Building an online shop can be an exciting endeavor. Whether you’re a re-seller or create your own work, it’s an excellent place for you to share something you’re passionate about with the world. Here are a few tips to help you get your shop off the ground and running smoothly.
Table of Contents
Choose a Catchy Name
For starters, you’ll need a great store name. This is a great time to whip out some sticky notes or a whiteboard and just getting writing. You might start with a theme (nature, for example) and jot down everything that comes to mind under that category. Use a thesaurus to expand your vocabulary horizons if you get stuck. Or, give a store name generator, such as Namify.com, a spin. This can help save precious time and brainpower in the process of choosing a store name that will stick. You might even hybridize the two, combining ideas from your brainstorming and the name generator to create the ultimate store name.
Pick a Quality Platform
After you’ve decided on a name, it’s time to pick a platform to sell on. Some pre-existing store platforms (such as Etsy) require very little set-up or maintenance on your part, but they collect a small fee for selling products and might not have the customization features you desire. Another option is to build your online store yourself (which might save you on transaction fees and allow you to customize as much as you like), though this also requires a bit of technical know-how. You’ll need to decide what’s important to you in an online store, then make a decision accordingly.
Connect on Social Media
Almost any store that’s “made it big” has shared its products on some sort of media. In particular, social media is becoming an increasingly powerful place for exposure and audience interaction, so make the most of it. Be sure to use consistent branding across all platforms. Remember that name you spent so much time developing (either with your brainstorming or via the Namify generator)? Use that same name on your social media page title or as your “handle”. If you spend all that time generating the perfect name, it’s a good idea to claim the coordinating profile names right away. Once you’ve built your accounts, learn how to use them effectively. They’re a great place to build relationships with your audience by serving them as well. Whatever you do, share regularly so people are more likely to interact with your posts.
Strategize with Data
This might sound a little bit techy, but most websites, email campaign builders, and social media platforms also include built-in data analysis (or integration with apps and plugins which will run these numbers for you). Experiment with keywords, subject lines, or hashtags to see which ones perform best. Play with different types of posts or emails (static, multimedia, long, short, etc). Test running posts or emails at different times of the day. You never know what might be a hit, so put a lot of content out there and see what works.
Running an online shop is an awesome opportunity to get your products out to an audience. Once you get going and situate the details, you can have the satisfaction of sharing something you love with people who can treasure those things too.
