Time to Market Your Creator Store
This article is part of our series on How Creators Can Sell Directly to Their Audiences. In this series, we talk about how to expand your creative business and make money independent of any platform. We break it down into simple, easy steps, so you can get started right away. Check out the other articles in the series:
Marketing is hard. For creators and companies alike, it’s not as a simple as putting out a few Instagram posts and waiting for your inbox to flood with orders. And if you’re opening up a store for your audience, you might feel discouraged when it comes to marketing.
But as a creator, you know that success and results don’t happen overnight. Your hard work and dedication to opening a store for your audience is what will pave the way for your success. That, and you have us for some extra guidance and advice!
We’ve laid out four strategies to help market your store and capture customers. None of these will cost you much time or money, but they will help you create a store experience that is sure to appeal to your potential customers.
Tap your audience in
It’s natural (and smart) to keep your brand in mind when marketing, but that doesn’t mean you’re selling out by promoting yourself. We’ve said this before, but your supporters will want to see you thrive. Haters will always be there, but you don’t create for them. You create for yourself and your audience, so don’t be afraid to tap them in!
By tapping them in, we mean that you should share your store with them across your platforms and ask them to tag a friend. This helps bring more eyes onto your pages, and your customers are more likely to engage when they know someone else is doing so as well. It can be as simple as a shoutout at the end of a video or in the comment section, so you can go more in-depth and dedicate more content to promoting yourself. Let your audiences help you spread the word.
It’s also important to cross-promote because your audience on YouTube might be pretty different than on Instagram or Twitter. You might think promoting your course on YouTube makes the most sense, but you’d be surprised where customers might come from. Try everything out!
Create content related to your store
As Bill Gates once said, “Content is king.” Content not only helps you build an active brand, but it also helps you market your store to new (and old) audiences.
Start by creating content related to your store on the different platforms you’re on. If you’re worried about “selling out” or promoting too much, then you’re creating the wrong type of content. You want to write or vlog about something your audience will enjoy or gain value from. For example, if you want to promote a course on how to become a better writer, then you should write a blog post on your best tips. Then within your blog, add call to actions or direct readers to your store. Even promotional content should be content your audience wants to consume.
And you can’t forget: keywords are 🔑, and you should take full advantage of them. Posting content on different platforms boosts your search engine and platform optimization. So, do your research on what’s trending and what performs well, utilize the right keywords and meta data, and go create relevant content that drives store traffic!
Liven up your offerings with something a little ✨ extra ✨
Like with all of your content, your store and its offerings should be compelling. Your audience will see your store as an extra level of engagement with you, so use this as an opportunity to liven up your offerings and stand out from the other creators. Just like the great service at your favorite restaurant makes you a loyal diner, the same goes for your storefront.
Here are some of our favorite ways for you to stand out:
- A personalized thank you note
- A small freebie (this works best if you’re selling products or artwork)
- Entry into a raffle or giveaway
- Free shipping & handling (again, best for products)
- Interactive materials (like worksheets or coloring pages)
- Limited time offers
Put your personality and heart into it, and you’ll find your offerings are much more enticing!
Introduce a referral program
Your customers are your best advocates. Word-of-mouth marketing is so strong when it comes from a trusted source. In fact, 20–50% of purchasing decisions are made when consumers heard it over word-of-mouth. Your audience is great for this because they already trust you. And you can help your audience spread the word by starting a referral program.
Just like how Uber offers its riders a code to share with friends for a discount on a ride, you can give your audiences a bonus for sharing your store. A 10–15% off or $5 credit toward their next purchase will not only encourage word-of-mouth, but it will also ensure your customers are coming back.
Referrals and incentives for advocacy are elite customer service tactics that ease the challenge of marketing.
Find out what works—and what doesn’t
These are great places to start when marketing your store. It gives you a good foundation, and you can determine what works best for you and your audience. Expand on what’s working, and pivot where things aren’t.
And as always, let us know! What did you find helpful from this article? Or what would you like us to talk more about. We have a world of experience we’d love to share. Comment below or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
Download Creator Cash [iOS or Android] to check out CreatorStore, a new feature that helps creators sell their time, videos, commissions, learning materials, etc. directly to their audiences.
