417 – The Role of Your Website in Your Handmade Product Business
What is the role of your website in your handmade product business? Let’s talk about this, because my answer may surprise you.
The biggest misconception of eCommerce is the idea that putting up a website is the “do all, end all” of getting sales online. In reality, it’s just the beginning.
Many people are shocked when they put so much time into getting their website set up, and designing the perfect layout before finally pushing the live button … but no sales come in.
This situation is one I’m often asked to talk about at trade shows. Given that, I decided to record an audio version of my presentation on the purpose of your website, so you can take advantage of this information, too.
My goal today is to get you thinking about your website and overall online presence in a whole new way.
The Role Of Your Website In Your Handmade Product Business
In this episode, you’ll hear …
- Your overall approach to marketing + 6 different channels you can use
- The true purpose of your website
- How your website is your HQ and all the roles it can fill
- The sections and content your site should have
- What your website can and can’t do for you
- Two strategies for attracting people to your site
- and (of course), more!
Tune into this special episode with Sue to discover the true role of your website and start making it really work for you!
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
Join our community of handmade product makers
Gift Biz Breeze is an active and inspiring group of creators at all levels of business development. Ask questions, see what others are working on, and learn new things. It’s all there and we’re waiting for you to join us!
Finally, would you please leave a review? Thanks!
It helps other makers like you find the show and build their businesses too. You can do so right here: Rate This Podcast
Transcript
Gift is Unwrapped.
Speaker:Episode 417,
Speaker:what would you say is the job of your website?
Speaker:If you automatically answer that,
Speaker:it's so you can capture online sales.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:you're right,
Speaker:but its role can and should be so much more Attention.
Speaker:Gifters, bakers,
Speaker:crafters and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one
Speaker:now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is Gift Biz Unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources and the support you need to grow your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host Gift Biz gal Sue Moon Height.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue and as always,
Speaker:thank you for joining me here today.
Speaker:This episode is gonna be a little bit different than what
Speaker:I normally do in my guest spots because I'm gonna share
Speaker:with you a presentation that I've taken on the road and
Speaker:am often asked to present when I'm out at trade shows.
Speaker:I thought it would be valuable to you and answer a
Speaker:question that a lot of people struggle with.
Speaker:We'll get into that in a minute,
Speaker:but first,
Speaker:we've covered so many facets of a handmade product business over
Speaker:the course of the years and today is no exception.
Speaker:We've talked about how to start and grow your business stories
Speaker:from many of you who have done just that.
Speaker:How to choose and use social media sites,
Speaker:build your website.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:there is just so much information here for you,
Speaker:but not necessarily at your fingertips.
Speaker:So I've made a tool for you that categorizes by topic
Speaker:the episodes of this podcast,
Speaker:but only the ones that stay relevant over time because yes,
Speaker:let's face it,
Speaker:there are past shows that just don't work anymore for us
Speaker:today. The world is changing so fast,
Speaker:right? You can use this tool to zero in on whatever
Speaker:topic you need at the moment.
Speaker:Do you wanna hear from others in your specific industry?
Speaker:How about details on Pinterest or setting up an email strategy?
Speaker:You can now easily find the right episodes and create your
Speaker:priority listening roster.
Speaker:Consider this your Gift Biz resource center at a glance.
Speaker:It's a Google Sheet best viewable on your computer versus your
Speaker:phone. Make sure to look on the bottom where there are
Speaker:five separate sections for easy topic reference,
Speaker:kind of like chapters of a book.
Speaker:It makes finding the shows to help you with what you're
Speaker:working on right now.
Speaker:So much easier to access this free resource,
Speaker:go to gift biz unwrap.com/topics.
Speaker:The biggest misconception of e-commerce,
Speaker:it's the idea that putting up a website is the do
Speaker:all end all to getting sales online.
Speaker:It's really just the beginning,
Speaker:but if you follow this line of thinking,
Speaker:don't worry,
Speaker:you're not alone.
Speaker:Many people are shocked when they put so much time into
Speaker:getting their website up,
Speaker:designing the perfect layout,
Speaker:finally pushing that live button and no sales come in.
Speaker:This situation is one I'm often asked to talk about at
Speaker:trade shows,
Speaker:given that I decided to record an audio version of my
Speaker:presentation on the purpose of your website so that you can
Speaker:take advantage of this information too.
Speaker:My goal is to get you thinking about your website,
Speaker:an overall online presence in a whole new way.
Speaker:First, we're going to cover your overall approach to online marketing
Speaker:and then talk about the true role of your website and
Speaker:what it can and can't do for you.
Speaker:Then we'll dive into two strategies for finding and attracting people
Speaker:to your site because people first need to know you're there
Speaker:before you even have a chance to get sales.
Speaker:With regard to your overall approach to online marketing,
Speaker:there are two directions people take knowingly or unknowingly.
Speaker:The first and most common is multi-channel marketing.
Speaker:I'm sure you've heard before the importance of having multiple sales
Speaker:channels by example.
Speaker:This happens when you sell face-to-face at craft shows and then
Speaker:also have a shop online.
Speaker:These would be two different sources from which sales can come
Speaker:in. You can have multiple website channels too.
Speaker:You may sell direct to consumer on Etsy and also through
Speaker:fair for wholesale.
Speaker:Lots of different combinations exist online,
Speaker:of course,
Speaker:with multi-channel marketing.
Speaker:Each of these is treated as a single entity and works
Speaker:independently of the others.
Speaker:Another approach is called omnichannel marketing.
Speaker:With this strategy,
Speaker:all channels work together and support each other in unison.
Speaker:I'd like to give a visual about the difference between these
Speaker:two channels using fruit.
Speaker:Multichannel marketing is represented with a number of bowls each containing
Speaker:a single different fruit.
Speaker:Strawberries, bananas,
Speaker:blueberries, blackberries,
Speaker:pineapple, all in their own bowls With omnichannel marketing,
Speaker:your fruit is all mixed together in one big bowl of
Speaker:healthy freshness,
Speaker:bright and bold in presentation and flavor.
Speaker:Omnichannel marketing is an important concept to understand because when you
Speaker:employ this strategy,
Speaker:it results in shoppers spending 15% more per purchase.
Speaker:Lifetime value of customers is 30% higher too,
Speaker:and brands who sell through multiple channels generate 190% more revenue
Speaker:than single channel merchants.
Speaker:That's almost double when you add synergy.
Speaker:By having one channel play off another,
Speaker:it can be even greater.
Speaker:So there's your definition of multichannel marketing and omnichannel marketing as
Speaker:it relates to your overall sales strategy.
Speaker:We'll come back to this later.
Speaker:Now let's move on to the role of your website and
Speaker:a side note here.
Speaker:When I say your website,
Speaker:I'm talking about one that you own,
Speaker:like a shop you would create on Shopify,
Speaker:not one controlled through a third party.
Speaker:It's under your own company domain and you have full control
Speaker:over all facets of its appearance and functionality.
Speaker:This is your ultimate goal.
Speaker:Now, it's okay to start with only a single online presence
Speaker:through a third party site.
Speaker:I know many of you do,
Speaker:but eventually you wanna add your own for the most foundational
Speaker:stability for your business.
Speaker:This type of website is what we'll be talking about from
Speaker:here on out your own website and how to get the
Speaker:most impact and power out of it.
Speaker:So in thinking of that,
Speaker:what would you say is the job of your website?
Speaker:If you automatically answer that,
Speaker:it's so you can capture online sales.
Speaker:Of course you're right,
Speaker:but its role can and should be so much more.
Speaker:I want you to think of your website in an entirely
Speaker:different way.
Speaker:Think of it as the online headquarters of your company.
Speaker:Just as with a physical corporate headquarter building,
Speaker:your website can hold all departments just like that.
Speaker:Large enterprise.
Speaker:Here are the departments of such a building and how they
Speaker:correlate to what you can do online.
Speaker:Your reception area is an introduction banner and your about page,
Speaker:your public relations department is your schedule for craft shows,
Speaker:live, social media links,
Speaker:a culmination of all the articles you've been in,
Speaker:so an in the media section and blog articles.
Speaker:Customer service is your navigation bars,
Speaker:contact us section and q and a page.
Speaker:Sales department is products descriptions and your checkout process.
Speaker:Your legal department online is your privacy policy and terms of
Speaker:use and of course your production department,
Speaker:which is product customization,
Speaker:order fulfillment and shipping and handling processes.
Speaker:Use this as a model for what to include as you
Speaker:create or enhance your website.
Speaker:This online headquarters of yours should be the destination to which
Speaker:all communication flows.
Speaker:Social posts should link to your website where they'd find blog
Speaker:articles, product highlights,
Speaker:or other relevant content related to that post sweepstakes or challenges
Speaker:that you do should have a pop-up or entry form right
Speaker:on your site that you direct people to,
Speaker:to sign up,
Speaker:send people to your website for upcoming shows where they can
Speaker:meet you in person.
Speaker:And of course the most up-to-date information with lists,
Speaker:dates, and locations is on your website and email links too
Speaker:should all point there.
Speaker:This means you have to have everything set up there of
Speaker:course, but once you do,
Speaker:you can direct people to your site along with reasons why
Speaker:it's beneficial for them to go there.
Speaker:See and byproducts,
Speaker:get a freebie,
Speaker:enter a contest,
Speaker:read an article.
Speaker:Remember, you have to invite people to go over to your
Speaker:website and the best way to do this is give them
Speaker:a reason along with directions to get there,
Speaker:which is your url.
Speaker:Of course.
Speaker:Hopefully you have a URL that's simple and easy to remember
Speaker:as close to your company name as possible.
Speaker:Best is a perfect match and with the.com
Speaker:extension, because we all still default to that now,
Speaker:how do you find people to direct over to your website?
Speaker:We'll talk about two ways to accomplish this.
Speaker:The first being building your audience directly and the second tapping
Speaker:into others' audiences.
Speaker:I want you to reflect on some of your past purchases.
Speaker:How and where did you learn about the product initially?
Speaker:Did you see it multiple times before you wanted to know
Speaker:more? Was your decision to purchase one product different from the
Speaker:way you decided to purchase another?
Speaker:You'll recognize in your own behavior that you follow multiple checkpoints
Speaker:and different paths to every order that you place.
Speaker:You may be introduced to a bakery shop owner at a
Speaker:networking meeting.
Speaker:Then you see a Facebook post from that same business.
Speaker:You're curious,
Speaker:so you visit the website,
Speaker:then decide to gather there for your next coffee meetup where
Speaker:you of course buy your coffee in scone or you find
Speaker:a website through Google search,
Speaker:look around a bit and pop off.
Speaker:Then an Instagram ad comes up and you decide to purchase
Speaker:those earrings you were attracted to initially,
Speaker:or you're talking with a friend about getting new shoes for
Speaker:an upcoming trip.
Speaker:They recommend a brand that provides exactly what you want and
Speaker:they tell you how much they love their shoes done.
Speaker:No more looking.
Speaker:You are ready to buy.
Speaker:All these examples.
Speaker:Use a different number and type of touchpoint that walk a
Speaker:customer to an order.
Speaker:It's kind of like direction signs along a hiking trail.
Speaker:If they don't show up as you're walking along at different
Speaker:points, you might get lost.
Speaker:Likewise, if you don't use these stepping stones in all sorts
Speaker:of places along your sales process,
Speaker:you may at first capture a customer's attention,
Speaker:but then they disappear.
Speaker:That's the value of using all sorts of channels in combination
Speaker:with each other,
Speaker:and that's why this type of marketing brings the higher results.
Speaker:I stated earlier,
Speaker:omnichannel marketing at its best.
Speaker:I wanted to pause this discussion for a second to let
Speaker:you know that I recognize you may be feeling overwhelmed right
Speaker:now. I mean,
Speaker:I bring on great guests who are specialists in their fields
Speaker:and we get into fabulous conversations that you know can help
Speaker:grow your business.
Speaker:So after the show,
Speaker:you have the full intention of grabbing a download,
Speaker:making an adjustment on your website or any number of other
Speaker:ideas that arise as a result of this podcast,
Speaker:but what happens?
Speaker:You get back to your other activities and the momentum you
Speaker:once had gets lost.
Speaker:What you've planned to do is forgotten.
Speaker:Then you feel bad because your business is going on as
Speaker:usual without implementing anything that you know would help grow your
Speaker:business. We're just too busy doing all the things like a
Speaker:robot moving from one thing to another without thinking because we
Speaker:have to.
Speaker:I get it,
Speaker:I've been there,
Speaker:but guess what?
Speaker:There is another way.
Speaker:Since I recognized this exact behavior in my own business,
Speaker:I set out to do something about it and now what
Speaker:works for me.
Speaker:I'm sharing with you.
Speaker:I formalized the process and it's called the inspired daily planner,
Speaker:made specifically for gifters,
Speaker:bakers, crafters and makers,
Speaker:but it's not your ordinary planner.
Speaker:First off,
Speaker:it comes with a video explaining my productivity strategy.
Speaker:Plus it's not dated so you can start using your planner
Speaker:the second it arrives at your doorstep and that's not all
Speaker:included for each day is a motivational message or business building
Speaker:tip and plenty of space to capture and book in time
Speaker:for to-dos,
Speaker:schedule appointments and all those other ideas that are now getting
Speaker:lost. Think of it as a book and a planner all
Speaker:in one,
Speaker:yet compact enough to carry with you and resource as necessary.
Speaker:It's the perfect solution to truly act and move your business
Speaker:forward. Go to gift biz unwrap.com/inspired
Speaker:to get your hard copy planner along with my power of
Speaker:purpose video that will set you on the path for true
Speaker:business growth.
Speaker:This makes a great gift too,
Speaker:so if you have a biz bestie,
Speaker:pick up a planner for them too.
Speaker:That link again is gift biz unwrapped.com/inspired.
Speaker:Okay, let's get back to the show.
Speaker:Let's review six different channels and ideas of what you can
Speaker:do with them so you can further understand how they can
Speaker:work together for you.
Speaker:These channels are in-person shows,
Speaker:social media,
Speaker:networking events,
Speaker:email, text messaging and personal connections.
Speaker:The saying that the hole is greater than the individual sum
Speaker:of its parts comes into play.
Speaker:Here's how to make that happen with these six channels in-person
Speaker:events for in-person events,
Speaker:direct purchasers to go to your website for subsequent orders.
Speaker:Tell them additional sizes and flavors are available online.
Speaker:Suggest they follow you on social for seasonal updates and join
Speaker:your email list for a first look at limited runs and
Speaker:promotions, social media.
Speaker:In social media.
Speaker:Add a link in posts to products on your website or
Speaker:tag posts,
Speaker:reference back to a blog article or promote a show where
Speaker:you'll be displaying and selling product.
Speaker:Better yet,
Speaker:post from the show or do a live video to give
Speaker:people a true sense of your personality and show them your
Speaker:booth. Maybe you'll even get more visitors to that specific show.
Speaker:Another great idea,
Speaker:particularly at in-person shows,
Speaker:but elsewhere too is to promote another business,
Speaker:a fellow chamber member,
Speaker:a craft show booth neighbor or industry partner would be great
Speaker:options here.
Speaker:Networking events.
Speaker:If you're out at a networking event,
Speaker:invite people to come visit you in your store or go
Speaker:to the website for a first time customer discount code or
Speaker:suggest they follow you on social media for a peak behind
Speaker:the scenes or to see the newest designs email.
Speaker:With regard to email,
Speaker:it's very common to incentivize a sale with some type of
Speaker:offer and set up an automated abandoned cart message to recapture
Speaker:interrupted orders.
Speaker:You can also send post sale thank you notes that include
Speaker:bounce back offers also through email.
Speaker:Deepen the relationship with your customers through welcome and get acquainted
Speaker:campaigns and regular weekly communication works wonders to prompt repeat sales,
Speaker:check out recent episodes four 13 and four 15 for a
Speaker:wealth of information on this text messages,
Speaker:SMS or text messaging adds further customer service enhancements to your
Speaker:workflow by answering questions,
Speaker:keeping a customer updated and delivery progress,
Speaker:allowing for follow-up feedback or sending promotion notifications,
Speaker:personal connections.
Speaker:Finally, don't forget your personal connections,
Speaker:people who already know you on a friend level through organization
Speaker:affiliations, make great customers.
Speaker:Talk about your business in social media,
Speaker:sometimes even in your personal accounts.
Speaker:I mean it's a big part of your life,
Speaker:right? Create a refer a friend campaign.
Speaker:Tap into or present a fundraiser program for your children's school
Speaker:or another club that you belong to,
Speaker:and of course remember to talk about lifestyle gifting solutions where
Speaker:your products are a match.
Speaker:Birthdays, new baby celebrations,
Speaker:graduations, weddings,
Speaker:and the list goes on and on.
Speaker:I'm not suggesting that you sell all the time with your
Speaker:friends, but when the opportunity arises and you have a gift
Speaker:solution, make that known.
Speaker:These are all ways to get more people over to your
Speaker:website By activity that you initiate through people you encounter directly
Speaker:or already know,
Speaker:they all use the same foundational elements but through different pathways
Speaker:depending on where they intersect with you for the first time.
Speaker:There's another way to get people's eyeballs over to your website
Speaker:too. You won't be able to encounter these potential customers any
Speaker:other way,
Speaker:and that's by getting in front of others audiences or communities.
Speaker:We'll review three ways to achieve this social media,
Speaker:retail placement and online selling platforms.
Speaker:What you're doing here is making your presence known to groups
Speaker:of people who are brought together by someone else.
Speaker:Facebook groups are an excellent place to find these people where
Speaker:you see a pool of people who could align with your
Speaker:product. Join these groups and become an active member by learning
Speaker:the communication style of the group,
Speaker:adding input with questions or suggestions that are helpful and authentic
Speaker:and basically getting people to recognize and know who you are.
Speaker:Notice I didn't say sell only after you've provided value and
Speaker:created connections,
Speaker:should you bring your product into the mix unless someone specifically
Speaker:asks about it.
Speaker:That is each Facebook group has different rules of engagement.
Speaker:Some are completely selling groups and others aren't,
Speaker:so make sure you follow whatever rules exist.
Speaker:It will take some trial and error to find the best
Speaker:groups, but once you found them,
Speaker:it only takes involvement in a few To start seeing sales
Speaker:come in.
Speaker:You can do this on Instagram too.
Speaker:Tag others in posts or reels with a message that puts
Speaker:them in a good light with luck,
Speaker:they'll share it to their community to get you in front
Speaker:of people you don't know who followed them.
Speaker:Collaboration on social is another opportunity.
Speaker:Do a live selling show to both of your audiences or
Speaker:use the new collab feature on Instagram to provide products and
Speaker:services that benefit both audiences.
Speaker:If you work out of your house,
Speaker:you may have found it difficult to attract your local community
Speaker:even though they're right outside your door.
Speaker:Consider a retail approach approach here.
Speaker:I'm not suggesting you open a retail shop,
Speaker:but you can partner with someone who does have a storefront.
Speaker:Consider wholesale consignment or even artisan co-ops if one is available
Speaker:in your area or start one yourself.
Speaker:Retail placement gives you the advantage of local visibility with foot
Speaker:traffic, but not the costs of all out retail.
Speaker:Yes, you pay in margin for wholesale pricing or take the
Speaker:chance on consignment,
Speaker:but the cost of promotion and ensuring store traffic is on
Speaker:someone else,
Speaker:so it's a trade-off,
Speaker:but gets you seen by new people.
Speaker:Finally, let's talk about using other's online platforms to increase traffic
Speaker:to your own website.
Speaker:This is where other third party storefronts come into play.
Speaker:The thing to remember about these various platforms is that each
Speaker:one is different.
Speaker:They each come with their own set of costs and rules.
Speaker:You don't own your shop there like you do with your
Speaker:own website,
Speaker:rather you rent space from them and are subject to any
Speaker:global changes they impose,
Speaker:but they aren't bad at all,
Speaker:especially when they work in conjunction with having your own site.
Speaker:Remember the headquarters of your company each conserve different purposes.
Speaker:Take Etsy for example.
Speaker:Currently they have over 96 million active customers all looking specifically
Speaker:for handmade products.
Speaker:There are also up and coming handmade platforms like Go Imagine.
Speaker:We just did a deep dive into this platform in episode
Speaker:412 and other online direct to consumer sites like Amazon and
Speaker:eBay. All options for your product placements,
Speaker:but again,
Speaker:all work and attract different customer sets.
Speaker:On the wholesale side.
Speaker:There's fair with over 600,000
Speaker:retailers there looking for new products to stock their shelves.
Speaker:It's worth considering if wholesale is in your game plan and
Speaker:it gives you the ability to be placed in stores outside
Speaker:your immediate area.
Speaker:If you're brand new to wholesale,
Speaker:stackable could be your best option.
Speaker:A site specifically for handmade product sellers.
Speaker:More on that in episode 387.
Speaker:There are pros and cons to others online platforms.
Speaker:On one side,
Speaker:there are brand new audiences you have the ability to reach.
Speaker:You don't need to include your entire product line,
Speaker:but pick and choose which products will be most attractive to
Speaker:the various audiences.
Speaker:Well-known sites have built in credibility and functionality and also include
Speaker:training and support centers.
Speaker:Balancing the pros are that it will take time to set
Speaker:up, become familiar with each of the different programs,
Speaker:and learn how best to work each platform based on its
Speaker:intricacies. These sites need regular monitoring and adjusting to ensure they
Speaker:perform for you too,
Speaker:so it's not like you just set it up and walk
Speaker:away. In most cases,
Speaker:you don't have access to customer data,
Speaker:so it's harder to add them to your own customer list
Speaker:to build on those first time purchases,
Speaker:and as I mentioned before,
Speaker:you have no control over any changes,
Speaker:but that's why you always have your own site too.
Speaker:Wow, we've covered a lot here and your head is probably
Speaker:spinning. Let me give you an action plan so you can
Speaker:take all that you've heard here to upgrade and get more
Speaker:people over to your website so it truly works for you.
Speaker:You'll probably wanna take this podcast from the top with pen
Speaker:and paper in hand.
Speaker:Here's your five step action plan.
Speaker:One, think of your website as your online business headquarters and
Speaker:add in the departments you feel the most important to your
Speaker:online visitors.
Speaker:Two, review the concept of multi and omnichannels so you understand
Speaker:the true value with omnichannel marketing.
Speaker:Three list on paper,
Speaker:all your own channels as they exist today so you have
Speaker:them in front of you.
Speaker:It's time to make some adjustments.
Speaker:Four, adjustment number one,
Speaker:strategically connect your existing channels so they don't work independently from
Speaker:one another but are co-mingled to give them all more power.
Speaker:We just covered a number of ways to do this.
Speaker:N five adjustment.
Speaker:Number two,
Speaker:add one new sales channel to the mix that will introduce
Speaker:your products to a brand new audience.
Speaker:Lots of options have been presented here for your picking your
Speaker:website. The headquarters of your business should be one you're proud
Speaker:of and actively invite people into.
Speaker:Your confidence grows when you see increased sales in your stats
Speaker:and orders coming in.
Speaker:As a result,
Speaker:your online headquarters works for you 24 7.
Speaker:You couldn't have a better employee If you're enjoying the podcast
Speaker:and would like to show support.
Speaker:A rating and review is always fabulous because it helps get
Speaker:the show seen by more makers.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward and there's another
Speaker:way where you can get something tangible in return for your
Speaker:support too.
Speaker:Visit my merch shop for a wide variety of inspirational items
Speaker:like mugs,
Speaker:journals, water bottles,
Speaker:and more featuring logos,
Speaker:images, and quotes to inspire you throughout your day.
Speaker:Makes a great gift too,
Speaker:and we've just added some new products for the season to
Speaker:the shop.
Speaker:Turnaround is quick and the quality is notch.
Speaker:Nothing but the best for you.
Speaker:Take a look at all the options@giftbizunwrapped.com
Speaker:slash shop.
Speaker:All proceeds from these purchases helps go to offset the cost
Speaker:of producing the show and now be safe and well and
Speaker:I'll see you again next time on the Gift Biz Unwrapped