Without Promotion Traffic is Dead

 Hi all! If you have an online business like mine you may be noticing it's extremely difficult these days to get consistent good traffic to your site.  I've learned that promotion without visibility is pretty pointless. Visibility is key in having your pages or website seen. In order to have regular visitors and customers your store needs to be found in the haystack of  websites out there. 

Traffic is what is required in order to show and sell products and services. If no one sees your blog posts or store advertising that likely means little or no traffic and likely low or no sales. It takes a lot of promotion to have consistent views and readers turned customers on your posts. 

The attention span today is very short and people are generally flipping to the next thing in ten seconds or less.  This doesn't leave much time to entice people to stay on your site. That means we have to work pretty hard to get views. 

Creating a checklist for promoting each blog or site you want to share can be helpful.  It's a good reminder so you don't miss things you want to promote especially if your promoting items or services for a certain season. 

Focusing on a couple of strategies rather than getting overwhelmed with too many is a good idea. Quality over quantity. The old adage is still viable, 'less is more'! 

Here is a short list of things that can help. 

Free online marketing such as Twitter, FB business, LinkedIn, Instagram are a few that come to mind. 

Paid online marketing - Google Adwords, paid ads, article writing, etc.

Article Submission sites can help as you can add a description of your business in the bio section. You can add your website or blog link.  Using article sites helps generate leads for your business.  They can also help to improve your online presence in search engines.  Here is a small list of platforms you can submit articles to.

•  sites.google.com 
• Tumblr.com  
• Articleswrap    

There are lots of sites you can google to find appropriate places to submit your posts to.  Keep promoting your blog posts and articles to increase traffic and grow your business.  This is definitely something we have to stay on top of daily.  Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your day! 

Seasons of Change

Creative Card Ideas

Sometimes You Have to Work Around It

Hi all, this is just a short post today as I have to limit my time on the computer right now due to a pinched nerve in my neck and upper back. Ugh... so many things I want to get done.  Physio appointments feel like they are taking over my life right now, lol! Oh well, sometimes you have to work around the things that happen to you and do things a little differently for awhile.  I can't imagine living with a chronic illness that debilitates and prevents you from doing everyday things. I know many people deal with harsh health issues daily, it must take a lot of strength and energy.  

For now I will just be doing around an hour or so a day of online business, marketing and designing. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll be able to get back to my routines, kind of makes me feel a bit useless. My husband said, just rest, get some good books and do what you can! 

You've probably noticed that I've been creating lots of Youtube videos to showcase different products and themes from my store, Designs by Shell.  I hope you're able to enjoy these. I appreciate the thumbs up and any one that subscribes to my channel as I get going on this. 

Here is the latest one that I've made. Thanks for watching. 

Get Better Results From Your Online Business

You are probably well aware that there are many entrepreneurs sharing and promoting the same kind of business and products as you. While promoting your company you have likely seen many of your own networking colleagues tweeting out similar items or content to yours. Most are offering the same services, similar designs, blogging about their shops, offering tips and so forth. Building an online business is hard work, I know that first hand. Keeping up and realizing all of the changes that seem to come faster than lightning is a tough reality. 

You've probably heard this before, I know it's nothing new but there are still many perks and freedom that come from running your own online business. I mean seriously, being able to work from anywhere in the world is a huge deal. If you're traveling you can work while your away.  A new setting or funky cafe that you find yourself in can do wonders to inspire and give you fresh ideas to work with. Making money passively while you sleep and travel is pretty awesome. 

Be authentic, those that come to buy from you want to know the real you. Customers buy from someone they like or feel they can trust. Let your own style and personality come through, people are  drawn to authenticity.

Get as specific as you can with your target audience. This will make your marketing a lot easier. Create a clear and concise brand and market it to the best of your ability. 

Websites can get cluttered and jumbled pretty quickly when you start adding widgets and plugins. This can be confusing for many people and can make them leave your site without giving it fair game. Create a solid foundation and build your site so customers can navigate through it with ease. 

Entrepreneurs know that there is never an end in sight as far as building and marketing your business. Every day is a new day, a fresh start to keep working hard as you promote your business in a professional way. Always keep working your goals. Perseverance is necessary in the online world. Everything takes patience and as you build your business you will need an abundance of it. Don't give up, keep learning, educating yourself and stay focused. Good things will come. 

Don't Miss the Window

It's a busy time of year for designers, marketer's and shop keepers. This is the time when many people are making a list and beginning their Christmas shopping. You won't want to miss out on this window of opportunity for your own business.  I hope you've got your marketing plans and strategy for the busy shopping season underway. If not it's definitely time to get started. The days go by so quickly, really it is a short but usually very busy season for shop keepers. I’m sure you know that the stores in the malls all have their Christmas stock out and are creating ways to bring in the shoppers. They are setting up holiday displays to attract as many customers as possible. Many of the big box stores started in October with putting their Christmas and holiday products out. 

As an online small business owner I realize the importance of getting on board early and be prepared with my websites for those early shoppers. People are starting their shopping earlier and earlier every year. I know several people who do a little shopping all year long.  Research shows that more and more people are doing their shopping online and this is a trend that will only increase as time goes on. So basically, the key is to have a plan and make it happen. Take a look at your inventory and assess what you want to add to your inventory. Ways that you can spruce up your sites, like adding a festive banner for the holiday season. Look at the trends and items that will attract customers to your store front. We all know there is lots of competition for online store owners that's why it's so important to make our products and shops look the best that they can. It takes great marketing effort and consistency everyday to draw the customers in. 

Promotion is big, market, market, market. It's the only way to get those customers eyes on your shop. Use all available social media platforms that you are active in. I suggest doing this subtly, nobody wants to be bombarded with a ton of your items, so add something of value when you can. When using Twitter, remember to include appropriate hash tags, like #sales, #deals, #blackfriday and so forth. This will help when people who are searching for products and deals. Pinterest is another great marketing site, you'll want to highlight your holiday boards that feature your products. Create unique boards like Christmas Ideas,  Outdoor Christmas Decor, Tree Trimming Gifts, you get the idea. Pinterest lets you add prices too. Well that's it, hope you are on your way to a fabulous sales season. Don’t procrastinate too long or you might miss your window of opportunity. 

A Fresh Perspective

Sometimes all you need is a fresh perspective. Think about  how a fresh coat of paint can change the atmosphere of a room. When you add a new or different piece of furniture it can change the way you feel about a space. A fresh coat of paint can liven up an older item that isn't looking as well as it could. I had an old little side table that just simply needed to be sanded down and given a new stain or coat of paint as the base (the legs) were still in great shape. It had a few coffee cup circles on the surface and it was just sitting in a corner downstairs not really being utilized. So to save it from going to the landfill or second hand shop I thought I'd spruce it up a little.  

I gave it a  quick sanding with a sand block then dusted if off and chose to to give it a coat of black paint. The paint was an acrylic paint with a little bit of gloss in it. After a second coat I decided to paint it with a glossy varnish to add a little extra shine. The legs were already a black metal as you can see. I think it came out quite nice and makes a great useful little side table. 

Perhaps you have some things in your home that you can freshen up. I was thinking the same principle could be applied to a website. I have a few different websites and have been thinking that I should freshen them up with a new look. The front page of your website is like your front door or your entrance, it's the first thing people see. A new design or an interesting title can bring more attention and make your site more appealing  attracting returning visitors and customers.  Keep your website up to date with regular tweaks and new things to keep customers coming back too! Make it easy for people to maneuver around your site, items and new categories should be easy to find. Always be creative and keep trying to better what you're doing. It will pay off in the long run! 

Ways to Market Your Business

Are you struggling with ways to get your business seen by others? Is the lack of traffic and sales getting you down? I thought I’d share a few ideas for marketing your store or service.  Just like a brick and mortar business an on-line business needs to be promoted and marketed, perhaps even more so. There are many places that I have found that have worked for bringing more traffic to my business.

If you’re reading this then you know that blogging is an important one for marketing your business. On a blog you can share information about your work, upcoming promotions, your latest designs or whatever you want potential customers to know.

Another idea is creating a Facebook fan page. It’s free and you basically control what links and information you want others to see. People ‘like’ your page and this helps you get seen by their network of associates too! The potential for visibility is unlimited.

Join networking sites for business like LinkedIn, IBOTOOLBOX, and Twitter. Also spend time in forums and comment  and share others links as well. These will all help you grow your business and help you gain a presence in the business market. 

Okay, well here are some fresh and fun designs and products from my store Designs by Shell. Come by for a visit to see more…

Why You Should Have a Facebook Fan Page

Have you joined the ultimate site to market your business. Facebook has become a huge new advertising platform for your company. There are a lot of great reasons that you will want to do this. For instance, the pages are public meaning that the search engines can index the page and that allows people to find it and visit your link. Links are good. As the author of your Facebook page you get to control it and add links, remove content, etc. The best thing is that it’s free marketing for your business. You can create a page in a matter of minutes by following simple steps. So if you haven’t done this yet you might want to think about getting a page out there. It sure can’t hurt. Here is the link to my page Designs by Shell Please like it and I’ll like your page back! :-) I update my page daily with new designs from my store. Here are some more cute things I’ve created! Come by for a visit!

Money in My Pocket

Do you love to write? How about writing and really, seriously getting paid for it! Well with this site called Squidoo you can write one page articles (called a lens) These pages practically come together on there own. The modules where you add content be it information about your topic, pictures, tips, products that others can purchase are all ready for you to use. Just choose the ones that you would like on your page, upload your content and when you're ready hit the publish button to set it out to be seen.

When people click on a link you make a small royalty from the click outs. If you add a selling module like ebay or amazon and show items for people to buy when they click through and make a purchase you also get a royalty.

What a great way to let your imagination go free writing on any topic you choose. It's free to join so what are you waiting for go sign up... you'll love it. I have to say once you do a few of these pages it becomes addicting.

Here are some inspiring items from Designs by Shell