Category: My Marketing Advice (Page 12 of 26)

7 Reasons People Aren’t Buying Your Products

February 22, 2017 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

I have often talked about how, on average, at least 1% of traffic should convert into a sale. It’s not a hard and fast rule because there are many factors that come into play, but, typically if 100 people view a product listing of yours, you should get at least 1 sale.

If this is not happening, you have a problem.

While 1% is average, a very good conversion rate is 2 to 5%, but again, for this to happen you have to make sure you have done the following:

Do You Match Your Competition Feature for Feature?

Maybe someone sees a necklace you are selling, for example, and likes it, but they want it in gold not silver, can you honor their request? Otherwise, they will keep looking.

Have You Left Out Vital Information?

Have you mentioned all the particulars such as colors, sizes, weight, materials, etc.? Don’t make the customer search for the information or feel they have to ask; they won’t.

Are You Priced Comparable to Your Direct Competition?

If you are too priced high the buyer will keep shopping around. If you are priced too low, the buyer worries about the quality.

Are Your Shipping Charges Crazy High?

This is a deal breaker for many as shipping is seen as throw away money to a customer. Shipping should never be more than 20% of the price. If you can’t do that, work some of the shipping back into the price.

Have You Created a Sense of Trust with the Buyer?

Things such as good reviews, publicity in mainstream media, business awards, easy return policy, all help to ease the buying decision. There are many customers who will not buy from a seller with no return policy, it is too risky.

Is Your Product Photography Top Quality?

Do your photos help to show the size and scale (how many times have you read reviews where people say the product was much smaller than they thought)? Do you have photos that zoom in on the details? Remember, they are buying it without seeing it or touching it, or you have to provide that same experience.

Maybe It’s One Little Thing

Sometimes there are just little things that are turning off buyers, but you are just too close to your business to be objective. This is where I can help with my very affordable Phone Consultations. I have an average conversion rate of 11%, so I will tell you exactly why people aren’t buying and what you need to change.

20 Creative Real Estate Social Media Posts

January 2, 2017 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Want to keep the followers of your real estate business engaged and continue to follow you long after the sale?

Here are 20 creative real estate posts for social media from my best-selling 365 Social Media Posting Ideas for Real Estate Agents.

20 Social Media Ideas for Real Estate Agents

Post “Your Home’s Monthly To-Do List” with things homeowners need to do this month.
Download on Etsy
Post 3 hot home decor or design trends for the new year. Quote a local designer and have them share your post on their social media sites as well, giving you free exposure to their clients.
Post of a photo of a house staging fail #HouseStagingFailoftheMonth.
Post 3 reasons why you should rent your home over selling it.
Post a poll asking followers how much they plan to spend on home renovations this year.
Post a photo of a favorite winter cabin for #CabinoftheMonth.
Post the 3 best cities to move to when retiring.
Post a helpful moving tip for #MonthlyMovingTip.
Post a photo of a house with amazing curb appeal for #CurbAppealoftheMonth.
Post 5 color swatches of your favorite go-to paint colors.
Post 3 tips to save on a bathroom remodel, again quoting a local contractor so they will also share.
Post 3 key steps in “Building a Real Estate Portfolio”.
Post a photo of a favorite house for sale (nation wide) under $150,000
#AffordableHouseoftheMonth.
Post 3 fireplace makeovers for #TransformationTuesday.
Post a photo of a favorite house for sale (nation wide) over $2 million #MillionDollarHouseoftheMonth.
Post 3 tips on buying mortgage insurance.
Post your own listing of the month for #HouseoftheMonth.
Post 3 of your favorite home security systems, giving #shoutouts to the brands.
Post a photo of an organized kitchen pantry for #KitchenPantryoftheMonth.
Post photos of 3 of the best coffee tables for a small space for #apartment living.

Are you inspired? Get the rest of the ideas, one for every day of the year, in my best-selling 365 Social Media Posting Ideas for Real Estate Agents.

Be sure to also read: Killer Real Estate Marketing Ideas

If you want more marketing ideas, be sure to also check out my 12-Month Marketing Plan for Real Estate Agents.

Packaging inserts are a simple way to get people coming back to you for more business.

I imagine most of you are gearing up for the busy holiday selling season and you want to maximize sales as much as possible. But what you also want to be doing, is getting your customers to come back and buy from you for Valentine’s and Mother’s Day, the other two big gifting holidays.

Therefore, think about including an insert in each package that you send out to a customer. I’m not really taking a business cards or a coupon, but something the customer will keep, maybe even put on a wall, their desk, the fridge, etc., so that they will remember your business.

Some Creative Ideas for Package Inserts

If you sell kid’s products include a coloring sheet for the kids.
If you sell travel related products, include a “What to Pack” travel checklist.
If you sell home decor include a list of “Top 10 White Paint Colors“.
If you sell literary-related products, include a list of “10 Classic Books to Read in 2022″.
If you sell food or kitchen products, include a recipe.
If you sell beauty products, include a make-up tutorial printout.
If you sell fitness products, include a printout of yoga poses.
If you sell real estate, a list of the top trades in the area (you could even get ad revenue for this).

Other Ideas

A blank checklist that says, “My Resolutions for 2022“.
A 2022 calendar page.
An inspirational quote typography print.

All of these items are very simple to create using sites like Canva, Creative Market or your own graphic design skills. Now, for this to work, you have to make sure that your shop name and url are at the bottom of the insert. The key is that customers like getting “extras” in the package and if you can use them as marketing collateral, why not.

Need more creative marketing ideas specific just for your small business? I can help, so please check out my very affordable marketing services.

How Offering Weekly Specials Can Increase Your Sales

October 14, 2016 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

When I was working in the head office of a major grocery store chain I remember the president asking one of the store managers how sales were going and his response was, “The only thing that sells well are the specials”.

So, if your sales are hurting, have you thought about adopting the grocery store model of offering weekly specials? Now I don’t mean a weekly special across your whole shop, that would defeat the purpose. I mean just a few select products that are “on special” that particular week.

“On special” is little different from something being “on sale”. When something is “on sale”, it makes it sound like it has been permanently reduced in price. Therefore, unless there is a limited stock available, customers still don’t see the urgency to buy, and may wait to see if the price goes down further.

A “special offer” makes it sound like it is just for a limited time and it doesn’t always have to be just a price reduction. It can be a free gift, free shipping, free personalization or a free service.

Some Examples of Weekly Special Offers:

The Body Shop likes to offer specials such as, “Get any 3 Mini Body Butters for $10 ($18 value)” or “Complimentary Body Butter with your $60+ Purchase”.
Old Navy likes to offer specials such as, “This Week Only $15 Dresses”
J. Crew likes to offer specials such as, “30% off all jewelry” (in other words, just a particular shop section is on special).
Payless Shoes is known for their BOGO special, “Buy One, Get One Half Off” that they only offer every now and then.

Plus, if your customers see that you make a habit of offering weekly specials, like the grocery stores do, they may be more likely to check back with your store more often to see what the special is this week. Offering weekly specials will not only potentially increase your sales, but also your return customer business, so give it a try.

My Weekly Special!

october-online-cover As we are already half way through the month, my October Marketing
Plan for Online Shops (or Etsy Shops) is on special for $7 (regular $12) but only until October 20th when November’s Plan
comes out.

This Simple Trick Will Jumpstart Your Online Business

September 28, 2016 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

I have been doing a lot of phone consultations this week advising my clients that sometimes you need to do something for FREE in order to jumpstart your business.

this-simple-trick-will-jumpstart-online-business

For example, I give away free advice every week on this blog. While some people seem to think I’m just doing this for fun, no, this is my business but I realize in order to earn your trust as a customer, I have to give something for free first to prove that I know what I am talking about.

It’s no different when you are selling online where potential customers can hesitate to make that first purchase from you for so many reasons, but they will take something for free.

Now, don’t just blatantly give away anything for free without there being something in the offer that also benefits your business.

For example, doing a free giveaway of one of your products on social media is a great way to get people to notice your shop. The correct way to do it is to tell people that in order to enter the giveaway, they have to like and share the post. This way you are essentially advertising your shop to all of their followers for just the cost of one of your products (just to clarify, you are not giving away free products to everyone, you will draw a name from those who shared and liked the post at the end of the month).

I realize not every business may have a product that they can give away for free, therefore, in these cases you can consider giving a complimentary product for free or a service for free. One of the tips I give in my October Marketing Plan is to offer a free Christmas printable download, like holiday gift tags. This you can offer to everyone. Again, make the offer in a Facebook post asking people to share and like the post in order to receive the printable. The benefit here is that you get to make a personal connection with a potential new customer, as well as the exposure to their followers.

As I said, the key is to never just give something for free and get nothing in return. This is why people offer buy one, get one free offers because at least you get the one sale. Same with free shipping, don’t just offer free shipping, only offer it on orders over $50 or $100, because now there is an incentive to get the customer to buy more. Other ideas include free engraving with the purchase of 2 or more necklaces, free gift with purchase of $50 or more, free gift wrapping on purchases made before October 31st – you get the idea.

My October Marketing Plan for Online Shops (or Etsy Shops) is the best october-online-cover $12 you will every spend to really drive traffic and sales next month at your online shop.

Holiday Product Ideas for Your Online Shop

September 20, 2016 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

Are you ready to be inspired? My post today is definitely going to get you thinking! Christmas is the biggest buying season of the year, and, as an online shop, it provides you with new selling opportunities, particularly for holiday and Christmas-related products. Here are some ideas to consider:

holiday-products-ideas-for-your-online-shop

Christmas Decor Products

Think about all the places people want to decorate for Christmas. Beyond the obvious such as the holiday table, the mantle, the door, the tree and the exterior of the home, also realize that kids want to decorate their bedrooms, teens want to decorate their lockers, college students want holiday décor for their dorm rooms, and a lot of people want Christmas in every room of the house from the kitchen to the bathroom. Another hot trend is office cubicle decorating parties to bring a little festive fun to the workplace.

Holiday Card Photos

People are planning now for their holiday card photo, so they are looking for coordinating hats and outfits and they want a cool card design. Even if they don’t have a formal photo planned, just think of how people will be documenting every little aspect of Christmas day on Instagram. Holiday-related photography props could be huge!

Christmas Flavors & Scents

I think (and hope) the Pumpkin Spice Latte trend will start to fall off after this year because it is getting a little old, but Christmas does offer you opportunities to add flavors and scents to your products if applicable – gingerbread, candy cane, sugar cookie, christmas cookie, peppermint, eggnog, fruitcake, mulled wine, cranberry, nutmeg, eucalyptus, white spruce and apple cider are all the hot ones, but try combining two or more to really be unique. Peppermint Cranberry Eggnog anyone?

Christmas Fashion

Now, there is tasteful Christmas fashion, such as outfits needed for the holiday photo or something stylish to wear to the office party, and there is also the more whimsical Christmas fashion where everyone in the family wants to be draped in something with a Christmas theme (for those photos mentioned above). From ugly Christmas sweaters for your dog to “My First Christmas” baby bibs to light up Christmas tree earrings to family Christmas onesies – stretch your imagination to see if you can come up with the next hot fashion item for the holidays that is sure to attract press and attention on social media.

Christmas Movies and Songs

Quotes from classic movies and Christmas carols will once again find themselves emblazed across everything from napkins to t-shirts to mugs to phone cases. Which of your products could feature a memorable Christmas phrase?

Christmas Nostalgia

If you sell vintage, you still have plenty of opportunities at the holidays because people love reminders of their childhood Christmas. So dig up or even reinvent as many popular holiday items from Christmas past including vintage Christmas ornaments, art, cards, dinnerware, elves and toys.

Christmas Weddings

Wedding shops, these will be busy months for you as well as brides who are having a Christmas wedding will be shopping in October and November for Christmas place cards, Christmas cake toppers, Christmas pew bows and Christmas wedding programs.

Hanukkah and Kwanzaa Celebrations

Obviously not everyone celebrates Christmas and there are millions of people celebrating Hanukkah (December 24 to January 1) and Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1st), so you may want to consider adding unique items reflecting these celebrations to your shop as well.

If you need creative ideas on how to market your shop for holiday buyers, including new products to add, try my 30-Minute Phone Consultation and I’ll come up with a ton of ideas! Be sure to also get my October Marketing Plan, which includes a Holiday Shop Checklist!

What To Do When Your Products Aren’t Selling

August 24, 2016 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

I have advised thousands of online shops, and a common problem is not being able to recognize why your products are not selling and what to do. It is tough when it’s your own shop because you are too close to it to be objective.

what to do when products aren't selling

If the traffic to your shop is good, then you have to look at your prices, your shipping charges, your turnaround time, your reputation (negative reviews hurt sales), and most of all, your products.

So I am going to focus on your products and pretend that I sell wooden cutting boards so you can see what I mean.

Offer More of Your Best Sellers

What is your top seller(s)? This is the product you should look to for inspiration. Can you spin it off into more products, more colors, more shapes, more sizes, whatever the case may be. Why do you think there are so many coffee options at a Starbucks? So if my best seller is a wooden cutting board in the shape of Texas, then maybe I want to consider offering cutting boards that looks like the Texas state flag or a famous Texas landmark. Stick with what works.

Expand Your Target Market

I have always reminded my customers not to focus solely on the most obvious customer. Is your product suitable for businesses? In other words, have you thought about selling your wooden cutting boards to restaurants and cafes for serving the bread of other types of appetizers? Maybe you can customize the board with their logo (free advertising for them when people are taking a selfie of their food). Have you strictly been targeting women buyers? Maybe men would like a cutting board for their barbecue (they do, see next point).

Stay Innovative

Do your products have a lot of competition? In other words, are there other shops selling exactly what you sell? Then you need to delve back into product development and find out what customers are looking for. Therefore, if I sold cutting boards I would go over to Google autocomplete and type “cutting board that” “cutting board with” and “cutting board for” and see the searches that fill in. Some searches I found were:

Cutting board that catches juices
Cutting board that weighs what you cut
Cutting board with handle
Cutting board with recipe engraved
Cutting board for brisket
Cutting board for bread
Cutting board for sushi

I now have 7 new product ideas based on actual requests.

Gather Insight from Others’ Reviews

While you should definitely be reading your own reviews for insight into your products, you should also venture over to Amazon and read the reviews of your competitors’ products. Reading some reviews on wooden cutting boards, I found that people were unhappy when the board eventually split, the surface warped or it was too small. Things people raved about was when the board was easy to carry, didn’t take up much counter space and could be used for serving as well as chopping. Make sure your products have all the things customers want and none of the things they don’t.

Not sure why your products are not selling and need my advice? Try my Marketing Tune-Up. Are you an Etsy Shop? Check out my Etsy services.

Do You Match Your Competition Feature for Feature?

Have You Left Out Vital Information?

Are You Priced Comparable to Your Direct Competition?

Are Your Shipping Charges Crazy High?

Have You Created a Sense of Trust with the Buyer?

Is Your Product Photography Top Quality?

Maybe It’s One Little Thing

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20 Social Media Ideas for Real Estate Agents

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Some Creative Ideas for Package Inserts

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Some Examples of Weekly Special Offers:

My Weekly Special!

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Christmas Decor Products

Holiday Card Photos

Christmas Flavors & Scents

Christmas Fashion

Christmas Movies and Songs

Christmas Nostalgia

Christmas Weddings

Hanukkah and Kwanzaa Celebrations

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Offer More of Your Best Sellers

Expand Your Target Market

Stay Innovative

Gather Insight from Others’ Reviews

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