As we transition from Day 4, where we primarily focused on product creation and tapping into the power of social media, Day 5 beckons you to widen your horizons and explore innovative strategies.
Day 5: Diversifying Avenues and Delivering Added Value
Start your day by tapping into the visual wonderland that is Pinterest; a platform teeming with potential customers awaiting your unique printables. But while it’s crucial to ride current trends, it’s equally vital to innovate.
Let’s brainstorm and think outside the proverbial box to add fresh and exciting printables to your repertoire. And why restrict yourself to Etsy alone? Consider expanding your sales avenues to platforms like Amazon, Shopify, and even your website.
But with growth comes the responsibility of guiding your customers. Delve into creating handy tutorials to ensure your customers make the most of your products.
Lastly, who doesn’t love a good deal?
Explore the magic of discounts to not just reward your loyal customer base, but also to attract new eyes. Day 5 is all about broadening scope and enhancing customer experience. Dive in!
Step 1: Start Creating Pins of Your products for Pinterest Boards
Pinterest isn’t just a regular social media platform; it’s a powerful visual discovery engine. Here’s how you can maximize its potential:
- Ensure your product images are of high resolution and look appealing. Use templates or tools to add text overlays, detailing special offers or product features. Strategic pin design can work wonders for free traffic generation!
- Consider using Rich Pins. These pins pull metadata directly from your website, providing more context about the pin, and they can lead directly to sales.
- Group Boards: Join relevant group boards where a community of pinners share their content. This will give your products a broader audience.
- Just like Google, Pinterest has its own SEO. Research and utilize relevant keywords in your pins’ titles and descriptions to improve their discoverability.
- Showcase a walkthrough or a how-to-use video for your printables. They can be more engaging than static images.
- Repin, comment, and interact with pins in your niche to increase your visibility and show that your brand is active.
Step 2: Think Outside the Box for Future Printables By Innovating And Expanding Your Range
Consistent innovation can keep your Etsy shop fresh and attract both returning and new customers.
- Trending Topics: Pay attention to cultural moments or popular trends. For instance, during a specific TV show's popular season, you could create themed printables related to it.
- User Feedback: Engage with your customers. Ask them what they'd like to see next, or if there’s any additional printables that would be useful for them.
- Expand on Current Themes: If a particular printable theme is popular, consider making a "series." If planner printables are a hit, introduce themed planners for different occasions or purposes.
- Interactive Content: Think about how you can make your printables more interactive. Perhaps you could offer customizable elements or sections where users can fill in their own information.
- Surveys & Polls: Conduct surveys or polls on your social media channels or through email newsletters. Find out what your audience is interested in or what they might need in the future.
- Stay Updated: Regularly peruse blogs, forums, or groups related to printables. They can be a goldmine for understanding what people are currently seeking.
Always remember, innovation doesn’t always mean inventing something new; sometimes, it’s about refining and expanding what you already offer in ways that best serve your customer’s evolving needs.
Step 3: Expand Your Business to Sell Elsewhere To Power Growth
Building a business solely on one platform can be limiting. While starting on Etsy gives you a great foundation, broadening your horizons by expanding to multiple platforms can help ensure business stability and increase revenue streams.
Here’s a more detailed approach to expanding your printable business:
- Amazon Handmade: Tailored for artisans to sell their unique, handcrafted products. Consider this as a complementary marketplace to Etsy.
- Merch by Amazon: Allows you to sell print-on-demand designs without inventory or upfront costs. A good fit if you want to translate your printables into merchandise.
- Omnichannel Selling: Integrate your Shopify store with other sales channels like Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram.
- Personal Storefront: Unlike Etsy or Amazon, Shopify lets you create a personal online store. You have more control over branding, design, and customer experience.
- Complete Control: From branding to SEO, you decide every aspect.
- Direct Customer Relationships: Build and manage your own email list, providing special offers or insights without platform constraints.
- Profit Margins: No third-party fees. While there are hosting and maintenance costs, you save on marketplace transaction fees.
- Targeted Audience: Particularly effective if your printables cater to the business community, professionals, or jobseekers.
- Networking: Connect directly with influencers, businesses, and other professionals.
- Content Sharing: Share blog posts, articles, or infographics related to your printables, establishing you as an authority in your niche.
- Redbubble & Teespring: These print-on-demand platforms allow you to expand your designs into apparel, stationery, and home decor.
- Gumroad & Sellfy: Platforms focused on digital products, great for selling printables.
The Many Benefits of Diversification
Diversifying your sales platforms offers several key advantages for your business. One of the primary benefits is stability. By distributing your products across multiple platforms, you reduce the risk associated with relying on a single marketplace.
If one platform experiences a slowdown, faces technical issues, or changes its policies in a way that impacts your store, your overall revenue remains safeguarded because you have alternative sources of income.
Another crucial advantage is the expanded reach.
Each platform has its unique user base and demographic. By positioning your products on various platforms, you are ensuring they’re seen by a broader and more diverse audience.
This strategy not only increases the potential for higher sales but also fosters brand visibility and recognition across different online communities.
Lastly, adaptability is a significant benefit of diversification. Different platforms offer distinct features and advantages. By selling on multiple platforms, you can leverage the unique strengths of each.
For instance, while Etsy might be great for reaching a community passionate about handcrafted items, Shopify allows you a greater degree of customization and branding control. This adaptability ensures you’re always positioned to provide the best shopping experience for your customers, tailored to each platform’s strengths.
Remember, while expanding can be advantageous, it’s also essential not to spread yourself too thin. Choose platforms that align with your business goals, target audience, and capacity to manage. Each platform will require its own strategy, so make sure you’re equipped to tackle the learning curve and operational demands of each.
Step 4: Create Tutorials for Using Your Products
Understanding how to utilize a product to its fullest potential can enhance the user experience considerably.
When selling printables, it’s important to recognize that not all your customers are tech-savvy. They might face challenges in simple operations, such as downloading, printing, or customizing the product.
This is where tutorials can be a game-changer.
By offering step-by-step guides or video demonstrations, you not only ease the customer’s journey but also establish your brand as a thoughtful and customer-centric one.
Detailed tutorials can cover various aspects:
- Downloading and Printing: Walk customers through the downloading process and provide best practices for printing – paper recommendations, printer settings, etc.
- Customization Tips: Share creative ways to personalize the printables, be it through digital tools or by hand.
- Unique Use Cases: Showcase innovative ways your printables can be used, perhaps ways that a customer hasn't even thought of.
Platforms like YouTube are ideal for longer, in-depth tutorials. Simultaneously, short and snappy tips can be shared on social media platforms like Instagram Reels or TikTok.
These platforms also act as marketing channels, driving traffic back to your shop.
By addressing the challenges your customers might face, you’re fostering trust and enhancing their overall buying experience.
Step 5: Use Special Discounts to Spike Sales
Promotions and discounts have long been effective strategies in retail to increase sales volumes. In the digital marketplace, these techniques can be employed with precision, targeting specific user behaviors.
On Etsy, one particularly potent tool is the “abandoned cart” coupon. Shopping cart abandonment is a common e-commerce phenomenon where a visitor adds an item to their cart but doesn’t proceed with the purchase.
By offering these potential buyers a tailored discount, you’re providing an incentive for them to complete the transaction.
Apart from abandoned cart strategies, consider other promotional methods:
- Bulk Purchase Discounts: If a customer buys multiple products or a certain quantity, offer them a discount. This encourages larger purchases.
- Loyalty Discounts: Reward repeat customers with special offers. This not only incentivizes them to make more purchases but also strengthens their bond with your brand.
- Seasonal or Festive Sales: Align your promotions with popular shopping seasons or holidays to attract more customers.
While offering discounts can boost sales, it’s essential to strike a balance. Ensure your discounted price still covers your costs and yields a profit. Regularly review the effectiveness of your discounts to optimize your strategies over time.
