Still want to create an online store for your craft business? Keep reading for more tips on how you can get started!

As I mentioned in How to Create an Online Store for Your Craft Business – Part 1, I have been running my own online business for 14 years and I have lots and lots of tips to share. So, today, we’re talking more about how you can create your own online store.

In this post, we’ll discuss how to list your new products, how to promote them and best of all…how to close the sale when you have an interested customer!

So, let’s get started, shall we…

Create an Online Store for Your Craft Business – Part 2

Time to List Some Products

Oh yes, here comes the fun part…NOT! Listing your new products can be as difficult as finding the right light to photograph them. But, don’t worry – we got this!

It’s important that you title your products with keywords that people would use to shop for such an item.

Step One – Titles

DO’s

Describe your product the way that a customer would search for it.

For example: Instead of saying “Pink Pocketbook” consider other words that people would use to search for a pink pocketbook. Like, pink purse, pink bag, pink clutch, pink tote, etc.

Consider other uses for your product.

Not everyone knows that they are shopping for a pink pocketbook. They might be looking for “gifts for girls” and come across your bag and think – “Wow, Sarah would love that bag!” So, think about all the holidays or occasions in which a person would gift your pink pocketbook.

DON’T’s

Don’t title your product with your fun name for it.

For example: If you named your pink pocketbook “Bubblegum Beauty” (or some such nonsense), explain that in the description (which we’ll get to below), but don’t use it as part of your title. No one is shopping for “Bubblegum Beauty”.

Don’t fill your title with unnecessary punctuation, capitalization or other junk.

Seriously, it’s just annoying. Use basic periods, dashes or even center dots to separate phrases or words.

Step Two – Descriptions

This is where a lot of people get stuck, including me. Back when I first started selling online, I’d attempt to fill my description with a bunch of fluff about the product.

But, you know what? People don’t really care. Your customers just want to know exactly what they are buying and how it will benefit them.

So, when you are writing your product descriptions consider the following questions:

Who is it for?
What is it? What’s it made from? How big is it?
How does it work?
What do I get out of it?
Where do I get one for myself?

Answer each of these questions in your descriptions. Try to describe the item as if you were an art curator trying to explain a statue to a blind person.

Give so many details that a person could imagine the product in their mind, even if they couldn’t see a photograph.

Promotion

Okay, products are photographed, listed and your shop is open for business. Now what?

Now, it’s time to promote your awesome new store!

I promise, they will not come just because you built it.

It’s time to start sharing your new store with EVERYONE and ANYONE. Yes, really.

HOWEVER, I’m not suggesting that you go out and join every single social media, put ads on Google, television or in newspapers.

I’ve already made that mistake for you. When I first started selling online (and even until more recently), I tried to present on EVERYTHING (well except television). It’s impossible to promote your business when you are too busy trying to do it all.

Choose a couple of promotion avenues and stick with them. It will pay off eventually. Be consistent. Post daily, weekly or even monthly, depending on the promotion.

Try to use as much FREE promotion as possible! You don’t need to have a large marketing budget – you just need to get your stuff out there.

You have to be visible. And when there are at least a million other products out there, just like yours, you have to be highly visible.

How do you get highly visible?

Tell People. If you keep your business a secret, how is anyone going to know to buy something from you? Word of mouth is probably the best way to become visible. If no one knows about your business, then you aren’t going to have any sales. It’s as simple as that.
Promote your products on social media…constantly. Don’t listen to the naysayers that suggest you only promote your stuff 20% of the time and push other people’s stuff 80% of the time. Do Walmart, Gap or Hobby Lobby promote for other companies? No, my friend, they do not. Check any of their social media and you will find nothing but promotions about their own products. Why should your company be any different?
Blog About It. Too shy to talk about your business in public? Start a blog and write about it, instead. But, don’t forget to share your posts!
Host a Grand Opening Party. Even if you have an online business, you can host a grand opening party. Invite a bunch of friends over to your home, throw together a bunch of snacks and showcase your new products!
Create and List New Products. And do all of the above. Just because one product doesn’t become a fast seller, doesn’t mean your next idea wouldn’t be popular. Keep on creating and eventually, you’ll hit on something that people desperately want to have.

Close the Sale

Now that you’ve created your online store, promoted the heck out of it and you finally have visitors coming in…what do you do to ensure they actually buy something (and keep coming back in the future)?

Under-promise and Over-deliver…

What does that mean, exactly?

Well, basically, it means make promises that sound great, but are still less awesome than you will actually create. Then wow your new customers with better and faster service than expected.

In other-words…

Promise shipping in 3 to 5 days, but ship within the 1 to 3 day range.
Include unexpected coupons in their package when you ship.
Add an “extra” to the package such as a duplicate of the product they purchase, a miniature version or even just a simple promotional item that they can actually use.
Write a thank you note and place it inside the package.

Here’s some examples beyond coupons:

Wrote an e-book? Include a bonus section!
Selling stationery? Include extra envelopes or a couple of extra cards.
Baking? Sell a bakers dozen (13) instead of a standard dozen.
Knitter or Crocheter? Sell a scarf? Include a matching headband.
Soap maker? Include a free sample bar of soap when they buy a big bar.

Regardless of what you sell, make your customers feel special and not only will they buy the first time, but they will keep coming back, over and over again.

That’s it for today, but I hope this series has helped inspire you to go ahead and create your online store. It’s not easy, but it sure is worth it!

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Vanessa Hamlin

Vanessa Hamlin is the owner and founder of Food Life Design and VLHamlinDesign. With her passion for frugal living and homesteading, Vanessa loves to write about easy recipes, making money, gardening, home remedies and everything else that a good life entails! When she’s not writing for Food Life Design or creating products for VLHamlinDesign, you’ll find Vanessa reading, drawing, gardening, cooking or spending time with her family.