30-Day Intense Action Plan

Transcription

1 30-Day Intense Action Plan

2 Introduction With a well-planned schedule and sincere effort, running an online business doesn t have to be overwhelming. This comprehensive marketing plan requires time, anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours per day, and can have a profoundly positive effect on your online business! The purpose of this program is to help you identify crucial marketing steps and processes that will help your online business continue to grow. Remember: a website is a tool to help market your business, but like any tool, it does not work by itself! Bottom line is, just like anything in life, you will get out of your business exactly what you put into it. Dedicate your time and energy and you may see the results you want.

3 3 Day 1 Activities In next 5 slides, we will explain in detail the 5 tasks you should complete on Day 1 of your marketing plan. 1. Watch Video Tutorials 2. Familiarize Yourself with Your Products 3. Choose Your Specialty 4. Choose Your Layout 5. Perform a Data Update On the bottom of most slides, we ll explain why these steps are important for your business and the impact they have on the overall health of your website.

4 Day 1: Watch Video Tutorials 4 Getting familiar with your website is as easy as watching the step-by-step video tutorials at Most of these videos are 2-3 minutes in length and give you easy-to-follow instructions. Go at your own pace and watch anytime you want, day or night. This is the easiest and quickest way to get familiar with your website s common features, which you can use to get your online business looking and working the way you want it to. This list includes the most essential tutorials that you should watch and follow along with immediately. The tutorials not listed here will come in handy later. Tutorial number: 1 Login to Site Manager 4 Change Your Website s Layout or Theme 5 Create or Edit Widgets on Your Website 13 Configure Your Website s Sales Tax Rate 16 Access Your Business Account 19 Create Your PayPal Business Account 20 Enable the PayPal Payment Option 21 Know When Your Customers Pay For an Order Through PayPal Why this is important: Learning the basics of your website will build your confidence and help you set up your online business correctly from the start. Once you see how relatively simple it is to make these necessary adjustments and unique customizations, you ll be a more capable business owner.

5 Day 1: Know Your Products 5 Not knowing your own product line will make you far less effective at selling it, so take some time to go through your website and take inventory of what you sell. Go department by department and browse through all of the items to familiarize yourself with your offerings. Next, sign up as a shopper on your website and process a test order to buy products. This will help you become more familiar with what you sell, how to navigate through your site, and can also help you better assist your customers when they have questions. You need to be the leading expert on your business and your website, because when a customer has a question about either a product or how your website works, they will expect you to have the answers. When you have a question about your website, you can find the answer by calling Technical Support at Why this is important: Knowing your side of your business is important, like how to place orders, ship times, etc. Understanding your customers viewpoint of your business, from browsing products to completing a purchase, is just as important so you can help them feel confident in your business and in you.

6 Day 1: Specialize 6 If you have an Intro website or above, we highly recommend that you pick a product line to focus on. Review the World of Products catalog or the Smart Living Company website to choose a few product lines that you want your website to specialize in, such as Candle Lanterns, Birdhouses, Toys, etc. Choosing one department that will become your niche or flagship product line can help your Search Engine Optimization and could result in more shoppers discovering your store. Big Value website products cannot be customized because the product line is based on Smart Living Company s Big Value catalog. Choosing a specialty, niche or focus doesn t mean you won t be selling other types of products or that you shouldn t use a wide range of products in your marketing efforts; it simply means the chosen product department will be the focus of your marketing. Your focus could be seasonal items (such as Christmas décor) or simply a product type you know well, that you like the most, sell the most, or that will appeal to a certain audience you have in mind. Here are the major factors in finding a niche product line by audience: Location of Customers Age of Customers Gender Budget-Friendly Products Lifestyle Why this is important: Being known for one type of product can help you become the authority, and when you market your business correctly, your shoppers will come to you first when they want to buy your specialty item. Put time and effort into marketing the specialty of your choice, but be sure to have some complementary items that could easily add on to any sale of your featured items.

7 Day 1: Set Layout 7 Go to your Site Manager and click on Style and Color in the Appearance column. You will see all the website layouts that are available to choose from. Intro and above websites on Version 15 can choose any of the layouts, including the newest Version 15 layouts. Big Value websites can choose layouts from Version 14 and earlier. Changing the layout of your website is easy and you don t have to pay per layout! Your layout choice does affect the available widgets, and later we will go over customizing widgets for your business. You can change your website s layout anytime you d like, as often as you d like. This process is explained in detail in Video #4, which is one of the essential videos listed on Slide #4. Why this is important: Making your website look unique, professional and inviting is one of the most important things you can do for your business. There s no shortage of websites, so make yours stand out to get attention from shoppers. Changing your site s theme or color options can make a big impact!

8 Day 1: Data Update 8 Performing a Data Update on your website ensures that all of the products in your site s inventory are in stock and available. This update will also help your Search Engine Optimization, because Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines consider website updates as new content, which can help your rankings. Use the following criteria to determine which option should be used. You should do this at least once a month, but we recommend weekly. (This feature is not available for Big Value Sites.) Option 1: -Never changed product/dept descriptions -Never added non-smart Living Company items Option 2: -Never changed product descriptions -Never changed departments or description Option 3: -Made changes to product/department descriptions Option 4: -Made changes to product/department descriptions Extra Mile: Once the data update is done, choose 5 products and add some of your own text to their descriptions. This will make them stand out. Why this is important: This is one of the easiest yet MOST IMPORTANT things you can do for your website. Just a few clicks and your store will only show current, in-stock items so that you never have to worry about shoppers buying out-of-stock merchandise, which saves you from having to refund their money.

9 Day 2: Create Your Website Text 9 Your website comes with default text, but you need to write personalized text to inform customers about your business. This text will be spread across several pages of your website. (We will cover writing unique product descriptions later). The pages you should write text for today are: Home Page Introduction About Us Contact Us Registration and Login Purchase Confirmation FAQ Page You can find these pages to edit in your Site Manager under Appearance > Store Profile. Your goal in writing text is to make it: 1. Fit your business 2. Sound personalized 3. Spruce it up with colors/fonts to stand out or match your layout Throughout this process, re-read and edit the text you write spelling errors and mistakes can diminish your customers confidence in your business. The text editor of your Site Manager has spellcheck to help you make sure your text is free from obvious spelling errors. Why this is important: Writing unique and personal text in your own words gives your shoppers a sense of who you are, what your business is about, and can help them feel at ease doing business with you. There are millions of websites online, but there s only one that has your voice and personality, so use it to your advantage!

10 Day 2: Write for Shoppers & Search Engines 10 Search engines are paying more and more attention to unique worded content on your website. The more relevant and unique your content is to your business, the better. It is recommended to have at least words of unique content on your home page. If the text on your website is exactly the same as the text on 100 other websites, what are the chances that search engines will pick up or pay attention to YOUR site? Slim. Changing a few words can make a difference, but writing your own text showcases the best of what your business has to offer is the key to success with both search engines and shoppers. While search engine results are important, you don t want to get too caught up in creating text just for them. You want to write engaging text that will appeal to shoppers of all types. Listing your products, categories, talking about your return or exchange policy, offering multiple payment methods, and demonstrating YOUR excitement about your products can have a profound effect on your business. Use all the opportunities you have to get your message across, and with your emerchantclub website, you have a lot of opportunities to edit and personalize your text! Here s an example: Thanks for shopping at Our Store. Right now, we re featuring Christmas and Special Occasion items, so if you need a quick and easy gift, you ve come to right place! We re also known for our finely crafted candle holders and lanterns that are forever stylish and can work well in just about any space, indoors or outdoors. The best part is they re really affordable! We sell a lot of our most popular candle lanterns and holders, so when you see one in stock that strikes your fancy, we recommend adding it to your cart and checking out before it disappears.

11 Day 2: Home Page Intro 11 Create a welcoming message on your home page. Remember, this is probably the first (and perhaps only) bit of text that your shoppers will read, so make sure it s friendly, engaging and concise. Also, point out some of the different departments included on your site. That way shoppers and search engines know what type of product you sell. You can create your introduction using the Store Profile > Home Page Intro section of the Site Manager. Home page intro set to the right of the image slider widget Why this is important: Your website needs to make a positive first impression on shoppers if you want to grow your profits. A well-written welcome note can make your customers feel comfortable and help them decide to do business with you. Make sure your home page intro is short, concise and free of spelling errors.

12 Day 2: Write About Us Content 12 This page should go into the details of your business. Good things to include in your About Us text are: When your business began Your business mission statement Your catch phrase (if you have one) Any activities your business participates in, such as fundraisers, YMCA, scouts, charities, any local or national events Other ways customers can either browse or buy your products, such as ebay, Amazon, or other marketplaces Why this is important: The About Us page is one of the most-read pieces of text on most websites. Shoppers want to make sure they re buying from a trustworthy source that will deliver their items in a timely manner, keep their information secure, and will be worth doing business with again in the future. Give them a reason to shop with you!

13 Day 3: Get a Dedicated Business Number 13 Giving your customers and potential customers a business phone number to reach you at can help build your trustworthiness in their mind, which is invaluable. There are a number of ways to get a phone number solely for your business: 1. Call your current phone company and ask about adding a new line to your service. 2. Look into Google Voice. It s a free service that gives you a phone number for your business that will ring to your personal phone line. You ll know the call is coming from your business line so that you can answer the call appropriately. You can also, before answering the call, elect to send the call to voic . You can find more info on Google Voice by clicking HERE. 3. Have business calls forwarded to your personal phone. This way your personal number is never displayed but you are still able to receive calls at any time. Make sure to set up the voice mail so that if a call isn t answered, your customer or affiliate can leave a message. Many providers will even provide a way to send an auto-generated with the voice message attached to your inbox. This works great for using a mobile device that can be set up to listen to the messages. BE AWARE: Listing your phone number opens you up to marketing phone calls, and even fraud. If someone calls you and claims to be from emerchantclub or Smart Living Company, be sure they can provide your original membership start date, your membership number and website password. Why this is important: Using your personal phone may seem like a good idea, but we strongly suggest a business only number. This prevents you from making mistakes when answering calls or being bothered when you re off the clock. A business phone number is easy to get and makes a professional impression.

14 Day 3: Create or Buy a Website Logo 14 A business logo is a very important identifier. You want your logo to represent your business and become an instantly recognizable symbol of your business to your customers. This logo will represent your business not only on your website but should also be used on your business social network pages, s, and affiliates. There are several services online that can create logos for you for very reasonable prices. Remember, this is a one-time cost that will be used throughout the life of your business. If your budget doesn t allow for a logo purchase, you can go to and create your own logo. Remember, even just a solid background color with the name of your business on it will work as a logo and it s better than not having a logo at all. The most important factor of a logo is that it identifies your business. Once you ve created or purchased a logo for your business, upload it to your store. Click to view our tutorial and watch number 3. Why this is important: Trustworthy and reputable companies all have logos they rely on to convey their business name to their customers. These designs are instantly recognizable (think of great logos like Nike, McDonalds, AT&T). Try to keep your chosen logo the same or similar for the life of your business.

15 Day 4: Set Contact Us Content 15 Within the Site Manager, go to Store Profile > Contact Us. Place your dedicated business phone number as your main contact. Make sure the hours of operation for this phone number are displayed in the Contact Us text box. Add an expected timeframe for a return call in case your customer doesn t reach you and leaves a message (1-2 business days is typically an acceptable timeframe.) In the Address section, make sure your business is shown. Upon completing your website, emerchantclub automatically sets up your business account and adds the address here. In the Order box, please add a valid address where you want order notifications to be sent. This can be a personal address because it is never shown to customers on your website. You ll receive an to your chosen address every time a shopper places an order on your website. Leave the Mailing Address section blank for now. We ll go over the steps to setting up a business address and we will come back to this section at that time.

16 Day 4: Set FAQ Page Content 16 Your emerchantclub site has a specific Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQ, page. This page can save you and customers time by answering common questions. This is a great place to give specific details about how your business is run, a product or category, or any new processes your business rolls out. When your website is created, the FAQ page is empty. You need to fill it with relevant information that you think your customer and your business can benefit from. From your Site Manager, click on Store Profile and then FAQ Page. Here are some content ideas to help you get your FAQ page started: 1) Use FAQ examples. Below the FAQ text box on the FAQ Page in your Site Manager, there is a link for FAQ examples that you can copy and paste to start your FAQ page. If you do this, be sure to go through each example and change them to match your business. 2) Browse online for other stores FAQs and then build your page based on their examples. Make sure you don t copy any other site s FAQs word-for-word. 3) Have emerchantclub build an FAQ for you. We can provide a list of 40 questions and answers that go over the most commonly searched for content on a website. Why this is important: FAQs can build trust and answer common questions that will reassure prospective customers, plus it will save you time answering the same questions repeatedly. As your business runs, be sure to add any questions that customers ask to keep your FAQ page active, useful and current.

17 Day 5: Widgets 17 The next four slides cover Day 5, which is all about Widgets. Widgets control which products appear on your website s home page; you can think of this as a display in the front window of a store on Main Street. These should be products that grab attention and make shoppers want to browse the rest of the inventory. These are products that: Can be targeted to your customers needs and wants You are excited about selling You are familiar with Are currently in stock, whether they are from SLC or your own Can be found through your business other marketing methods, such as catalogs, home parties, flea markets, fundraising, in a physical store, etc. Why this is important: Widgets can add visual pop and even motion to your website, making it look professional and grab the attention of shoppers. Displaying some of the most popular items in your store, the most stylish, and best-looking merchandise will capture their attention immediately and inspire them to click through and shop.

18 Day 5: Widgets 18 Spend some time loading a widget on your home page to make your products stand out. Be sure to choose images that have similar backgrounds or products that are complimentary in color, style or type to make your widget look great. 1. Go to your Site Manager and click Style and Color. 2. Then select Layout Settings to see a mini display of the layout. 3. Click the Placeholder 1 square to see a list of widgets that fit that spot on the layout. 4. Choose one of the available image sliders. 5. Click on Available Images to see each image for that slider and pick out 5 images. 6. Add each one to the widget and then click save at the bottom. You can watch our step-by-step video tutorial on how to create and edit widgets by clicking on the video image. Why this is important: Choosing attention-grabbing products for your widget is essential. Don t just haphazardly click the first 5 products you see; spend some time planning which products you want to feature and make sure that they look good together and offer variety to showcase the entirety of your merchandise lineup.

19 Day 5: Widgets Alt Text 19 Search engines can t see images like we do, so they must rely on text to tell them what an image consist of or its purpose on your page. This text is known as Alt Text, and it is extremely important. When adding a widget to your home page, be sure to add Alt Text to the images in the widget so that important search engines (such as Google and Yahoo) can understand what the photos are about. You can place Alt Text within the image slider for placeholder 1 by following these steps: 1. Go to Style and Color in the Appearance column 2. Click Layout Settings 3. Click on Placeholder Number 1 4. Locate any image slider and click Edit on the right 5. Click Edit next to an image in the image list 6. Enter desired Alt text 7. Click Apply 8. Repeat the last three steps with every image in the image list 9. Click Save Why this is important: Without Alt Text, search engines can t understand images. Describing each picture on your page with Alt Text can help you rank higher on search engine results and make your website seem more important to popular search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. This can help you attract more shoppers!

20 Day 5: Widgets Alt Text Example 20 Shown here is an example image slider with applied Alt Text:

21 Day 5: Accordion Widgets 21 Accordion Widgets are a great way to promote a sale or special offer that can inspire shoppers to buy now! Accordion widgets get their name from their appearance, because they look as though they are expanding and contracting. To activate an Accordion Widget: 1. From your Site Manager, click Style and Color. 2. Select Layout Settings. 3. Click the Placeholder 2 square to see a list of widgets that fit that spot on the layout. 4. Locate the widget you want, click the dot on the left to select it. 5. Then click edit on the far right to configure it. For product widgets, you should select each individual product or select a single department to be featured. This way you have complete control over what is shown on the home page and can make sure no out-of-stock products show up. Apply the same process with Placeholders 3 & 4. Why this is important: Everyone loves a sale! Using an accordion widget to promote a sale or special can inspire your visitors to take a look at all the items that are featured, and the urgency of a limited-time price promotion or sale can encourage them to buy now before the item goes back to its regular retail price.

22 Day 6: Featured Departments 22 Select up to nine departments from your site and set them to be your featured departments. These show up on the home page and therefore will draw more attention than other departments. This should include your specialty department as well as seasonal departments. Click below to view tutorial number 7 on how to change the departments. In your selected featured departments, spend some time creating unique content by writing department descriptions for all 9 of your selections. When writing overviews of these departments, do your best to create text that will appeal to shoppers and, of course, reread your text to correct any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Why this is important: Featured departments give shoppers a first impression of your business. Be sure your selections reflect the types of items you want your business to be known for with enough variety to appeal to a wide range of shoppers. Writing unique text will help your business and with Search Engine Optimization.

23 Day 7: Search Engine Submission 23 Having a website without Search Engine Optimization is like having a store without a door. There are millions of websites on the Internet and customers won t be able to find your website without the help of search engines. If you are a Google Webmaster, submit your website to search engines, but remember this must be done correctly or it could result in your site being delisted. It can take up to a few weeks for your site to get regularly indexed, so the earlier you do this, the better. If you re not a Google Webmaster, emerchantclub can submit your website to hundreds of search engines for you using the proper techniques and methods. Our Search Engine Submission package takes the guesswork out of this crucial piece of marketing for your business and can save you time. To learn more, please call Why this is important: It s likely your customers won t type in the URL address of your website to visit your site. Instead they ll search for your business or items that you sell on search engines like Google or Bing. The only way search engines will know your website exists is if they index your site, which you ll have to initiate by having it submitted to them.

24 Day 7: Search Engine Optimization Meta Tags 24 Submitting to important Search Engines is simply the first step in getting discovered by prospective customers. After you submit your website to Search Engines, they crawl every page of your site and pick out data they believe is important, unique, or relevant. Google alone estimates that 14 billion searches are performed on their search engine each month, so you can grasp how important search engines are to your online business. Without their help, your customers will have to know and correctly type in the URL address of your website. With the help of search engines, prospective shoppers will be able to find your website just by performing a general search for the types of products you sell. The next step in getting your website optimized for search engines is to create Mega Tags. emerchantclub helps you by placing Meta Tags throughout all of your Smart Living Company product departments (such as lanterns, yard and garden, etc.) but the content loaded is what s supplied by Smart Living Company for every emerchantclub member website; it is standard release content, so it s not unique. Making the Meta Tags on your website unique will earn you more attention from any search engine, therefore they will consider your data more relevant, which can help you climb up the search engine rank. Why this is important: Meta Tags are a crucial piece of Search Engine Optimization that can help your website get noticed by shoppers. The standard meta tags are a good start, but you need to customize them to fit your business so you stand out from the crowd! There s help available if you need it:

25 Day 7: Department Search Engine Optimization 25 Start with what you feel are your most important product departments the items you want to focus your business on, the most popular, or the ones with the biggest variety and create optimized content for each. This includes: Creating an H1 (headline tag) 3-5 words Changing or adding Image Alt Tag 3-5 words Changing or adding a title tag 3-10 words Changing or adding a description tag words Changing or adding keywords for the department 3-12 words Why this is important: Search engines don t read every word on your website like a human would. They look for certain tags that give them small bits of data they can easily compute and store. These tags help search engines determine when they should show your website to users during a search.

26 Day 7: Per Product SEO 26 Now it s time to pinpoint your focus on the department that you want to be your specialty. Go to that department and create SEO content for each product in the department. To do this you ll need to edit the product directly. We ll use product , the Midnight Elegance Chandelier, as an example. Go to your Site Manager and click Products. In the Search Product box, type the first product number (in our example it s ) and hit enter. Once the product appears, click Edit. H1 Tag: 3-5 words Image Alt Tag: 3-5 words Page meta title for SEO: 3-10 words Page meta description: words Page meta keywords: 3-12 words Why this is important: Using SEO to make your specialty products stand out can help you rise above the competition when it comes to search engine results. If 100 stores feature item # but your store has unique and SEO-rich content, the search engines will consider your item # more relevant and important!

27 Day 7: Per Product SEO 27 Example of SEO content for product # Midnight Elegance Chandelier H1 Tag: 3-5 words Image Alt Tag: 3-5 words Page meta title for SEO: 3-10 words Page meta description: words Page meta keywords: 3-12 words

28 Day 8: Set Up Business Facebook Page 28 A business Facebook page is a great way to reach more shoppers to your new website. If you want to build your own Facebook Business page, log into your Facebook profile and then click the create page link on the left-side menu of Facebook (under PAGES) to get started and follow the steps. Once your business page is created, you will need to upload your own images, videos and content in order to complete this process and make your Facebook Business page functional. emerchantclub offers fully built Business Facebook pages that link directly to your website, complete with product photos, ecatalogs, videos, and more. Once it s created, you simply manage the page and add additional updates as needed. There s also a bi-annual update that adds all new products, images and videos to your page for you. It s an easy way to quickly launch a professional page for your site. Once your Facebook business page is built, be sure to post new content every day to keep your business at the forefront of people s minds. Make this part of your regimen when you sit down at your computer. Types of content you should add to your Business Facebook Page: Status Updates Products from your website Product showcase videos from YouTube channel WebsiteVideos5 Create albums of product images Announcements of any specials or sales Why this is important: Facebook may seem like a frivolous task for your second week of business, but it s not! Facebook has more than 1 billion users worldwide and it s one of the best ways to build interest in your store. Use it as a tool to reach customers that you wouldn t interact with ordinarily and you can expand your website s reach.

29 Day 9: Set Up Coupon Promotions* 29 *This feature is only found on Value Intro sites and above Your emerchantclub website has a fantastic feature that lets you create your own coupon promotions to help attract shoppers to your store. Since you can set up as many coupons as you want and assign each a different coupon ID, we suggest creating a different coupon for each type of marketing method you use so that you can track which method is bringing customers to your store. Check out our tutorial for setting up coupons: You can tailor your coupon promotions to your business. Here are some of our recommendations: 1. Create a coupon for an upcoming holiday, special event, or create your own special occasion. 2. Be sure to set a start and end date for your coupon codes so that they cannot be used for years to come (2 weeks is a good time frame). 3. Promote your coupon codes in different ways to reach more potential shoppers. Why this is important: Coupons create a sense of urgency to use them before they expire. Customers who are aware that they re getting a very special chance to save money and get what they want for less are more likely to follow through with a purchase. The coupon doesn t have to be a huge savings to be effective, so test some out!

30 30 Day 9: Promote Your Coupons Before you send out your newly created coupon codes, we suggest acting like a shopper and using the code to make a purchase on your own site. This kind of quality control can help you discover any issues before your customers do, which can cause frustration and even lose sales. Once you re sure the coupon codes work correctly, it s time to put them to use. Decide on the best way to get the coupon codes you ve created to your customers. Here are some channels you can use to distribute coupon codes and get traffic to your website: 1. Via By using the Newsletter tool of your website. 3. Posting the code on your business social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). 4. By writing the coupon code on the back of your business cards and handing them out to prospective customers. 5. Printing out Smart Living Company s Fantastic Flyers and adding the coupon code and your website name to the flyer. 6. You can even add the code on your website home page to encourage shoppers to buy right away! Why this is important: Coupons are great, but if no one knows they exist they re a waste of the time it took to create them. Getting your coupon codes to customers can launch a meaningful relationship with your potential shoppers. Let them know you re offering a limited-time special deal and encourage them to visit your store!

31 Day 10: Set Up a Global Discount* *Available on Deluxe websites and above. 31 It s common practice for a new online store to launch with a grand opening discount. Deluxe sites and above can opt to use a global discount, which means a percentage savings is added to each sale, while websites below the Deluxe model can use the price promotion tool (instructions on Slide #33). Globally discounting involves two steps: First you ll need to switch the prices away from retail, and then you ll set the price you want your customers to enjoy. In the Site Manager, click Global Discounts in the Marketing column. Make sure to enable the checkboxes and enter information similar to what s displayed below and click Apply. Why this is important: When your store first launches, you won t have any customers. A great way to attract shoppers is to let them know you re a new business that s ready to give them the best prices on the home décor they want. A global discount is a fantastic way to introduce your new store and can create interest in your business.

32 Day 10: Set Up Global Discount 32 Next, decide how much of a percentage you want your shoppers to save when they shop. A good discount to start with is 15%, and we suggest offering this discount for at least a month. From your Site Manager, click Main Menu and then Product Price Setting in the Products column. In the Sub-Wholesale Price Setup area, type your discount (in this case 15) in the first box and click Apply. Now check your storefront. You should see the retail price, new price and discount that you just activated!

33 Day 10: Set Up Price Promotions 33 If you already created a global discount, do NOT create a price promotion. Both promotions will overlap and you ll end up cutting into your profit margin! If you have created a global discount, wait for at least a month and turn off the global discount, then create your price promotion. All sites can use price promotions for their grand opening sale. Click the video box below to watch a tutorial on how to create a price promotion on your website:

34 34 Day 11: Set Up a Physical Business Address Many small businesses have a physical address, even if they don t have a traditional storefront. The most cost-effective way to get a physical address for your business that isn t your home is to set up a P.O. box, whether at your local post office or a UPS store. If you decide to turn your business into an LLC, a P.O. box from the post office isn t enough, but a UPS store P.O. box address can be considered a suite number, which is much more readily accepted as a legitimate business address. After this has been done, you should go back to your Contact Us page of your site and enable the map and directions to this address. Why this is important: Having a business address gives your business legitimacy and trust from your customers. We don t recommend using your home address as your business address simply because you don t want customers from across the Internet to know where you live. It s best to keep your private life and business affairs separate.

35 Day 12: Enable Facebook Login 35 This new feature is available for all Version 15 websites (but not available on Big Value websites). It allows customers to register and login to your website using their Facebook credentials, which makes registration easy and quick. To set up your website s Facebook login, please click the button and follow the instructions: Login screen of an emerchantclub website with Facebook enabled Why this is important: Shoppers who have registered on your websites gives you a list that you can send newsletters and s to promote your store. Enabling Login with Facebook is easy and quick for your shoppers, which means they won t have to spend a lot of time registering. Registered shoppers are like gold to your business!

36 Day 13: Setup Social Networking 36 We ve already covered setting up a Business Facebook Page, but there are many other social networks that allow you to reach new customers. Consider setting up a business profile on as many social networks as possible, but especially: Twitter Pinterest Google+ Once you have your business profiles created, post content such as products, sales, and videos. Post to each network daily to capture the attention of potential customers and expand your business s marketing reach. Once you ve created and filled your profiles with content, enable the links to your different network profiles on your website. It s easy to do with your emerchantclub website by going to your Site Manager, then click on Social Networks in the Marketing column and enabling all shown social networks. Why this is important: Linking your website to social networks lets your shoppers easily share and promote your products to their friends and contacts! Pinterest is especially useful for product sharing and can help get more quality traffic to your website. Each of these networks can increase your reach significantly, so use them all.

37 Day 14: Set Up Google My Business 37 Setting up your new business address in Google My Business is a great way to build trust with search engines, and best of all, it is completely free. Click to get started Why this is important: Google estimates that there are 14 BILLION searches on their website every month! Listing your business can help you get found. Remember, not everyone will remember your website s URL and type it into the browser address bar, so this is another layer of SEO that can help you get discovered by shoppers.

38 Day 15: Build Contact List 38 Today is focused on a very important piece of your business marketing toolkit: building your contact list. Start your list by adding people you know personally, from friends and family to work associates and casual acquaintances. There are several places you should consider looking as you build your list: Your physical address book Your personal contact list (you can even check old s that were sent or received) Social networks such as Facebook or Google+ Business cards you have collected Cell phone contacts Your website s potential or registered shoppers Your website s inbox For contacts who haven t registered specifically through your website, it s best to ask if they want to receive your business s. You don t want to upset or insult anyone by bombarding them with unwanted s that they could potentially mark as spam. Why this is important: addresses are a direct way to interact with shoppers, and if done correctly, your s can result in more sales. Be careful, though, because sending s to people who do not want them can result in your address getting blocked by some providers. Don t get marked as spam!

39 Day 16: Add Products to Facebook 39 You can easily promote a product from your website directly to Facebook from your Site Manager. This is an effective way to get an item or items you want to promote pushed to your Facebook Business Page for your social shoppers to see. Choose three current products that are either new or perfect for the current season to promote on your Facebook business page. In Site Manager click Products. On the far right in the Action column, any product that is in stock will display a Facebook link to the far right. Click Facebook to start. Why this is important: An active Facebook business page shows your potential shoppers that you are a current and viable store that they should do business with. Posting regularly will keep your products and your website in front of their eyes, which can lead to more sales. Promote products that are timely or new to capture more attention.

40 Day 16: Add Products to Facebook 40 Next, login to Facebook If you see On your own Timeline, click to drop down menu for more options. Choose On a Page you manage. Choose your company name (the name of the Facebook business page)

41 Day 16: Add Products to Facebook 41 You ll see the description of the product. Click into Say something about this to add more content about the product, and also suggest that your friends recommend your post to their friends. Then click Share Link. A link to that product s page on your website will appear under the description you just created. When a Facebook friend clicks on the link, they will be redirected to your website where they can easily add the item to the shopping cart and check out. Why this is important: Giving specific instructions, such as This looks great on the patio! Share it with your friends who love enjoying their backyard on warm summer nights, can increase the chances that your Facebook friends will act upon your instructions. Give them a reason to share you business and your products with others!

42 Day 17: Start a Blog 42 Having a blog for your business is a really great way to build trust and credibility in your business while giving your shoppers the feeling that they re dealing with a real person (not just a faceless business). Blogging can be fun, and you can start a free blog at Blogger.com. Blogger is part of Google, which means that having a blog for your business can help your SEO! It s easy to set up a blog on Blogger (visit and follow the instructions on setting up your own blog. Once your blog is set up, add content (known as posting) to your blog regularly. A post a week is a good start, but as often as you can is better! The key to blogging is not only selling products, but you can also provide content on literally anything. Make your blog useful to your prospective customers by giving out decorating ideas or advice (using the products in your store, of course), talk about trends in home décor, and give any tips you may have for things like organizing the kitchen, etc. Your blog posts can be as long or as short as you d like, and you should definitely include photos. It is more important to add posts on a regular schedule rather than focusing on a lot of content. The ideal post should take less than seven minutes to read. Blogs also allow customers to post comments back and forth about your posts. This can be important constructive feedback coming from your most important assets: your customers!

43 Day 18: Create & Distribute Flyers 43 Smart Living Company s Fantastic Flyers are a great marketing tool, the designs change on a regular basis, and they are free! You can find the current flyers by visiting and clicking on the Your Company tab at the top, then clicking Fantastic Flyers from the drop-down menu. Choose a flyer design that best represents the types of products your business features and then add your business name and website address in the blank space provided on the bottom right of each flyer. Then have them printed on high-quality paper (you can do this at any print shop). Once printed, be sure to carry a few wherever you go so you re ready to promote your business when the opportunity arises. You can also insert any of the current Fantastic Flyer designs in an newsletter and send it to your registered shoppers. To send a Fantastic Flyer via your Newsletter tool: 1. In the Site Manager click Newsletter in the Marketing column 1. Click Create Newsletter 2. Click Insert Fantastic Flyer 3. Select the flyer you want to send from the list

44 Day 19: Printed Materials 44 Now that you have some Fantastic Flyers printed, it s time to diversify your lineup of printed materials. The most important printed item you need are business cards with your website s address, contact information and business name. To further promote your business, consider other popular items and have at least the name of the business, your website, and a way to contact you ( or phone) printed. 1. Business Cards MOST IMPORTANT! 2. Tote Bags 3. Pens/Pencils 4. Erasers 5. Stickers 6. Magnets 7. Clothing (shirts/hats) 8. Coasters Check both online print sources and local businesses to get the best price on these items. If you can find a local shop to print items for you, it could be a great way to do some cross promotion (buying from them could lead them to letting you leave catalogs, business cards or flyers in their shop). Why this is important: Printed items with your website s URL can help you spread the word about your online business more effectively. Telling someone your website s name doesn t always result more traffic to your store because they may forget by the time they get in front of their computer, but if it s printed, they ll remember!

45 Day 20: Create a YouTube Channel 45 This day will be spent creating a short commercial about at least one product and adding it to your business s channel on YouTube. YouTube is a video sharing website that s also owned by Google, so having an account created for your business can, yes, improve your website s SEO. To create a YouTube channel, visit and follow the instructions. Once you ve successfully created your channel on YouTube, take some time to browse through other business s channels to get a good idea of the types of videos you can post. Product videos are great, but so are how-to tips, decorating ideas, etc.

46 46 Day 20: Create a YouTube Video Creating a commercial for your business is the first video you should create. You don t have to have anyone actually appear in the commercial; check the Smart Living Company Youtube channel for ideas. Focus on an item that is in your chosen specialty category. It s best to have this item on hand, but if you don t, you can still create a video using the still photos that are available for download on Smart Living Company s website. You can create a short commercial in one of two ways: Digital Camcorder/Smartphone Will need some product on hand Using video capture software Most computers have a video creation program installed already. If you ve never used the program before, go through a tutorial online to learn the ropes. You can use the still images to create videos this way. If you decide to add music to your video, make sure you don t use any music or sounds that are protected by copyright because YouTube prohibits it. If you re not sure about what music is protected by copyright, it s best to stick with just spoken voice rather than take a chance on breaking the rules. Once the commercial is on YouTube, you can share it from the YouTube website and even add it to your home page widget on your website. Share it on your Facebook page and Twitter, too! Why this is important: Videos are great attention grabbers. Having your own video on your website, posting it to Facebook and your YouTube channel gives you more opportunities to get the attention of prospective shoppers. Plus, it s an extra layer of SEO content that can help your business rise above the competition.

47 Day 21: Free Online Marketplaces 47 There are several marketplaces that you can join to promote your products that won t cost you any money. These are like classified ads and should be short and relatively quick to create. The most popular online marketplace website is Craigslist ( Place an item for sale in your local area and encourage people in your area to contact you if they d like to purchase. You and the customer would then meet somewhere in a public place and perform the transaction in person. Create friendly and welcoming posts that are short and to the point. It s essential that you create links back to your website on each post you create. This not only helps direct traffic to your online store but also benefits your SEO since links back to your site can increase ranking. Some marketplaces only accept products that are homemade, so be aware of the marketplace rules before posting. Craigslist.org Merchantcircle.com Thefind.com Offerup.com Bonanza.com Backpage.com Pennysaverusa.com Etsy.com Why this is important: Marketing your business in a variety of ways is the best way to capture the attention of a larger audience. These marketplaces don t charge per ad, so you can promote your products for free. Be sure not to over-post on these sites, though, because it can turn off buyers to see the same product advertised too much.

48 Day 22: Join Facebook Yard Sale Pages 48 There s more opportunity in Facebook than just promoting your website and items via your official business page. There are a number of Yard Sale, Flea Market, Swip-Swap or Buy/Sell/Trade groups on Facebook that focus on specific towns and sections of metropolitan areas. While each group has different posting rules, you may find some success posting your products to these groups. First, go to Facebook and type Yard Sale or Buy Sell in the search bar at the top and click the search icon. You should then be shown a list of these types of sites in your general area. Click on any that seem appropriate and then click the Join button. Be sure to read the group rules. Some allow businesses to promote products and sales, but if any of the groups you join don t allow you to promote your business, post items you have on hand (such as lanterns, holiday items, etc.). As people respond to your post, you can reply back to them and either sell the item to them directly, like you would on Craigslist, or you can direct them to your website to see more items. Post regularly in the groups, but be sure you don t flood them with items. You don t want to upset or irritate any potential customers. Why this is important: Yard sale pages on Facebook are gaining in popularity. Since so many people are regularly on Facebook, it s a great way to promote your products and make sales. Make sure to portray a professional but friendly demeanor in all your dealings on the pages. This is also a great way to sell things you have on hand.

49 Day 23: Groupon 49 If you ve never heard of Groupon (or its competitor Living Social), it s a virtual coupon marketplace that lets businesses advertise their products or services at a discount to a very targeted group of shoppers. This is a great way for your small business to get high-quality attention. Groupon sends daily deal s to its registered members. Since these shoppers are segmented by Groupon, you can get your deals in front of people who are very interested in the type of product you sell. To begin promoting your products on Groupon, go to and sign up as a merchant. Click Local Deals and fill out the short form to get started.

50 Day 23: Groupon 50 Choose the product you want to promote on Groupon. Before you choose the item, check the Smart Living Company inventory report to find an item that is both in stock and has a large quantity on hand (to prevent your business from offering an item that could easily become sold out). As you go through the process of setting up your Groupon ad, follow the instructions the company provides. They also offer technical support if you have questions or need help getting started. Groupon products show the retail price and then the discounted Groupon price. When deciding on your item s Groupon price, be sure that you re not cutting into your profit too much. Browse the site to see what other companies are offering, what categories have a lot of competition, and the types of items that are the most popular (it shows you how many offers have been claimed or purchased). Consider these options: Seasonal items (holiday, garden in spring and summer) Kitchen gadgets Whimsical fun (games, toys, etc.) Candle Lanterns Luggage Sets Storage & Organization Items Why this is important: Groupon markets collections of deals to a very specific demographic. That means you can get your products in front of interested shoppers who are looking for a good deal. While this method does cost money, it could pay off by helping you sell more items and creating long-term customers.

51 Day 24: Selling on Amazon 51 Amazon is the largest online marketplace, and it makes business sense to promote your products on Amazon to take advantage of the millions of shoppers who search the website daily. Go to amazon.com and click Sell at the top or Sell on Amazon at the bottom to get started. Setting up an Amazon Professional Sellers Account requires sales of over 40 items a month. With this, you can sell Smart Living Company items or your own items. You can sell as an individual if you plan to list and sell fewer than 40 items.

52 Day 24: Selling on Amazon 52 Amazon has a feature called Fulfillment by Amazon that allows you to ship products to Amazon s warehouse, where they ll pack and ship to your customers for you, including customer service for these sales. This is a good option if you feel that Amazon could be a big piece of your business, but do your research first there are a lot of sellers on Amazon and pricing is very competitive. Your profit will most likely be lower on these items, plus you ll have to purchase the items from Smart Living Company first, and then have them shipped to Amazon. When you choose your products to sell on Amazon, whether through Fulfillment by Amazon or just a traditional online sale, be sure that other sellers aren t offering the same items at a lower price than you. It may take some time to investigate your opportunity and pick the right products, but with millions of shoppers scouring Amazon for what they want to buy, it s work that could pay off for your business in the long run. Why this is important: The more competition you have on Amazon, the harder it is to make your first sale. Sellers with Amazon history are trusted by shoppers, so as you start out, do your best to offer products that aren t easily found on Amazon and make sure you price the items as competitively as possible while retaining your profit margin.

53 Day 25: Setup Affiliates 53 An affiliate is a business partner that can help drive sales to your site. In return they would earn a commission based on each sale. Your site offers a fully functional affiliate program to track these sales and organize your affiliates. However, the details need to be set before offering this program to other websites and businesses. Most of the affiliate program pages have preloaded text on them to get you started, but we highly recommend using your own words. You should add the commission rate (5% to 10% per sale) that the affiliate would be paid to their PayPal account and the amount of commission that needs to be accumulated before payment is made to the affiliate. The following pages should have text changes made: Home Page introduction About Us Contact Us FAQ Page Registration, Post Registration, Login Welcome Confirmation s Why this is important: Having affiliates means that your business will be promoted by other websites. When their visitors click on the affiliate link and visit your site to make a purchase, your affiliate will earn a commission. This helps you extend your reach, and it makes your affiliates want to help promote your business.

54 Day 25: Setup Affiliates 54 Once the text on all pages is updated you can promote your affiliate program. Potential affiliates would register as an affiliate by clicking Join Affiliate Program on your store. Any item marked with the asterisk * is required. If the affiliate does not have a Tax ID registered with their county, a social security number (SSN) may be used instead.