You’ve just started your bow business, and you’re wondering how you’ll get the word out about it. Here we share some neat tips that you’d probably not have thought of to launch your hair bow product line. You can use all these ideas simultaneously for maximum profits. It is a combination of marketing tips and things you ought to do to make your business successful.
Let’s get started!
1.Don’t get a website, yet
People often get excited when they first launch a product line that they immediately open a website. The online world, people believe, is where you’re able to get the exposure you need to make your line successful. The reality is not that simple. When you go straight into owning a website, you’ll soon realize that traffic to your site will initially be minimal. If that was your only plan, then you’re in trouble.
The reality is it takes time for a new website to pick up organically. There are various aspects to it, from keywords to Google rankings, to contend with. Therefore, don’t let the site be the only place where you list your hair bows. Get a page on eBay or Etsy. Such platforms promise new brands visibility. It also convenient; people see your products a lot faster thanks to categories and tags.
For you to be successful in these platforms, you’ll need professionally done phones of your hair bows. That way, you’re assured that they are seen in the best light. Also, ensure that they are rightly priced; if they are expensive and customers feel that it is not worth the price, you won’t sell your hair bows as fast as you’d dreamed. On these online stores, you have the chance to put a link to your website so that you can also start making sales from there.
2. Partner with local businesses/marketplaces
The other approach of getting the word about your hair bows is by working with local businesses and markets. There you have a physical space where you can showcase your products. It is a step away from owning a website or an online store, making it practical. You’re able to reach more people faster if you’re ready to situate yourself where there is foot traffic.
You can also partner with businesses and organizations such as kids’ boutiques or cheerleading teams. It requires sharing samples of what you do and having a collaborative effort to get the types of products their target market desires on the shelves. Don’t be afraid to take feedback and change things a bit if you want to be relevant.
Other places you can check out are beauty shops where they get a commission for selling your produces. Go to fairs and other events where you can rent a booth and sell your bow ties. The best place to start is within your local community. From there, through visibility and word-of-mouth, more people will get to know about your products. You can also share cards or put your website on the packaging so that people can get access to your products during a time where they can’t reach you physically.
3. Social networks
Social media is just as relevant as ever when it comes to marketing and sales. Ensure that you use relevant social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to showcase your products. You can also get into online marketplaces such as those on Facebook where you can share your products within a set community.
The other thing that makes social media a valuable tool is that you can sponsor or promote pages and accounts so that they can reach the audience that you wish to. You can be as specific as you need to be; if your target market is mothers with newborns because you make hair bows for baby girls, you’re able to target them better. That is the beauty of social media; you can do targeted marketing.
The other aspect, when using social media, is to remain relevant. Ensure that your posts are informative and helpful. The image quality ought to be top-notch too. Don’t’ forget to run promotions and sales since they drive traffic to your account and pages. People like getting deals, so every so often run clearance sales or season sales.
4.Blogs
The most popular blogs are WordPress and Blogger, and there more out there that you can use. The purpose of a blog is to offer useful and informative posts. You want to create an experience with your audience, so they come away having learned something new. It is also meant to establish you as an authority in the industry.
There is plenty you can talk about when it comes to bows. You can talk about your journey to where you are so that your audience knows about you. You can share some simple tips that bow enthusiasts can learn about. What about giving a show out to a supplier that’s doing amazing things? You can also showcase new pieces coming out or work you’ve done through a serious of magnificent photos. Ensure that your blog is engaging so that people can go back for more.
You can also add links to your social media pages or your website. The best approach is to have a blog section on your site instead of having a different entity altogether. That way, people have access to it once they are on your website. Keep it update as people tend to frown on outdated content on a website.
5. Online marketplaces
We have already talked about the importance of making your products available on online marketplaces. There are others that include eBay, Etsy, Ali Express, or Alibaba where you can list yourself as a supplier and or wholesaler. On your part, you have to ensure that what you’re providing is top quality and is priced right.
Such platforms also work on a rating system, so you have to ensure that you’re getting good reviews for not just your produces but delivery and customer service. Provide a fantastic customer experience so that people keep coming back for more, rate you highly and share your page with others. These are good places to start before investing on a website.
6. Get that website
Here we have a tip that you can follow when you’ve done the above five ideas provided. You can open an eCommerce shop. There is various website such as WooCommerce and Wix that you can use to set up your very own online store. There are tons of templates that you can choose from that will make for a unique store. It helps to have an existing brand design that you use on your marketing collateral so that you have uniformity across the various platforms.
That means that your social media page should have the same looking design on headers and other images, including the logo. You can have watermarks on your photos that let people know who you are even when they see the image outside of the context of your website. Additionally, you can get third-party sites such as Google Ad so that you can start driving traffic to your online store.
Ultimately, all the other platforms that you have selling or promoting your products should lead back to your website. That is how you’re able to generate organic traffic. Equally, work with a trusted merchant when it comes to payments. Your customers need to know that their personal details are safe and that you can be trusted to conduct a transaction with.
7. Ribbon suppliers
Part of having a business has a reliable supplier. You want to get a company where you can get ribbons in bulk and in wholesale. That way you ensure that you get ribbons for cheap so that you can maximize your profits. Take the time to research various suppliers, making sure that you keep quality in mind at all times.
Other aspects you should look for when it comes to having a supplier is pricing. You don’t want to work with a middle-agent such as Walmart who have already marked up the goods so they can make a profit. Work either with the manufacturer or their supplier so that you get minimally priced products. When you have that checked off, ensure that they are reliable so that you can know your ribbons will be shipped to you on time. You never want to be out of stock.
Tip: Get a physical color or ribbon chart from the company you’re working with. That way you get the color that you ordered for. Don’t trust what you see in soft copy because the colors are not quite the same in person.
8. Hair bow Templates
Creativity is welcome when making bows, but when you’re just starting out, bow making can be quite frustrating. That is where hair bow templates come in. You can use Pinterest as a source of templates or do a quick online search for hair bow templates. You can make an online purchase for the models or use free versions. You can tweak both so that you come up with your original design.
Alternatively, you can partner with a design company that is able to make original designs for you. You’re assured that no other person in the market will have a similar design once your products hit the shelf.
9. Hair bow Instructions
Again, if you’re just getting started, then you want to make the online world your close ally. There are so many different types of hair bows that it would be near impossible to get through them all. If you don’t know what kind of hair bows you wish to make, take a few days off to surf the internet for inspiration. You can then create a virtual or physical board with the designs you like.
From there, you can turn to tutorials to make the designs. There are tons of sites that offer such knowledge for free. You can also check out YouTube videos for video guides on how to make the bows you wish to sell.
10.Shipping
Shipping can be a headache if you try to go old school with it. You can try out applications such as Ship Rush. This transportation tool is tied to your computer. It allows you to click on and duplicate customer information from the email or client receipt. From there, you’re able to print off custom delivery labels for the US Post Office or the UPS.
During this entire process, you don’t have to do any manual work, such as taking down the information; it is all automatic. With it, you’re able to save a lot of money and time. It is equally beneficial for when your business is matured, and you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of shipments at any given time. Shipping is also important because it affects how your customers perceive you. Everyone wants their items to arrive in good condition and on time. That said, invest in executive packaging that will reflect positively on your brand.
11. Financial software
The last tool you need is something to help you keep your finances in order. Applications such as Quicken and QuickBooks are vital in every company. These two applications and others like it are targeted toward small and medium-sized enterprises. With them, you can perform business payments, pay and manage bills, and also undertake payroll functions.
With money coming in and going out, you need a financial tool that keeps your books in order but also makes you accountable for your expenditure. You also want to talk with a professional accountant so that they’re able to give you the tools that they use. If that is not your background, you’re better off hiring someone to take care of that side of the business. When starting out, there are friendly financial applications you can use, but as you grow, you can hire someone to do that work.
