, but there is a celebrity/lifestyle/politics/entertainment focus. You set up a profile and can post an article you write, images you like, products you like, etc. There is content already on the site written by their writers, but if the staff likes your post, they may put it on the main page exposing you to their millions of readers. For example, if you sell baby products could write a post entitled, “10 Crying Baby Santa Photos”. It has to creative and it can’t be blatant advertising. While you can include links to your shop, you cannot include links to your blog.

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Indulgy (3 million users) – Indulgy is a lot like Pinterest. You add photos of things you love and it links right back to the direct source on the Internet. It is a little more streamlined than Pinterest with no categories to search on, just the main board or the popular category. Photos appear here with a board title listed, so you can click on the board to narrow down to something more specific. As I said, it is much more streamlined. Also, the sizing of the photos is more uniform than on Pinterest, making it easier to get noticed. Fashion and decorating photos definitely dominate the popular board, so if you sell these types of products, Indulgy may be for you.

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Metacafe (11 million users) – This is a video channel, an obvious competitor to YouTube. I would definitely recommend it if you have a technie, geeky or gadgety type product as that seems to be the more popular posts. Also, pop culture such as movies, tv and music is big on this channel, so if you have products in that vein, ie. Fashion Inspired by Mad Men, your target market is definitely here.

FINAL WORD: New social media sites are always popping up and will continue to do so. To try and be on all of them isn’t the answer. Pick and choose the ones that are right for your target market and marketing efforts.

Have You Heard About My New Marketing Ebooks?

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“Best buy ever!” . . “Cannot recommend this enough!” . .  ”You will not be disappointed!” . . . “Incredible!” – just some of the customer reviews of my new ebooks, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!, available at my Etsy shop.

PLEASE Tweet, Post to Facebook, Stumble, PIN & more this post using the SHARE button below. Thanks!

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© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 22, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on March 22, 2013

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6 Major Online Retailers Now Selling Indie, Handmade & Vintage Products

by G.B. Oliver

As many people know, the online marketplace Etsy, started a wholesale business in order to get its vendors’ products into more store fronts in addition to their huge online presence. West Elm started this venture with Etsy in 2011, and leading U.S. retailer Nordstrom has now signed on. More than likely this push by major retailers to add “handmade” and artisan items to their stores is due to the resurgence of interest in these types of products.

So it is time your online store explored the opportunities of wholesale?

Major Retailers Offering Products from Independent Artists & Designers:

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This major retailer carries a variety of artisan products in its online store, such as art prints from Society6. Society6 is an international artist community and sells artwork from thousands of artists around the world, from prints to t-shirts to iPhone cases. In their beauty section, they carry false eyelashes from Etsy shop, ShimmerTwins.

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ShopRuche is a well known online clothing retailer specializing in vintage-style clothes and other goods. They have a section in their online store entitled, “Indie”. Here you will find greeting cards from Etsy shops Completely Gail and Gingiber.

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This online retailer offers such unique products that they are a natural fit for indie and handmade goods. In their online shop they have a category called, “Made In Kind” where they sell the designs of various indie fashion designers. Independent artisans, furniture makers and photographers can have their work displayed (and sold) in a gallery type section on Anthropologie called, “Featured Artists”.

But it is not just the handmade market that online retailers on jumping on either. Online marketplaces are also known for their vintage goods.

Major Online Retailers Selling Vintage Finds:

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This popular online retailer of clothing and housewares has added a “members only” section entitled Vintage, where they sell retro clothing and decor finds they have acquired from various flea markets and vendors, which works well with their own brand.

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The Boho clothing retailer has also seen the value in vintage, offering a vintage section with everything from college clothing to leather jackets to concert t-shirts to jewelry and housewares (it should be noted that Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People are owned by the same company).

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This large UK retailer combines the best of the above. In addition to carrying their own clothing brand and other popular brands, they offer a marketplace where indie designers and vintage vendors can sell. You can list/sell individual items or open up a boutique.

FINAL WORD: So, as you can see, the wholesale market is opening up for independent artists, artisans, designers and the like. If running an online shop isn’t your thing and you really just want to create, wholesale may be a better opportunity for you to explore.

Have You Heard About My New Marketing Ebooks?

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If you are selling your own creations, my marketing secrets will help you find success online! Please see my ebooks, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!, plus find other helpful marketing tools in my Etsy shop.

PLEASE Tweet, Post to Facebook, Stumble, PIN & more this post using the SHARE button below. Thanks!

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© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 21, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on March 21, 2013

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Google Trends – Product Search Phrases On The Rise

by G.B. Oliver

★ THIS BLOG POST  MADE NY TIMES SMALL BUSINESS, BEST OF THE WEEK 

I love looking at Google Trends and seeing which search phrases are popular, but also which ones are on the rise. The great thing about Google Trends is you can customize it by country and by time period (i.e. last 7 days), so it is a great tool to keep on top of the marketplace. So I entered some product categories to see what the top rising search phrases were, for the last 3 months, worldwide.

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For the jewelry vendors out there, and I know there are lots, these are the top rising search phrases:

  • Cheap Body Jewelry
  • Hematite Jewelry
  • Amethyst Jewelry (amethyst is the February birthstone)
  • Bridesmaid Jewelry

For wedding products vendors, typing in wedding was too generic, so here are the top rising search phrases, worldwide, in the last 3 months for “Wedding Invitations”:

  • Fun Wedding Invitations
  • Coral Wedding Invitations
  • Country Wedding Invitations
  • Homemade Wedding Invitations

For vendors of baby products, again, typing in baby was too generic. So I tried “Baby Clothes”, and these were the top risers:

  • Baby Summer Clothes
  • Neutral Baby Clothes
  • Crochet Baby Clothes
  • Handmade Baby Clothes
  • Unisex Baby Clothes

For vendors of art, I typed in the phrase “Wall Art” and this is what resulted:

  • Kitchen Art
  • African Wall Art
  • Bathroom Wall Art
  • Beach Wall Art
  • Kitchen Wall Art (Kitchen seems to be in big demand)

For vintage sellers, these were the breakout rising searches for “Vintage”:

  • Vintage Valentines
  • Modern Vintage Boutique
  • Vintage Swimwear
  • Vintage Prom Dresses
  • Vintage Bridesmaid Dresses
  • Vintage Style Dresses

For sellers of home products, it is a little tougher to narrow things down. So I entered “Decorative” and these were the results:

  • Decorative curtain rods
  • Decorative baskets
  • Decorative bird cages
  • Decorative wall hooks
  • Decorative ceiling tiles

FINAL WORD: When you look at searches in lesser time frames, like the last 3 months, it helps you to see popular cyclical searches, such as Valentine’s, and also how far in advance people start searching for different events or seasons. For example, people are already searching for summer items. Use Google Trends to help you find where that next opportunity lies for your online business.

★ If You Like My Blog, You’ll LOVE My New Ebooks (because I save my BEST ideas for in there!) 

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“Best buy ever!” . . “Cannot recommend this enough!” . .  ”You will not be disappointed!” . . . “Incredible!” – just some of the customer reviews of my new ebooks, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!. Download today at my Etsy shop.

PLEASE Tweet, Post to Facebook, Stumble, PIN & more this post using the SHARE button below. Thanks!

PLEASE LIKE this post using the button below and follow my RSS feed to know when new articles are posted.

© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 19, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Google Tips, Home, Trends
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on March 19, 2013

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Online Stores I Love – Harabu House

by G.B. Oliver

One of the things I try to do with my blog is frequently point out Marketing I Love and Products I Love, but today I am actually going to talk about an Online Store I Love. The store is called Harabu House and if you are looking for ideas to what makes an online store work, you definitely should check them out.

Screen shot 2013-04-29 at 10.41.45 AMHarabu House was launched in 2010 and is an exclusive online eco-boutique for contemporary and stylish global finds. Their mission is to find sustainable products that provide economic, social and environmental benefits to the artisans who create them, and they carry products from all over the globe.

What Harabu House is Doing Right:

  • Great Products – They carry truly unique, beautiful products for the home (as well as some jewelry and fashion accessories). From hand painted tea cups to teak measuring spoons, everything seems to have a mix of the exotic and the contemporary at the same time. Screen shot 2013-04-29 at 10.44.17 AM
  • Easy to Navigate – I personally do not like busy home/landing pages and Harabu’s is sleek and simple. They have a slide show running of various products with a caption such as “Find Me Under Dinnerware“, making it easy for the visitor to find the products on display. All the categories are neatly displayed at the top and the particulars such as contact info, FAQs, newsletter, and social media icons are tightly compacted in a barred off section at the bottom. I also love how that important upper right hand corner notifies customers of their free shipping offer on domestic orders over $75 with a hot pink elephant icon drawing the eye right to it.

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  • Gift Guide – Another icon on the home page is their gift guide. But once you click on it, you are actually then given more options to narrow it down further, such as a gift guide for housewarming, baby shower, for him, for her. Another attempt to make the shopping experience easier for the customer.
  • Product Descriptions – The product descriptions are so well written, with compact narratives that tell you everything you need to know and create a need to buy. They are typically followed by a small write-up about the artist. I love the Tell a Friend feature, allowing you to instantly email the product to a friend, the Add to Wish List icon, and the Request More Information icon – three great Call to Actions to keep buyers engaged.
  • Category Highlight – A nice touch this online store has, is that when you are in a particular product category, the icon behind it colorizes, reminding you where you are. Screen shot 2013-04-29 at 10.47.55 AM
  • Photographs – The photographs are definitely top notch. Well-lit, various angles, magazine-quality set-ups, typically showing the product in use. I also like that for certain products, they include a photo of any magazine editorial that product has appeared in, which helps credibility with customers because it acts as an endorsement.
  • Shopping Cart Total – A cool feature about their shopping cart icon in the upper right hand corner, is that it will not only display the number of items (which is pretty common with most online sellers) but it actually displays how much you have spent so far. Love that!

FINAL WORD: So, if you want a good example of what a sleek, attractive online home products shop should look like, check out Harabu House.

Download My New Marketing Ebooks Today!

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Get my exclusive marketing ideas that will help drive your online business in my ebooks, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!, (for Jewelry/Fashion, Home, Wedding and Kids & Baby Products) and other helpful marketing tools in my Etsy shop.

PLEASE Tweet, Post to Facebook, Stumble, PIN & more this post using the SHARE button below. Thanks!

PLEASE LIKE this post using the button below and follow my RSS feed to know when new articles are posted.

© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 18, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on March 18, 2013

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My Latest Pinterest Marketing Tip

by G.B. Oliver

I am not sure if your business is using the popular image gallery, Pinterest, but since it is free, you may want to consider it.

How it works, in a nutshell, is if one of your products gets pinned to either one of the main category boards (strictly by chance) or gets repinned by one of the popular pinners (some have over 5 million followers), then it can mean a lot of exposure and traffic to your shop, as well as continual exposure and traffic for months based on repins (when people see your product and repin it to one of their boards). Now, unfortunately that traffic doesn’t always translate into sales, but better some traffic than no traffic.

Now, I noticed an interesting trend on Pinterest that I thought I would share.  7 of the top 16 pins currently on Pinterest (and by top I mean the highest number of repins) were inspirational quotes. That is almost 50%. The others were food or fashion.

So here is my tip on how I think you can use this trend of inspirational quotes to help your business get noticed on Pinterest.

First of all, if you do wall art such as this, then you should have no problem getting your products pinned. Just make sure that you have a product photo that goes in tight on the saying so it is readable. Then, add a watermark of your url or shop name so people can trace it back. Sometimes when people pin your items from some of the mobile apps, the original source gets lost.

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But what if you sell something else, like kids’ products? Well, here is where you can get a little creative. Simply find a cool or funny or inspirational saying that relates to your product and photograph your item against it or add the text to the product photo. For example, if I was selling baby booties, I would take a shot of the booties and to the side of the booties I would photoshop in the words, “I never knew how much love my heart could hold until someone called me Mom”.

FINAL WORD: You can do this for any type of product. If you sell food have a quote about food. If you sell jewelry, have a romantic saying. If you sell fitness products, have a motivational saying. It is almost like doing an ad with a tag line. But this is what gets pinned and repinned and will give you exposure.

Start Selling More Today with My New Marketing Ebooks!

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You don’t think I put my best secrets here on the blog, do you? Find more marketing and social media ideas and tricks that will help drive your online business in my ebooks, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!, as well as other helpful marketing tools in my Etsy shop. Editions for Jewelry/Fashion, Wedding, Home and Kids & Baby Products. 

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© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 15, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Home, Social Media Marketing
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on March 15, 2013

http://attention-getting.com/2013/03/15/my-latest-tip-for-getting-exposure-on-pinterest/

How to Predict Trends Before They Happen

by G.B. Oliver

★ THIS BLOG POST  MADE THE NY TIMES – THIS WEEK IN SMALL BUSINESS

In December, Pantone chose Emerald Green to be its color of the year. Do you think it had anything to do with the fact that the movie, Oz, the Great and Powerful was coming out in spring, in which Emerald Green plays a large part in the story? Just how much does pop culture influence trends in fashion and other types of product categories, such as Home, Wedding, Kids and Lifestyle. (Please also see my post, Product Trends for 2013).

Pantone-color-of-the-year-emerald

When the Great Gatsby movie was scheduled to come out last fall (it has been delayed to this spring), the 1920s vintage trend starting showing up in early 2012. That was also helped along by the movie The Artist, another 1920s period film, which won the Academy award for best film in 2012 and television shows like Downtown Abbey.

If you were wondering why baroque styles came back into fashion two years ago and has stayed, you just had to look at the movies Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Anna Karenina (2012), Mirror Mirror (2012), Lincoln (2012) Jane Eyre (2011) and Alice in Wonderland (2010) to see the influence.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is obviously focused on Smaug the dragon and the new, very popular trailer for Game of Thrones also features a dragon. So does this mean that dragons will be one of the creatures of choice in 2013/2014?

What about human-type monsters? Remember how popular vampires have been the last few years? Well that looks to be overtaken by zombies, thanks to movies like ParaNorman, the upcoming movie, World War Z and the popular TV show, The Walking Dead.

Books are an influence as well. Studs and spikes are showing up in both fashion, jewelry and home decor, citing a definite 50 Shades of Grey influence.

So if you want to get in on a trend before it starts, keep an eye on the things in pop culture that influence us – movies, books, television, music, world events, technology, and see what commonality you can find.

FINAL WORD: While trends don’t have a long shelf life, they do help to get you publicity (because editors only want to write about what everyone is talking about) and publicity gets people into your shop to check out what else you offer.

Be Sure to Download My New Marketing Ebooks, with my Best Secrets for Selling Online!

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“Best buy ever!” . . “Cannot recommend this enough!” . .  ”You will not be disappointed!” . . . “Incredible!” – just some of the customer reviews of my new ebooks, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work! as well as other helpful marketing tools in my Etsy shop.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 4, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Home, Trends
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on March 4, 2013

http://attention-getting.com/2013/03/04/how-to-predict-trends-before-they-happen/

Will Twitter Bring You Sales?

by G.B. Oliver

This was a tweet sent out this week by @gregorygarrick:

The biggest mistake a marketer can make is… Measuring success in terms of leads & NOT revenue

I couldn’t agree more. Leads, followers, likes, they are all pretty much the same thing. Don’t get mislead that having a lot of these means a ton of sales will be coming your way. I spoke about this a bit in a previous post, Traffic is Not Sales but I wanted to cover it again from a different angle.

As I have said many times, not all social media works for all types of products. While they are free mediums to use, they can be time consuming, so only spend time on the ones that are bringing you SALES.

images

Does Twitter Bring Sales?

Twitter is an interesting social media platform. It is a great medium for communicating and getting the word out, but does it bring buyers to your website? (and remember, that was never the original intention behind the creation of Twitter or any of the social medias).

Based on my research, and backed up by other research, Twitter is really more effective for business to business selling. So if you are selling jewelry supplies for example, yes, you should be on Twitter because jewelry sellers are there and it is easy to find them (use the #jewelry hash tag) and easy to make them aware of your services simply by following them. Why are jewelry sellers there? One, because they have been told by the marketing world they have to be on there to be relevant, and two, because they are using it to search for new customers as well. I am sure there are other reasons, but, in all honesty, those are the main two.

Now, if you do not sell to businesses but rather to the end user, research has shown that end users for not using it as much for search (but that may change in the future), except on trending hash tags. So if you include a trending hash tag in your tweet, for example #HappyMonday, you can get seen in front of a large amount of people (I covered this in my post, Clever Ways to Use Twitter Hash Tags). But again, sheer exposure is no guarantee of sales, especially if it is not to your target market. I see a lot of wonderful products every day, but if I have no need for them, I’m not going to buy them.

So, are there ways to use Twitter that might lead result in sales?

  • If a Twitter account that has a large number of followers retweets one of your tweets or sends out a link to your website, that does expose you to a large amount of people, and if they are your target market, even better. So there is a definite potential here for sales.
  • If you have a large following of regular customers and you tweet out a special offer or a new product, that could definitely lead to a sale.
  • If you use it to engage in a conversation with someone who is asking a question that pertains to what you sell, that could also lead to a sale (maybe not right away).
  • If your followers love you enough to retweet your tweets, that exposes you to new people, which could lead to sales.
  • You can also pay and do a sponsored tweet that goes out to a targeted audience (probably your best chance for sales).
  • If you tweet something really witty or funny or inspiring, that could go viral as your followers retweet to their followers and then so on. Again, exposed to more people, but not necessarily your target market, could result in sales.

Now remember the steps that must occur in order to lead to a sale: The person on Twitter must even see your tweet, which can be difficult if they are scrolling through an ocean of tweets. Then, they must be interested enough to click on the link in your tweet. If there is no link that takes them to your website, then they must click on your Twitter name. Then they must read your profile to see what you do. Then they must click over to your website from there. Then they must look at your products. Then they must decide if there is anything they want or need. Then they must decide if they want to buy – that’s a lot of steps and you are losing people at each one.

Don’t get me wrong, Twitter can be great for businesses, just not all businesses. So have a presence, because it is free advertising, but keep your expectations in check.

You’ll find hundreds of innovative, but solid marketing ideas, in my ebooks, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work! as well as other helpful marketing tools in my Etsy shop.

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© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on March 1, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on March 1, 2013

http://attention-getting.com/2013/03/01/will-twitter-bring-you-sales/

Are Your Keywords Covering All Aspects of the English Language?

by G.B. Oliver

When you are adding tags and keywords to your website, shop, product listings, and so forth, are you considering all variations of the English language?

As you are aware, the English language has slight differences whether you live in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia and other English speaking countries. You could be missing out on these areas being potential customers (if you do ship product to these countries) simply because you did include their more commonly used phrases and spellings.

In the UK these are baby rompers or bodysuits, not baby onesies.

In the UK these are baby rompers or bodysuits, not baby onesies.

For example, if you are selling baby onesies, no one in the UK or Australia will be searching for that phrase. Instead they will be searching bodysuit, playsuit, sleepsuit or romper. So, if you want to sell to this international market as well, it couldn’t hurt to add these keywords to your tags.

If you sell pants, no one in the UK and Australia that will looking searching on that word either, (unless they are looking for underwear) but rather, they would be searching the word, trousers.

Words that are different in the U.S. and UK:

  • Overalls are dungarees
  • Toiletry bag is wash bag
  • Swimwear is beachwear
  • Sweater is jumper
  • Backpack is day pack
  • Pillows are cushions
  • Message boards are notice boards
  • Cupcake liners are cupcake cases
  • Cookies are biscuits
  • Underwear is knickers (women’s)
  • Ring bearer is pageboy
  • Stroller is pram or pushchair
  • Crib mobile is cot mobile
  • Diapers are nappies
  • Birdhouse is bird box
  • Sleepwear is nightwear
  • Subway is metro

Not to mention slight spelling differences:

  • Personalized is personalised
  • Jewelry is jewellery
  • Wedding favors are wedding favours
  • Organizer is organiser
  • Color is colour
  • Center is centre
  • Pajamas is pyjamas
  • Gray is grey
  • Mustache is moustache

So simply by adding a few extra keywords that cater to other English markets, this will help expose your products to even more customers.

Want more advice on keywords that will attract your target market? You’ll find that, and hundreds of other innovative ideas, in my marketing guides, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work! as well as other helpful marketing tools in my Etsy shop.

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© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on February 26, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on February 26, 2013

http://attention-getting.com/2013/02/26/are-your-keywords-covering-all-aspects-of-the-english-language/

Will a Blog Help Your Business?

by G.B. Oliver

I get this question a lot, “will a blog help my business?” And my answer is always the same, “it depends”. Let me explain.

Facts About Blogging

1. It is Time Consuming – you have to write at least one 400 word blog post Monday through Friday. Do you have something to say every day? Plus, you now have to promote the blog, in addition to your online business.

2. It is Free – there are a few upfront costs, like paying for your domain name or a layout, but otherwise it is free.

3. It Can Be a Source of Additional Revenue – if you take advertisers, but you have to build up a sizeable audience before that is an option.

4. It Can Help Establish You as an Expert in Your Field – which is helpful if you are selling your knowledge.

5. It Can Help Sell Your Products – if you do it right. And you can get ideas on how to do it right from these online stores below.

Blogs from Popular Online Stores

To help give you some examples of how a blog can help your online store, here are a couple of ones I like, and how I think their blog helps up-sell their products.

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Layla Grayce sells everything from home decor to baby items to women’s fashion. Their blog is amazing because they have interesting, very visual blog posts that showcase their products but in a helpful way. For example, regular features include showing a product in their shop that matches something worn by a celebrity; inspiration boards that pull together various items in their shop for creating a certain look in your home; clippings of their products when they have appeared in popular magazine editorial. In other words, their products are the focus of every post, but they are doing it in a way that creates a need and helps establish use. Plus, the blog is pure eye candy, which will always keep people coming back.

westelm-94_600

West Elm has a blog called Front & Main. They offer lots of design advice with their Ideas & Inspiration section where they give you tips on colors, patterns and how to decorate with objects, all the time including their own products. Their We Love Handmade section profiles Etsy sellers that they carry in their online store and catalogs. In Your Open House they show before and after decorating photos and have guest posts offering insight from some of their designers. And in their Born in Brooklyn section, they include a link to every blog post, online article, inspiration board or Pinterest board that mentions one of their products, giving their press even more press.

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Wedding Paper Divas  is one of the most popular wedding invitation companies around. On their blog you will find photos from real weddings, wedding inspiration boards built around one of their designs, as well as tips for brides on how to add custom touches to all the paper products they offer. They even frequently have guest wedding experts that they let their customers ask questions to.

Want more suggestions and advice on how to use your blog to attract more customers? You’ll find that, and hundreds of other helpful ideas, in my marketing guides, Small Business Marketing Ideas That Work!

Marketing_Ideas_Etsy_Baby

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© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on February 25, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on February 25, 2013

http://attention-getting.com/2013/02/25/will-a-blog-help-your-business/

Products I Love – February 2013

by G.B. Oliver

I love smart and innovative product design for many reasons. One, it is inspiring. Two, it always gets publicity. Three, social media followers love spreading the word. Four, it sells!

I went over to one of my favorite shopping blogs, Outblush, and found some of their recent picks that I think are brilliant.

Deep Tea Driver Infuser

Deep Tea Diver by Kikkerland from Modcloth

Deep Tea Diver by Kikkerland from Modcloth

How great is this $15 tea infuser from the online store, Modcloth? Even the name is smart. I love this because it is just so clever. How could you not want to buy this, whether you drink tea or not? Now, granted, you have to use it with a glass mug or it kind of defeats the purpose, but you have to admit it is just makes sense.

Recipe Writing Rubber Stamps

Recipe Writing Rubber Stamps from Paper Cookie

Recipe Writing Rubber Stamps from Paper Cookie

I love these stamps (4 for $24.95) from the Paper Cookie. This is a practical product that appeals to the person who still wants to write out their recipes the old-fashioned way, but made a little easier by the stamps. The stamp market is a big business, and it is nice to see a company finding a new, creative use for them.

Constellation Lamp

Constellation Lamp from Urban Outfitters

Constellation Lamp from Urban Outfitters

What kid is not going to love this lamp ($49) from Urban Outfitters in their room at night? Plus, it’s educational. Educational + fun always sells!

Teacup with Wood Saucer

Teacup with Wood Saucer from Scandinavian Brands Online

Teacup with Wood Saucer from Scandinavian Brands Online

Smart product design is when you solve a problem for the user. That is why this teacup with wood saucer ($28) from Scandinavian Brands Online works. It solves two problems – needing a saucer for your tea when you are drinking it and keeping it hot when you are not. Plus, it looks good.

You Got Your New Dog Kit

Got Your New Dog Kit from Uncommon Goods

Got Your New Dog Kit from Uncommon Goods

This New Dog Kit ($25) from Uncommon Goods is smart for so many reasons. The obvious is that it makes the perfect gift, and gift sets are big business and dog gifts are big business. But if you sell a variety of pet products, why not package them all together as a great way to up-sell your other products. This kit includes practical items like doo-doo bags (their words, not mine), a training clicker, dog treats and a quick start instruction card for the new owner, which to me acts like a very effective business card so the gift receiver knows exactly where to get more.

Be like these online sellers and take your business to the next level! I offer a variety of helpful marketing tools in my Etsy shop, the best advice to market your small business!

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© 2013 G.B. Oliver. All rights reserved.

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by Attention Getting Marketing on February 22, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Home, Marketing I Love
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Posted by Attention Getting Marketing on February 22, 2013

http://attention-getting.com/2013/02/22/products-i-love-february-edition/

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