SILKFAIR Blog – May 2012

For the most part, the social world is extremely entertaining. People are bound to explore and share information with friends, personalities, and even businesses. Like a mall of information, social networks allow us to talk with just about anybody else as long as they are willing to carry on a good conversation.

The silent treatment

But, what happens when you the person you’re talking to doesn’t talk back? That is the side of social media that few people stop to consider. Often, silence can say a lot more than it should, and can do the most damage to your online image. Consider an unanswered phone. It rings in the background, forgotten and neglected like a simple annoying item, which it could be. And, while the phone is an item, the person on the other end of it is far from being an itemized subject. That person now thinks, if not understanding, that they are unimportant to whomever they may be calling. Unanswered calls basically leave the message that you don’t have the time.

For those managing an online shop, keeping an eye on all the windows to search for potential customers is incredibly valuable to your success.

Filling the plate with spam

Spam isn’t just a type of mail or posting. It’s what a person would interpret as being somewhat annoying. Mailing out to everyone you know might get a few answers from interested individuals, but you have to also consider what the people that are getting it will be thinking. Extra stuff in the mailbox? Perhaps there’s a larger bulge of surplus that might be sitting in the inbox? More information to surf through when there just isn’t enough time? What would you do to remedy such a situation?

Most likely you might remove them from your “lists” or “likes” to avoid any further frustration. Instead of setting yourself up for that problem, take the time to analyze your audience and find out what they want to hear and who wants to hear it. Some people enjoy certain products at certain times, and you should be ready to deliver just what they want.

While avoiding the spam idea is best, even postings can be a little “spammy,” at least to your audience. Keep things interesting with new and fresh information. New information, products, and even helpful hints for the upcoming season or special events will boost your social site’s level of interest.

As a helpful hint, don’t auto-post between sites. Each social media has its own unique audience with a unique set of rules and regulations. Often times, Twitter followers will be accustomed to seeing several similar tweets, while Facebook followers would regard that activity as spam-like or even annoying. Treat each audience as unique, and only cross-post when the topic is generally relevant to everyone.

Accept criticism

When it comes to speaking their mind, people seem to give it their best, even if it sounds the worst. Amongst criticism, compliments, and complaints, it is always the positive we favor to address. What we have done good and how swell our services and products are is always the highlight of our day, and it should be. But, we also need to address criticism and complaints properly.

To start with, never…ever…delete a negative posting. The worst thing you can do is deny an audience member their due word, unless its spam. But, you always need to be ready to turn a negative situation into something positive, and in fact, it will turn both sides of a sword to your advantage.

Secondly, never get mad or frustrated and start arguing with your audience. While disagreements may arise, you must always keep in mind that there is a polite way and a self-destructive way to do things. Consider how to resolve the issue by asking what they would do instead? Get their side of the story and even take advantage of the input they have to offer your business. You never know what you might be able to incorporate into your online store with the right feedback, regardless of good or negative.

Additionally, always be ready to convert negative into positive. Ask how you can better the situation or correct the concern. Many times, people are more than happy to simply let you know that something was unacceptable, and from that, you should be ready to explain or adjust the situation so it won’t happen again. Your negative post just turned positive, and your audience will approve.

There are several steps to effectively using social media with your online shop so you don’t get cut from success. Don’t let yourself down by misusing your social tools, and instead turn them to your favor. When you use them properly, your online store can become a success, and you’ll generate a positive image throughout the internet’s social world.

There is such a vast online world that it’s easy to get sidetracked or even lost. Many internet searchers have found themselves searching stores that they never even planned on visiting in the first place. They would have started out looking for an update about an upcoming election, only to find themselves staring at the latest fashion trend or reading a clever blog.

So, you have to ask yourself what is responsible for catching their attention. Was it an underlying interest or perhaps a catchy style in combination with a catchy line? Perhaps it’s both. Audiences everywhere want something in common: quality content. They might be looking for shoes or a new car, but if your marketing content isn’t valuable enough to be noticed, you’ll just fade into the shadows.

Valuable information is key to any store. Whether it’s your words, some audio, or its visual appearance, how you present your store will affect how the audience sees your product. It is your job to develop quality content for your online store.

Purpose

Start by discovering the purpose of your content. Of course you have an idea of what your business does, but it is essential that you know what the purpose of your content is supposed to accomplish. Are you going to sell the product, discuss its importance, or talk about the value it would have to certain purposes and needs? Knowing the purpose of your content will be essential to designing quality and relevant content to match your desired needs.

Learn the ropes

The next step is to educate yourself in whatever you’re purpose is. Luckily, gathering knowledge using sources like the internet has become easy, just make sure you dedicate credit where it’s due. You must also ensure that what you write is true so as to prevent your store from being devalued by other sources. A clear knowledge of your product and your discussions will be vital in creating successful content.
In order to sound professional, your words need to look professional. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling can make or break your content’s value. If you talk great, but spell or punctuate terribly, your content will end up being disregarded, or even illegible. You have to present information that can easily be absorbed by everyone, so you also want to refrain from sounding “too radical.” There are times when this appeal will be audience-specific, but if the general population can’t comprehend it, it is likely you will lose a large potential audience group.

Something new

Always present yourself as unique. You want to set yourself apart as an expert in your field with quality information, but often it is how you deliver that information that sets you apart. How you talk and approach your subject will be what attracts your audience. With the wide culmination of products and services throughout the internet, it is very likely that others provide something similar to you. But they way you deliver your message to your audience in your store is what will attract your audience.

This demands that you analyze your audience. You have to understand who you are talking to. Will your audience enjoy seeing, watching, or reading about your products? While a quality store will utilize a mixture of all, it is imperative that you deliver information in a way that will appeal to your specific audience.

Contending content

Within your content, you must include clear facts and reasons your visitors should make a purchase. This can be done by creating a short story, or perhaps by posting a testimonial or recommendation. One of the talents that you must have is to be able to sell without directly selling your product or service. Rather than simply describing your product, discuss how it can help your audience. Talk about what services you provide and how valuable it is to their needs. These are the questions that a customer considers before a purchase, so you must be ready to answer them before they even have to be asked.
Providing valuable information that is relevant to both customers and potential customers is necessary for developing a successful store with good content. By finding your purpose and providing a unique service, you set yourself apart. By knowing what you’re talking about and more importantly, speaking appropriately and properly, you designate yourself as an expert. With those strengths, your store will be able to flourish and benefit from your valuable content.  

Amongst the many social media sites that have become popular in the last year, Pinterest is one of the most embraced of sites for those that own small businesses. Pinterest utilizes pictures to enable an audience to see and interact with your merchandise, allowing them to not only get a glimpse of what you have to offer, but also providing a complete catalog of what your business is all about.

Picture perfect

One of the primary focuses of Pinterest is the powerful picture. While it may seem simple, what you show and how you show it can say more than a thousand words and ultimately affect how it appeals to your audience. This means you must focus on what it takes to get your audience to spend the time examining your catalog on Pinterest.

The first step is to be able to take a quality picture for your audience. Because the description relies especially on what you show, rather than what you tell, your pictures will say far more than any descriptive text you offer. Be sure that you take pictures with a quality camera. Even if you have to rely on your computer’s programs like Window’s Photo Gallery to sharpen them or adjust their features, you need to provide your audience with a picture-perfect example of what your online store has to offer.

At the same time, you don’t want to overwhelm your audience with the same photos in a repeated manner. Variety is the key to gaining attention, so to do this you must offer more than what you are showing. Present to your audience the opportunity to view something unique that only you have to offer. To do this, you must present a taste test, like many stores provide, to captivate your audience and give them the incentive to return for much more.

While posting the majority of your products gives you a wide variety to view, you also need to consider the importance of what you’re presently offering. Sales and specials should be a definite inclusion on your site, premiering unique items that will give the audience something new to examine each day or week. This will help keep your audience checking in for new or even exclusive items that they may not regularly catch if you just provided a stationary catalog.  

A variety for your audience

While most businesses might simply consider posting and placing their merchandise, you want to be able to give your audience a little more than that. Pinterest is all about appeal and purpose, so you will want to cover more than just what you have to offer. Consider adding pictures about designs you are considering and asking for feedback. Displaying the processes of your business, can be exceptionally effective for those that design their own merchandise, such as jewelry or clothing.

Because Pinterest has so many topics readily available to your audience, you’ll want to utilize as many as you can. If you have a dog or cat, show them off under the “pets” category, even if it isn’t endorsing your products. It will give your brand a broader search range so that more will be able to find you. The key is to utilize every aspect of Pinterest to your advantage.

Linking to Pinterest

Don’t forget that videos are also a big portion of Pinterest. While it isn’t the primary focus, it is vital to utilize the tools and advantages you are provided. If you have a video from your website, post it through Pinterest, affiliating that link with your site to help increase traffic throughout.

This leads to the topic of links. While Pinterest is its own individual site, it provides many opportunities to link back to other social sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and your especially valued Silkfair website, where you can ultimately make your sales. Be sure that when you post your pictures, the link is completed to ensure effectively smooth travel from Pinterest to your website to avoid interruption.

There are so many types of social media available throughout the internet, that it can be difficult to tell which is the most effective. What every business person must always consider is what characteristics they need and compare them to what each social has to offer. Pinterest is possibly one of the most ideal social outlets for those displaying their products, so be sure that you take advantage of the tools they offer to create a successful situation for your Silkfair business.