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Category: My Marketing Advice (Page 11 of 26)

Christmas Product Ideas and Trends

August 27, 2018 /

by Gail Oliver, Attention Getting Marketing

It is not too early to start thinking about the holiday buying season, and no matter what you sell, if you can incorporate at least one holiday theme product, you will open yourself up to way more sales opportunities. Below are some interesting Christmas product ideas and trends that might present your shop with potential new sales opportunities.

Flat Christmas Trees

Dorm rooms and apartments have limited space so a trend is to have a flat Christmas tree that hangs on the wall (the front door as well). A flat Christmas tree could be made out of wood, metal, fabric, crochet or paper. It also needs flat ornaments to go on it, so there are many product opportunities here!

 

 

Christmas Wall Murals

Temporary holiday theme wall murals are fast becoming a popular way to decorate a child’s room, nursery or dining room, just for the holiday season. Holidays decals for cars is a cute idea as well.

 

 

Chunky Knit Tree Skirts

Didn’t the chunky blanket pretty much originate on Etsy? Well now a version to be used as your Christmas tree skirt will give your home that cozy, rustic feel.

 

 

 

Christmas Song Lyrics Signs

Stylish farmhouse-style signs with Christmas song lyrics that still match your decor will be popular this year. The Christmas song lyric trend can also apply to glassware, serveware, linens, pillows and other home decor items.

 

 

Personalized Santa Door Signs

Isn’t everything personalized these days? Door signs that remind Santa to stop at your house are now updated with the names of children living at that house for a fun touch and cute gift idea.

Other Holiday Product Ideas

For those of you with a pet shop, why not create an advent calendar for dogs or cats, filled with treats for each day. Advent calendars were one of the most searched items on Etsy last year. For those shops that sell baby clothes, what about a onesie that says, “My 1st Santa Photo” to capture that traditional holiday moment.

Whether you sell jewelry, decor, kids products, beauty products, food, art or printables, there are many so opportunities to create Christmas-theme or holiday-theme products if you just get creative!

Get More Christmas Sales Tips

Get more hot tips in my 2019 Etsy Shop Holiday Sales Planner out now! You’ll love it, packed with over 65 tips, tricks and ideas to get the most out of your holiday sales season. Read more about it at my Etsy Shop here.

Customer Success Stories!

Congratulations to one of my long time customers, Formulary 55 as I was so happy to see that her beautiful bath and body products are now being carried by the store, Francesca’s.

Also, remember how HGTV Magazine used one of my customer’s address signs in a feature in their June issue? Well they did it again this month! Congratulations to Jessica of Live in Mosaics who will again be in the magazine’s September issue.

© 2018 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 

How to Increase Ecommerce Holiday Sales

August 9, 2018 /

by Gail Oliver, Attention Getting Marketing

If you haven’t started preparing for holiday sales Etsy shop owners need to get going! Increase your holiday sales with my 2019 Holiday Sales Planner for Etsy Shops. It is jam-packed with 23 pages of my tips, tricks, SEO search phrases, planner pages, worksheets, examples and strategies to get the most out of your holiday sales.

Below are some ideas to inspire you!

5 Ideas to Increase E-commerce Holiday Sales

1. Starting in September (or right now if you wish) include a flyer and/or coupon in all customer packages encouraging customers to come back to your store for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, coupons and offers.

2. Use popular search phrases for various holiday buying occasions in your titles and tags, if they apply, such as white elephant gifts, stocking stuffers, secret Santa gifts, dirty Santa gifts, advent calendar fillers and 12 days of Christmas gifts.

3. Add holiday theme photos (like I did below) to your regular product photos as Etsy loves to use these types of images on their social media pages and on their home page. You can purchase these types of backgrounds on Etsy or Creative Market. 

4. I highly recommend that you run Etsy Promoted Listings during the peak gift buying time of October 14th to December 23rd. Only go as late as December 23rd if you have priority shipping and can get those orders there next day.

5. August is the time to be sending out your submissions for holiday gift guides for print magazines. When emailing out pitches, the email subject line should read: “Product Submission for 2019 Holiday Gift Guides”. Send out pitches to blogs for their gift guides in early October. 

Want to Read More?

© 2018-2019 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

A Simple Trick to Increase Your Online Sales Conversion Rate

February 17, 2018 /

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

When you sell online you always have to deal with buyers’ apprehension to buying from you. When I do a critique of someone’s online store (Etsy, Shopify, etc) I always make sure that the shop is doing all the things that create customer confidence and, in turn, this helps to raise their sales conversion rate.

The One Thing You Need to Do

One thing I always suggest for Etsy shops is to add this line at the end of each listing:

“If you have any questions regarding this item, please hit the “Message Seller” below and I will get back to you within 24 hours”.

Why It Works

When a customer knows that you are open to them reaching out to you, this right away gives them a sense of confidence. Then, when they do reach out to you, you now have an opportunity to engage with them as you would with face to face sales. Once a customer has engaged with you, they are so much more likely to purchase from you.

This tactic has worked with my own business. 9 times out of 10 when a potential customer asks me a question about my marketing services or downloads, they end up purchasing from me, so it is worth your while!

If you use the Sell on Etsy app, you are notified whenever you get a convo so that you can respond quickly.

If you would like to know how my Etsy Shop Critique can help your shop, just send me an email at attentiongetting[at]gmail.com and I will get back to you asap!

Want to Read More?

© 2018 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 

National Day Today 2025

November 27, 2017 /

This national day today 2025 calendar is very helpful if you are trying to market your small business or restaurant, especially on social media. Here are some of the national days that small business owners should know about.

National Day Today 2025 Calendar

January National Days
  • January 2 – National Science Fiction Day
  • January 4 – National Trivia Day
  • January 4 – National Spaghetti Day
  • January 6 – National Technology Day
  • January 8 – National Bubble Bath Day
  • January 8 – National Career Coach Day
  • January 13 – National Sticker Day
  • January 14 – National Shop for Travel Day
  • January 14 – National Dress Up Your Pet Day
  • January 15 – National Bagel Day
  • January 17 – National Get To Know Your Customers Day
  • January 28 – National Plan for Vacation Day
  • January 31 – National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
February National Days
  • February 7 – National Send a Card to a Friend Day
  • February 9 – National Pizza Day
  • February 18 – National Drink Wine Day
  • February 20 – National Love Your Pet Day
  • February 22. National Margarita Day
  • February 27 – National Retro Day
March National Days
  • March 2 – National Old Stuff Day
  • March 6 – National Dress Day
  • March 11 – National Promposal Day
  • March 12 – National Pancake Day
  • March 16 – National Quilting Day
  • March 19 – National Jewel Day
  • March 21 – National Fragrance Day
  • March 22 – National Puppy Day
  • March 31 – National Prom Day
April National Days
  • April 2 – National DIY Day
  • April 3 – National Burrito Day
  • April 5 – National Handmade Day
  • April 7 – National Beer Day
  • April 11 – National Pet Day
  • April 18 – National Exercise Day
  • April 23 – National Administrative Professionals Day
  • April 24 – National Bucket List Day
  • April 26 – National Independent Bookstore Day
  • April 27  National Tell a Story Day
May National Days
  • May 3 – National Textiles Day
  • May 3 – National Fitness Day
  • May 4 – National Self Employed Day
  • May 6 – National Beverage Day
  • May 7 – National Tourism Day
  • May 9 – Military Spouse Appreciation Day
  • May 10 – National Dog Mom Day
  • May 14 – National Receptionist Day
  • May 25 – National Wine Day
  • May 28 – National Hamburger Day
  • May 30 – National Creativity Day
June National Days
  • June 1 – National Donut Day
  • June 1 – National Nailpolish Day
  • June 4 – National Clean Beauty Day
  • June 4 – National Cheese Day
  • June 6 – National Eyewear Day
  • June 8 – National Best Friends Day
  • June 15 – National Photographers Day
  • June 18 – National Splurge Day
  • June 23 – National Pink Day
  • June 26 – National Beauticians Day
  • June 27 – National Sunglasses Day
  • June 28 – National Summersgiving Day
  • June 30 – National Social Media Day
July National Days
  • July 20 – National Ice Cream Day
  • July 24 – National Tequila Day
  • July 29 – National Lipstick Day
August National Days
  • August 1 – National Girlfriend Day
  • August 2- National Coloring Book Day
  • August 3 – National Sisters Day
  • August 5- National Underwear Day
  • August 5- National Night Out Day
  • August 8 – National Dollar Day
  • August 9 – National Book Lovers Day
  • August 15 – National Leathercraft Day
  • August 15 – National Relaxation Day
  • August 25 – National Second Hand Wardrobe Day
  • August 26 – National Dog Day
  • August 28 – National Thoughtful Day
September National Days
  • September 6 – National Read a Book Day
  • September 7 – National Beer Lovers Day
  • September 7 – National Grandparents Day
  • September 14 – National Live Creative Day
  • September 18 – National Cheeseburger Day
  • September 21 – National Wife Appreciation Day
  • September 22 – National American Business Woman’s Day
  • September 22 – National Family Day
  • September 25 – National Daughter’s Day
  • September 26 – National Pancake Day
  • September 27 – National Singles Day
  • September 28 – National Drink Beer Day
  • September 29 – National Coffee Day
October National Days
  • October 1 – National Coffee Day
  • October 1 – National Pumpkin Spice Day
  • October 1 – National Hair Day
  • October 3 – National Boyfriend Day
  • October 4 – National Taco Day
  • October 5 – National Do Something Nice Day
  • October 10 – National Handbag Day
  • October 12 – National Savings Day
  • October 14 – National Dessert Day
  • October 16 – National Boss Day
  • October 17 – National Pasta Day
  • October 22 – National Color Day
  • October 24 – National Food Day
  • October 29 – National Cat Day
  • October 29 – National Chocolate Day
November National Days
  • November 1 – National Authors Day
  • November 3 – National Sandwich
  • November 4- National Candy Day
  • November 5- National Donut Day
  • November 8- National Cappuccino Day
  • November 16 – National Fast Food Day
  • November 23 – National Espresso Day
  • November 25- National Shopping Reminder Day
  • November 25- National Cake Day
December National Days
  • December 1 – National Day Without Art
  • December 2 – National Day of Giving Tuesday
  • December 4 – National Santa’s List Day
  • December 4 – National Sock Day
  • December 4 – National Cookie Day
  • December 9 – National Christmas Cake Day
  • December 9 – National Pastry Day
  • December 11 – National App Day
  • December 12 – National Gingerbread House Day
  • December 15 – National Cupcake Day
  • December 18 – National Regifting Day
  • December 19 – National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
  • December 26 – National Thank You Note Day

Need More Small Business Help? Visit my Etsy store or Shopify Store.

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© 2024 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. National Day Today 2025.

A Hot PR Tip if You Sell Dog Products

October 12, 2017 /

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

Did you realize that 2018 is the Year of the Dog, according to the Chinese New Year, which starts February 16th. So, if you sell dog products – or even products that feature dogs such as throw pillows, t-shirts, etc. – then you should be pitching your products as part of a story idea for “Celebrating Year of the Dog” to print publications NOW, as they work on issues a few months in advance. You can pitch to blogs in late November.

Not sure how to write a pitch? If you wish for me to write a winning one for you, I do offer a Publicity Pitch Writing Service and I have a pretty good track record. I’ve written pitches that have gotten my customers into Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz.com, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, DogMilk, Emmaline Bride, just to name a few.

If you don’t have any products featuring dogs, you may want to consider adding one to your shop if applicable, just to take advantage of this publicity opportunity that could last all year long.

© 2017 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan

July 12, 2017 /

Do you own a coffee shop and are wondering how to drive more traffic to it? I have just the solution? My 12-Month Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan gives you easy tactics to follow for each month of the year. Below I cover January so you can see what it is all about.

January Coffee Shop Marketing Plan

COFFEE SHOP PUBLICITY TACTICS
  • Email a story pitch to Eater to be included in their cities feature, “Essential Coffee Shops in {Your City}”
  • Check and submit daily to HARO (Help a Reporter Out) requests. 
COFFEE SHOP ADVERTISING TACTICS
  • Add your coffee shop to LocalEats.com
  • Add your coffee shop to Zomato.com
COFFEE SHOP SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING TACTICS
  • Post a photo of a busy morning at your coffee shop for #manicmonday.
  • Post a photo of a #sunrise with your coffee shop in foreground.
  • Post a favorite local blog every Sunday for #sundayblogshare (tag the blog so they repost). 
  • Post a This or That type post i.e. Dark Roast or Light Roast? #thisorthat #coffeeaddict.
  • Post a carousel of your favorite coffee mugs and give a #shoutout to the stores. 
  • Post a #freecoffee offer for your gourmet blend for #nationalgourmetcoffeeday on January 18th.
  • Post a #quote every Friday that has to do with coffee for #fridayfeeling #goodmorning #coffeetime #coffeebreak.
  • Set up a YouTube channel or TikTok and post a video/reel of your #barista making one of this week’s specials. 
  • Comment daily on the Instagram and Facebook posts of local media, local sports teams & popular local businesses to get seen by your local audience.
COFFEE SHOP EMAIL MARKETING TACTICS
  • Create a free email signature (use WiseStamp.com) and include a linkable banner to your coffee shop’s website, links to your social media sites and your latest blog post. 
  • Email your customers your winter theme menu as well as any early bird Valentine’s day offers and any upcoming events in the shop. 
  • Change up your email opt-in incentive to include a free one-page printable calendar for the new year clearly labeled with your coffee shop’s name and url, as a frequent reminder. 
COFFEE SHOP CONTENT MARKETING TACTICS
  • If you haven’t already, create a blog to drive traffic to your shop. You can then circulate your blog posts on social media as well as on blog sharing sites like BLOGLOVIN’ and BLOGARAMA even if your posts are something as simple as mentioning events going on in your city each weekend, such as “What to Do in {Your City} This Weekend”. It also gives you a reason to email your customers weekly. 
COFFEE SHOP SALES & PROMOTIONS TACTICSCoffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan
  • Comment daily on the latest blog posts of popular local news media and magazines.
  • Create a rewards card by linking the points accumulation to various things i.e. 20 points for buying a coffee, 20 points for downloading your app, 5 points for leaving a review, 15 points for signing up for your email, 10 points for posting a photo of your coffee shop (with shoutout) to Instagram, etc. 
  • Offer a travel mug that has your coffee shop logo and address as part of your rewards program to garner free advertising.

Isn’t my coffee shop marketing plan awesome? And this is just for January. Get the entire 12 months by downloading my 12-Month Coffee Shop Marketing Plan today!

Also Read: Fun and Easy Local Marketing Idea

© 2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan.

Not Making Sales? Time for a Marketing Checkup

June 27, 2017 /

time for a marketing checkupHave sales at your business stalled? Then maybe it’s time for a marketing checkup.

SEO

When was the last time you updated your keywords and search phrases? The way people search is always changing, particularly since a lot of people are now speaking their searches into their phones as opposed to typing them. So try typing your main product word, i.e. “dog collars” into the search boxes of Google, Amazon, Etsy, even Pinterest and see what types of searches fill down, and then update your keywords accordingly.

Advertising

You have to advertise your business as it is still the number one way to drive traffic that actually converts into a sale. The money you invest you will make back and then some, so don’t fear it. A good rule is to make sure that advertising costs are no more than 25% of the revenue the ad generates. You have a variety of options Google ads to social media ads to online or print ads. If sales have stalled it is time to try at least one and measure the results.

Publicity

If you are not sending out at least one publicity pitch a week, you are missing out on free traffic. Make a list of all of the blogs that your target market reads and pitch the blogger a story idea that would include your product. Start with the smaller blogs as they are more receptive to submissions. Need a refresher? Read my blog post, “How to Pitch Your Products to Editors“.

Email Marketing

What about all those people who have previously purchased from you? Maybe it’s time to get in touch with a special offer (buy one, get one half off), seasonal sale, a giveaway or just to show new product releases.

Social Media

Which social media site brings you the most traffic? Then double your “posting” and “following” efforts on this site and you will likely double your traffic. Maybe there is a social media site you haven’t tried yet, like Instagram. Now is the time to see what traffic it can drive. If you can’t come up with interesting content ideas try my 365 Social Media Ideas Calendar, which gives you creative content ideas for every day of the year.

 

© 2017 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Time for a Marketing Checkup

How to Maximize Sales for Every Gift Buying Occasion

May 3, 2017 /

by Gail Oliver, Ecommerce Marketing Consultant

If you want your online shop to succeed, you have to advertise. There is no way around it. Your competitors are advertising, so you need to as well. I am not sure why so many shops fight it when it is one of the most effective and proven ways to drive traffic and sales.

Now, I also believe in spending your ad dollars wisely, especially if they are limited. Therefore, if your shop does the best during the high gift buying times of the year, such as Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas and so forth, then save your advertising dollars for these occasions to get the most bang for your marketing budget.

The key is to look at when people start searching and when those searches peak. Below are my recommendations for when you should run ads to maximize your sales opportunities as well as cash in on those early shoppers. Be sure to bookmark this page for reference.

Teachers Gifts                       

Searches start in November and reach their peak in December. They start again in early May and peak in late May, with some searches still in June, but searches are highest in December overall, so we can assume that Christmas gifts for teachers are more popular than end of year gifts.

RUN YOUR ADS: mid November to mid December; all of May.

Valentines Gifts                       

Searches start in late December right after Christmas and reach their peak the first week of February.

RUN YOUR ADS: late December to February 9th. 

Mother’s Day Gifts

Searches start around Valentines Day and then hit their first peak mid March, likely for the UK Mother’s Day. Searches start up again mid April and peak the first week of May.

RUN YOUR ADS: mid February to mid March; mid April to the first week of May.

Graduation Gifts                       

Searches start in early April, peak in mid May, with still some searches in June.

RUN YOUR ADS: early April to first week of June.

Father’s Day Gifts

Searches actually start in April as the second wave of people who are searching for a Mother’s Day gift likely decide to look for a Father’s Day gift at the same time. Searches peak by mid June.

RUN YOUR ADS: mid April to first week of June.

Christmas Gifts

Searches start in October, grow through November, but forget about what you heard about Black Friday. December is still when searches for Christmas gifts is the highest (those last minute shoppers).

RUN YOUR ADS: mid October to December 20th. 

Wedding Gifts

Searches for wedding gifts are popular all year long but particularly strong in December, November and May (in that order).

RUN YOUR ADS: early November to last week of December; all of May.

LATEST CUSTOMER REVIEW

“Some wonderful ideas to put in place and I know that in time, Gail’s advice will pay off in spades. Many thanks!”. Jill, FantailsandFeet on Etsy.

© 2017 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

My Latest Product SEO Tips

April 12, 2017 /

product SEO TipsHere are some of my latest product SEO tips.

When was the last time you researched how people are searching for your products? People are actually getting very specific about how they search, no longer just entering two or three keyword phrases but sometimes 5 to 10 keyword searches, possibly because they can enter the search phrase via an audio command as opposed to having to type it in.

A great way to find out how people might be currently looking for your types of products is to go to the most popular marketplace, Amazon, and use their auto-complete feature to see the searches that fill down.

Long Tail Product Search Phrases

For example, look at these popular very long-tail searches I found on Amazon:

  • Dog toys for aggressive chewers
  • Cute desk accessories for women gold
  • Galaxy s7 edge case with screen protector
  • Best hair growth products for women that actually work
  • Leggings for women with designs
  • Nose ring studs l shaped gold
  • One piece swimsuit with words for women
  • Elephant shower curtain black and white
  • Baby girl clothes 3-6 months summer dress
  • Tapestry wall hanging black and white tree

As you can see from the searches above people are getting very specific, likely because they don’t have a lot of time to look through search results. They know what they are looking for and they want to find it quickly.product seo tips

You can use these long tail search phrases to your advantage as they are so specific offering less competition and a more likely buyer. It can also help you to see the type of features customers are looking for, in case you don’t offer these in your current product offerings. It may also help you to position your products differently, based on consumer needs.

Etsy SEO Tutorial

If you need help mastering Etsy SEO, check out my best selling Etsy SEO Guide.

About Me

Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.online marketing consultant

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

I also have a wide variety of business & marketing downloads you can check out at my Shopify store.

More SEO Posts

 

 

 

 

© 2017 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Product SEO Tips

Easy Ways to Expand Your Product Line

April 4, 2017 /

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

Are you feeling stagnant and wondering how you can take your current design talents and use them for other products? You would surprised at how you could easily venture into other, potentially more lucrative markets.

For example, let’s say you’re a jewelry designer. Take a look at this $1,200 beaded chandelier below, and see how your talents would lend nicely to a product of this nature.

Are you a wood worker? I bet you never thought you could find success in the popular market for nursery night lights, but it is actually quite simple if you simply adhere your wooden design to the night-light base. The ones below sell for $32 each.

Are you a painter but canvas, paper and walls are getting a little boring for you? How about trying the trendy water bottle market, like this $38 art water bottle below?

Maybe you work with marble and you’re getting a little tired of just making cutting boards. Then how about a sleek and classic $98 marble shelf?

Do you knit or crochet and want to avoid the season lull once sweater season is over? Two great ways to use your skills are a $285 hammock or a $210 dream catcher.

So, I hope these ideas have inspired you, if you are finding that you are just not making it in your current market. Another thing that might help you is my Product Consultation, where I inspire you with fresh ideas based on market demand, current trends and unique offerings that will set your business apart.

© 2017 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

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