marketing tips

Episode 3: How To Share Your Products Online

LISTEN ON ITUNES
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

But how do I actually talk about my products?

Today I’m sharing a really common theme among my clients and community members: how to share their products on social media and in email marketing in ways that don’t feel aggressive or sleazy.

You’re in business to enrich your customers’ lives with your products. They’re here to solve a problem, or add loads of beauty to people’s homes and lives. Your products aren’t any old tat – you’re making them because they matter!

So it’s vital that you’re sharing them.

We’re not taught to actively “sell” – and so it feels icky and pushy and inauthentic. I’m here to change that, to teach you things I wish you’d learnt 10 years ago.

Customers need to see your products, on average, 11 times to make a purchase.

Let me just say that again: ELEVEN.

Some customers will see it twice and purchase. Others will see something 100 times before they actually add to cart and checkout. So often, I see clients posting about something once and then assuming (hoping) that their customers will know all about it and remember it’s there when they want to buy it.

Nope. It doesn’t work like that. You have to keep showing your products, to show up when your customers need you.

Ideas for sharing your products

Before we dive into some ideas and inspiration, a couple of important things:

  1. Sometimes we have to be really explicit about what we want customers to do: buy now, we’ve got three left, it’s here. This is so helpful to our customers – and it feels like confidence, not arrogance.
  2. Other times, we use “Show Don’t Tell” as our guide. We let the product speak for itself through high quality content, so that customers are drawn in and can put their own spin on the product.

Let’s dive into some ideas:

  • Begin at the beginning: How did you design it? What was the inspiration for the product?
  • How it started / how it’s going
  • When and what your first order was
  • How you’ve updated the product over time with colours, options, etc

Customers love these stories! It’s a great way to talk through things on Instagram Stories, or in an email to your customers. You could even make a video or a Reel!

  • What you love about it, using language and descriptors that align with your brand values
  • “This really caught my eye / made me fall in love with it” – write this just how you would say it and add it to an Instagram caption!
  • Spell out the choices available: “You can get it in blue or green”

You don’t have to share every detail all at once – use different snippets and details over several different posts.

  • Use feedback and reviews of your products
  • Use screengrabs of comments and reviews as social proof
  • Ask customers if you can use their photos in your marketing so potential customers can see them in real-life scenarios
  • Share a customer story, especially for commissions and personalised products
  • Include different personalisation examples and inspiration
  • Show different ways the product can be used

Behind-the-scenes

  • What’s on your order table today?
  • Create a time-lapse of you making or packing up orders
  • Show the raw materials before you make them – and after!
  • Show how you wrap everything and box it up

Share your products often

My invitation for you is to grab a pen and paper and brainstorm the ways you want to share your products, the different features you want to highlight.

And then keep doing it!

Tag me @thejennypace on Instagram

A writer’s secret to good marketing content

Not everyone’s a writer. When you’re running your own business, you kind of have to do everything yourself, so writing emails, blogs, social posts, customer emails, product descriptions, etc is likely on your daily to do list.

If you feel like you spend hours working on words, trying to craft something that’s going to engage your audience, convert viewers to buyers, and improve your business, I have a little tip and some suggestions for you today…

Did you know that, back in 2008, I graduated with a degree in Creative Writing?

It’s true. My passion for books and words and finding ways to express thoughts and feelings took me back to my place of birth (Leeds) for a university degree in writing. Since then I’ve been writing as part of my job for about 13 years.

And while part of me still holds a glimmer of hope that one day a novel or a screenplay will emerge, I am beyond happy that writing is something I have done professionally, and use daily in my work (and life).

A writer’s tip: Write the way you speak

We spend our early educational years learning about spellings, words, grammar, and the approved structures of the English language. It’s important. I love a bit of grammar. And don’t even get me started on punctuation.

But when it comes to words that have an impact, you need to write the way you speak.

We don’t need full sentences, perfectly punctuated, with adverbs and formal syntax.

We need you to say it in a way that makes sense to us as we’re scrolling and going about our business.

The way we talk has flow and friendliness, and that can add so much sparkle to your copy.

Here are some things to try:

  • Record yourself talking about something (a product, an experience, your brand) and transcribe what you hear
  • Have a conversation with a friend or fellow business owner, asking each other about what you do – again, record it or take notes on the words and phrases you use
  • Ask a friend (or even a lovely customer) to talk about you, your work, and your business – they could send you a quick voice note that you can use as inspiration for words and phrases you like
  • When you’re checking pieces of writing, like a social post or product description, literally read it out loud to make sure it flows (in your head gets you one star, reading it aloud gets you five!)
  • Listen to good podcasts, audiobooks, and TED talks – you’ll learn about the rhythm of storytelling, and you might even find some words and phrases you like!

Honestly, saying things out loud as you write and create will make your words so much more powerful to your audience! And you’ll start to feel more confident in them, too…

Can’t wait to hear how this goes for you – keep me posted!

The ONE thing to do to boost your marketing before Christmas

I don’t know if you knew this, but Christmas is coming up pretty soon. 

(Ha! If you’re a product-based business, you’re probably not thinking about much else, amiright?)

And, having worked with small creatives for 11 years, I know that mid-October is when things start to feel kind of… intense.

So I’m not here to give you a whole new marketing plan to implement, or loads more to do.

Yes, I’m obsessed with email marketing. Yes, I really hope you’ll join The Better Business Collective when it opens in January, where I teach email marketing for product businesses.

In the meantime, I have one teeny tiny request…

The ONE thing I want you to do to boost your email marketing for next year: make sure you’re enabling customers to opt in to marketing emails when they order with you this Christmas.

You don’t have to email them now. You don’t have to have a fancy welcome sequence.

All you need to do is have a checkbox that they can tick if they’re happy to receive offers and inspiration when they’re buying their Christmas gifts, decorations, treats and more.

Why is this step so important?

One of the things email marketing is great at is cultivating that loyal repeat customer base that’s just so valuable for small businesses. It’s easier and cheaper to retain a customer than acquire a new one, and having them on your email list makes it happen.

You’re focused on sales right now, sharing your Christmas products. I don’t want to distract you from that. This little step means you can keep generating sales, sharing your social media posts, but also know that you’re building an email list that you can use and enjoy next year. You’re welcome, future self.

And? It’s not going to take you very long. The majority of retail website providers make this really easy, and I’ve linked to a couple of tutorials below to help you get it done.

(If you’re feeling positive and motivated, there are a couple of bonus actions you can take, too.)

How to collect email addresses at checkout

Here are links to tutorials on some of the main ecommerce platforms my clients use. (Have I missed yours? Let me know and I’ll add it in!)

Don’t get overwhelmed with Email Service Providers

Because I don’t want you to get overwhelmed, at this stage, you don’t need to put your subscribers into Mailchimp or figure out your email service provider. (That’s the app or service you’ll use to actually send out your marketing emails.)

You just need to have permission to send emails in the future. This is the big opportunity at Christmas: you’re simply capturing the increased number of people buying from you.

Extra Credit

If you’ve got that fresh feeling and really want to go to town on building your email list, and getting sales through it this Christmas, here are a few ways you can jump on board the email marketing success train:

  • Choose an Email Service Provider (Mailchimp, Shopify marketing, Klaviyo and Convertkit are all good options) and make sure the subscribers are importing automatically
  • Create a “welcome sequence” – two or three emails that are sent out to your new subscribers after they join your list to tell them a bit more about who you are and how you make their lives better
  • Add a pop-up sign up box that appears when customers have been browsing for a little while
  • Send 4-6 email newsletters between now and Christmas, sharing your products, promoting your last order dates, and wishing your customers a merry Christmas
  • Encourage your social media followers to sign up to your newsletter list too

You might find my free cheat sheet handy – it includes 30 inspiring email subject lines to help you get that next email ready to go. Download it now.

So, without wanting to add loads to your to-do list (I usually like taking things OFF your to-do list!), I hope you’ll get permission to email your customers next year. You’ll thank me later.

optin-cup

Enter The Forge

Life's too damn short to chase someone else's definition of success. I'm here to give you the courage and tools to forge your own path.