This is a follow up post to: High Traffic but No Sales? 3 Simple Suggestions. In last week’s post, I covered the importance of your banner, product shots and shop selection. This week we are going to dive a little deeper with this concept. Defining your brand is one of the most important parts of running your own business. What makes you different from the hundreds of other bow “bowtiques” or jewelry by “so and so” shops on the block?  A clearly defined image of what your shop is about and the artist behind it.

Many new online sellers rush through the branding process too quickly. They dream up a shop name, pick a favorite color for their logo, type up a quick profile page, load each new creation right away, get 250 business cards printed and sit back and wait for the money to come rolling in.  In an ideal world…ok, (my ideal world) every seller will have a professional logo, great product photography and fantastic product selection.  Let’s fast forward and say that you have those three items in place.  So what gives? Where are all those people beating down your virtual door to buy your products? You have traffic, you have hearts, you have fans, now what?

A couple of things come into play when making a purchase online. Many factors are subconscious choices; maybe you prefer yellow over bright orange and naturally click on a pastel purse. Maybe you like punk rock and will immediately close the window on a shop with little cartoon lambs and hearts in their logo.  You can’t control your traffic, but you can define who you are and capture your true audience.  I recently worked with a seller who had been in business for a while and decided to add a new line into her bedding shop.  She specialized in custom children’s bedding and sheets but wanted to expand into adult bedding as well. Fine, I opened up her Etsy shop and started looking around. I was greeted by a dark navy blue and kelly green plaid banner, with a family crest and strong medieval font. Wait? You sell what exactly? Baby bedding? She explained that she has a very strong heritage and wanted her family colors and crest on her logo. There was also no possibility of her changing it. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love family businesses..there is nothing wrong with family pride in your heritage; however, will a random stranger understand that passion? Or will they think that they made a wrong turn in cyber space? If she was selling plaid quilts or medieval themed items..this approach would have been perfect. However, an expectant mom searching for baby bedding will probably not want to envision her baby in the dark ages.  This seller had a very clear vision of who she is, but not what her shop was about.

I put on my negotiator hat and went to work pulling out this seller’s vision for her business. If she was going to open up a storefront the next day, what would it look like? What would it smell like? Who would be coming through those doors? I was shocked to find that she loves antiques, flowers and tea. Elegant mahogany wood makes her happy. Ah ha. Now we are getting somewhere.  She was giving us the impression of knights at the round table when really she wanted Victorian elegance and refined living.  We went to work on her product shots. Instead of basic shots of sheets wrapped in raffia sitting on her kitchen chair, we created “mood” shots. The pillowcases were shown on a bed with a vintage mahogany headboard, beautiful natural lighting and great filler props like her antique silver tea set and a vase of fresh flowers. The children’s sheets were shown in a beautiful mahogany crib with sweet old-fashioned teddy bears. As she made progress with her product shots, she soon came around and decided to change her logo to match this new vision for her business. I was pleased when she switched the plaid for a soft antique steel blue background and replaced the intimidating joust worthy greeting with a simple swirly font. It would compliment both of her target markets: antique lovers with incredible taste and new moms or grandparents searching for more sophisticated bedding. She defined her vision for her shop: elegant, upscale bedding and baby boutique. Does your shop match your vision? Does the “feel” showcase your products? Who are you targeting?

I will leave you with a list of online places where your “brand” should be consistent and strong. Once your vision is clear cut, I want you to look at ways of making your shop recognizable across the web.

1. Online shop. Start here and focus on making your vision a reality. Ask for feedback from outsiders (your best friend who says yes to everything doesn’t count). You need a true critique, not praises on what they want to purchase next.  Warning: sometimes other Etsy sellers are not the best place to turn to. Handmade sellers are infamous for being kind-hearted and will be enthusiastic in all your endeavors. This is an awesome aspect of this community but remember the goal is to seek out those who will “tell it like it is.”

2. Blog. Do you have a logo and color scheme on your online shop? Start with a blank white blog, add in your logo then build out from there. Canned templates are fine..if they match your style and theme that has already been established in your shop.  In other words, if you are selling ultra modern ipod cases…a shabby chic blog does not match what you have already established. Be consistent with your brand so people start to recognize your shop name and products. I will cover blog ideas in a future post. For now, consider your blog the “talk show” of your brand. What do mega-brands Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray do? Their shows cover more than craft spots and cooking tutorials. They branch out and cover a wide variety of topics, they bring in guests and have interviews. What are you going to talk about today? Another post about the types of beads or crochet needles in the world, or maybe a post about your passion for organic cooking?

3. Facebook. Your fanpage is one of the best places to allow your fans a glimpse of “the artist behind the shop.” Be strategic in your planning. Do you want a great headshot on your profile page so people get to know you? Or would you prefer to still showcase your products? Remember that great logo? Add it to your fanpage so you will jog my memory next time I am scrolling through pages.  Create a custom landing page so new fans see that you are serious about your business and get a great intro into what you are about. Mashable has a great post covering custom landing pages, learn more here.

4. Twitter. Same as above, match your colors, pull in that logo.

What is your biggest challenge with branding your shop? Design? Direction? Shop feel? Comment below!

~Amber Jordan