Ecommerce

Raising the bar on customer experience: under promise + over deliver

I'm not usually one to make new year's resolutions, but 2014 was the year that I really wanted to WOW my customers at Tiny Hands.

If you've ever made a purchase from my shop, you'll probably know about my two-week made to order policy.

My handmade jewelry take a lot of time to make (up to three days!) and I just couldn't see any other way around it.

But these days with Amazon and other big online retailers raising the bar on what's considered normal for delivery time, two weeks in addition to shipping time is WAY too long to make you wait for your order.

I'm always looking to improve the customer experience while sustaining my business along the way.

I'm not going to commit myself to a business where I have 24 hour/7 days a week phone support but I did have other plans.

After reading Mike Michalowicz's The Pumpkin Plan, I've been feeling so strongly about this wonderful concept.

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A guide on product photography for your creative business

Running an online business means that your customers can't touch, feel, wear, use or smell your products.

While online commerce revenue is increasing year after year, it's still challenging for people to shop online because of these drawbacks.

The few ways you can present your item to your customers is with your branding, website, product descriptions and product photos.

Amazing product photography is a necessity for any online creative business selling products.

Combine this with having an awesome website, and you've built yourself a very strong and solid foundation for success in your business online.

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Your business can’t live without this

What if your business was homeless?

That's tragic, isn't it?

But there's an easy fix.

Having your own website for your business is a necessity for anyone wanting to build their creative business online.

An Etsy shop is great for starters, but if you're getting serious about growing your business, you must consider setting up your own site.

If you have the capital for it, invest in a professionally designed one. It doesn't have to be a custom design that costs thousands of dollars.

You could purchase a theme for WordPress or Shopify without breaking the bank.

You won't regret it – it helps with your branding, word of mouth marketing and essentially your customer's shopping experience.

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How To Improve Word of Mouth Marketing + Branding

I started my business in 2006; I was clueless about marketing and branding my business.

Do you feel that way too?

As creative business owners, we grow organically. In time, we learn and understand ourselves and our why with being in the market.

You don't always “get” it from the get-go and that's okay!

That's why this blog exists.

Here are some ways you can start thinking about your branding and how that ties in with word of mouth marketing.

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The Etsy Argument

Are you at a crossroads?

Can't decide if you should have an Etsy shop or set up your own website?

I spend very little to no time marketing my Etsy shop.

I make a few sales a week and it's a great place for side income with minimal effort and maintenance.

Etsy is great for starting out since you don't have to know HTML or CSS to set up your shop.

But if you're serious and committed to building a sustainable, long-term business, you should consider a more viable solution.

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