Best way to promote my store & gain loyal customers?

[AStormieDay]

I've Had a marketplace store/inworld store for a LONGGG time.. But it seems that no matter how much I promote in SL groups, Flickr, Facebook, and or how many "Special sales" I do to get my store off the ground.. nothing works? I make perhaps 1-2 sales a day on items that are my cheapest (1L)

it seems I am spending more in creating the items then I am gaining back.. (not complaining just a thing I've noticed)

 

so I need an opinion..

what is the best way to get my store off the ground and start gaining for loyalty through SL.. ?

 

Here is a link to my store for reference.

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/116953

 

(if this is in the wrong forum I am sorry)

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by AStormieDay

[bobsknief Orsini]

When i look at your MP i see your shirts are no-copy, no-mod & no-transfer. For me that would be reason enough to avoid your store if i where looking for such shirts
 

[Rowan Amore]

Also, wouldn't purchase any makeup without a demo.  Actually, I almost never purchase anything without a demo.  This is especially true for stores on the MP that I've never seen anywhere before.

[Chic Aeon]

Some things that might help.

 

On the plus side your vendor photos are good and your avi cute. So points there.  You are currently selling products at the "low end" of the creation curve (shapes are at the bottom in my book and cost nothing to make LOL).  There is a LOT out there.  So keep working on "niche" and making things that folks don't already have.  

 

Invest in a tiny store.  I have found some for $25 a week or free even. Having an inworld store makes you look more legit. If you can find a fairly good looking mall that is cheap that would be best.  You don't need a ton of prims so that is good. Even a 25 prim shop would work to start.  Once you have a little store, give away things regularly (like monthly). They can be group gifts (free group) or free for all. You can advertise in your social media and on teleporthub.com and on seraphim (both free).  

Most all creators are having issues with lower income these days.  Lots of reasons, so you are swimming up stream more than in the past and even then few folks make a lot of sales in the beginning. 

 

Look at your store as a hobby doing something you enjoy. Eventually it may make some money.  Most SL creators do NOT make much if any profits. The ones with the highest skillsets typically make the most. Only fair. Lots of learning and practice involved.

 

Good luck and happy creating.  

[Mollymews]

1 hour ago, Chic Aeon said:

Invest in a tiny store

^^ this

and then join as many inworld shopping groups, appropriate to you products, as you can manage. And post regularly to these groups your specials and new products.  Some of the inworld shopping groups have thousands of members, many who spend heaps of time teleporting to inworld shops to have a nosey whenever they get a shopping group notification

what you will do thru this is raise awareness of your presence, and get some sales from people who never knew about you before

[AStormieDay]

2 hours ago, bobsknief Orsini said:

When i look at your MP i see your shirts are no-copy, no-mod & no-transfer. For me that would be reason enough to avoid your store if i where looking for such shirts
 

Yes I will be fixing that I noticed that and it was by mistake

[AStormieDay]

2 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:

Also, wouldn't purchase any makeup without a demo.  Actually, I almost never purchase anything without a demo.  This is especially true for stores on the MP that I've never seen anywhere before.

Even for makeup and tattoos? I don't really make clothes anymore (atleast I stopped purchasing full perm and am learning to make my own mesh atm)

my main focus is makeup and tattoos 

[AStormieDay]

2 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

  You are currently selling products at the "low end" of the creation curve (shapes are at the bottom in my book and cost nothing to make LOL).  There is a LOT out there.  So keep working on "niche" and making things that folks don't already have.  

I do not make shapes though.. is that what is taken from my store at first glance? lol all my items are tattoos, makeup, and or really old clothing items I put out made with full perms I bought.

[Rowan Amore]

4 minutes ago, AStormieDay said:

Even for makeup and tattoos? I don't really make clothes anymore (atleast I stopped purchasing full perm and am learning to make my own mesh atm)

my main focus is makeup and tattoos 

Definitely demos for makeup.  I don't wear body tattoo.  Check any event.  Most makeup places have demos.

[AStormieDay]

1 minute ago, Rowan Amore said:

Definitely demos for makeup.  I don't wear body tattoo.  Check any event.  Most makeup places have demos.

I wouldnt know how to make a demo for makeup since.. I mean its makeup.. maybe I will see what they offer for theirs and try to do it..

[Rowan Amore]

Just grab a demo any makeup on the MP.  You can see they add the word.Demo onto the layer somehow.  

[Chic Aeon]

2 hours ago, AStormieDay said:

I do not make shapes though.. is that what is taken from my store at first glance? lol all my items are tattoos, makeup, and or really old clothing items I put out made with full perms I bought.

Sorry. I know you don't make shapes. I was just giving you the hierarchy of creations in SL.  In my view shapes are at the bottom. I would put well made clothing at the top really over mesh bodies but I guess there would be arguments there :D.   What I meant was that MANY people can and do make what you are making, so it is difficult to stand out in the crowd. Hope that is more clear. 

[AStormieDay]

7 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

Sorry. I know you don't make shapes. I was just giving you the hierarchy of creations in SL.  In my view shapes are at the bottom. I would put well made clothing at the top really over mesh bodies but I guess there would be arguments there :D.   What I meant was that MANY people can and do make what you are making, so it is difficult to stand out in the crowd. Hope that is more clear. 

I guess I understand.. I am trying to brain storm some things that stand out.. eventually I will get into making clothes 

[Zanara Zenovka]

For starters you need focus and brand identity. What is your brand about? What do you do? What is your USP (unique selling proposition)? How would you describe your business in a few words? Why would someone think of your store when they want to buy "x"? Are your products the best? the cheapest? the quirkiest?

The store name "tragic" is cool but it doesn't tell us anything. Looks like you're doing a few things. Pick one and focus on that to start with. Say you want to focus on the T-shirts. Call it "Tragic T-shirts" (for example) then design a heap more cool shirts, enough to fill a shop. Then think about how you can add value to make your T-shirts stand out  - what can you do to make people want to buy your shirts rather than anyone else's? ? great fabric textures. ? a colour change HUD. (I have no idea - I'm not in the clothing business.)

Then think about your customers. Who are the people who will buy your stuff? Where do you find them? Eg amusing T-shirts are worn to be seen - so maybe social areas where people stand around and look at each other, clubs, pubs are good places to look for shop locations. Then think how you can promote to that demographic, eg contact some clubs and offer them some shirts to give away as competition prizes. See if they'll give you free ad space in exchange.

Then think about what people wear with T-shirts - eg jeans. So maybe a shop next to a jeans shop would be a good choice. Or approach a jeans shop (that doesn't sell T-shirts) and see if you can put up a vendor display in a corner and give them a 50% cut. Then in the process of all this you're making contact with other business owners, learning about SL business and what gaps there are in the market.

Then once your T-shirt business is established you can expand horizontally - what else do your T-shirt customers buy? Start making/selling those too, etc. By then "Tragic tT-shirts" will have brand presence and you can make a new line of "tragic X" and eventually "Tragic" will be a whole brand of whatever it is you end up doing. Start focused then expand.

These are just a few examples to demonstrate the thought processes to get you started. It's just marketing. I've got a reading area in my inworld store with some good articles on marketing fundamentals and how to build a business that you might find useful.

[bobsknief Orsini]

One more very simple thing. You need more stuff.

You advertise, try getting people to your store. The change of them buying something (when they do reach your store) greatly depends on "choice".
Lets say i like one of your shirts but i want it in blue, and you don't have it. That would result into me not buying a shirt.

I can understand that its disappointing not selling after you put so much work into something but people simply want what they want. So my suggestion would be, create a lot more stuff and keep promoting your business. Your sales will go up. Or alternatively, be depressed and give up (which is no suggestion but often happens).

[So Whimsy]

Establish a brand first. Concentrate on one thing and do it good. Once you have a good amount of products (say 25+), create an in world presence. Offer demo's no matter what you sell.

[Polenth Yue]

In addition to the other things said, make sure you include the basic product type in product names. If it's a tattoo or eyeshadow or whatever else, put that in the name. So "Juice Eyeshadows" not just "Juice". Also for the full body tattoos, I'd add some detail pictures of some different areas, so it's clear what the tattoos show.

I've never had much luck with promotion groups and such, as it's just other merchants wanting to sell their own stuff usually. Where you find shoppers is at events. You're going to find it tricky to get in with few things, but some events are more open to newer people (I know some very tiny new shops have made it into Fantasy Faire before).

Add your store to your forum signature.

[AStormieDay]

I've updated a few of the things that yall have mentioned likeee...

 

On 3/25/2022 at 12:43 PM, bobsknief Orsini said:

When i look at your MP i see your shirts are no-copy, no-mod & no-transfer. For me that would be reason enough to avoid your store if i where looking for such shirts
 

ANDDDDDD

21 hours ago, Polenth Yue said:

In addition to the other things said, make sure you include the basic product type in product names. If it's a tattoo or eyeshadow or whatever else, put that in the name. So "Juice Eyeshadows" not just "Juice". Also for the full body tattoos, I'd add some detail pictures of some different areas, so it's clear what the tattoos show.

 

also fixed ad photos and reduce my store down to things that sold the best and reduce some items pricing to be more affordable as thats my goal!

[Codex Alpha]

To answer main question: Seems many advertise their store by doing this. Blogging about it or asking questions

Now on for the rest;

I am probably not your market, but I can spot off hand is that I don't know what you're selling mostly.

The store doesn't tell me what it sells. Though I don't do that myself as I sell a mix, you stated that you have a goal, so include it in your store title.

The product names are not very clear what they are, and focus more on  what mesh/models/ it goes on or that it's 'Bake On Mesh'. Maybe I'm dumb even after all these years in SL but I don't know what those things mean, nor would I care. So you might lose me or other simply not knowing what you are selling and for who or what... You can say "Oh well, that's for those people in the know" but then you would alienate me and possibly many, many other shoppers (especially new people to SL who can't even figure out how to walk!).

As mentioned, each product should be clearly described best as possible easy as possible so we know what it is, and the picture should tell us as well.

Here's an example of confusion: Tshirt listing with "Couples (Everything) M" in it. Okay so , I thought it was a tshirt for males. is that what M stands for? Or "medium" size? Then I go to the listing and it says it is a Couples Tshirt, but then the description says it only sells 1 Tshirt.

If the Tshirt is for males, why is it showing both shirts, that look like different sizes for obviously the male form the other smaller for female.. Which one am I getting? This seems to be with all your tshirt listings. Rule #1. Show what you are actually selling in your picture.

This is even amplified, as you have used the same pictures for two listings: M and F, but which is which?

You have multiple Tshirts with the same name, but in different colors, and even with different tshirt sayings. Confusing

If you make more than one or two editions of the same shirt, please specify.

Is "Expecting (Don't)" a series of tshirts with same design but different sayings and colors? Confusing.

OK, so I can figure out what "Lonely Boys Club Face Tattoo" might be, even though it's a picture of a woman (confused), but what are other listings like "Low Life (Omega & Bom)", "Bring The Ruckus (Omega & BOM)", "Cursed & Blessed (Omega & BOM)", what are they?

Be consistent in  your images. If you're going to use a picture of a pretty avatar, and just put some lips on the bottom or eyes as the only clue to what you're selling, do it on EVERY listing, or as I would prefer - a close up of lips (Lip gloss), a close up of eyes (eye shadow), a closeup of tattoo near ear (tatoo), etc

Aside: Have you ever played the Sims? What do their makeup options pictures look like? That can be viewed and understood quickly? Are they pictures of an avatar head and shoulders, or right up and close to the eye so you can recognize "oh yeah love the peacock colored eyeshadow, select that one!"?

A tattoo? An avatar? Hair, Eyebrow rings? Lips? What am I looking at? Why would I click on it when the product doesn't tell me what it is and the picture may or not be related to the product at all?

If you're selling an earring focus close on the earring on the umm ear. if it's a face tattoo, rather than featuring the beauty of the avatar model itself, you could consider getting in real close on the face where the tattoo will be located, so we can actually see what looks like, it's placement etc.

You could add other shots AFTER, and have fun with it, with what I call 'context' or 'usage' shots where I will add a picture or two of the product in use, but the listing always has the actual product first and foremost, so you wouldn't even have to read the title or description at length.

Things to note: Shoppers have eye fatigue and browsing fatigue. Simple images, close up, easy to see and easy to understand what the product is will go a long way. (especially with small images on SL MP)

More choice = more sales as people have mentioned. I have removed items as you have and cuts down the number, and it does have an effect. Sometimes just having more keeps people around, and you just don't know what will stick. so keep making and listing!

I hope that helps. I can't read your mind and know what you intend, or what your goals or experience is. I'm just giving my feedback based on my own life experience, and what I like to see as a (picky and infrequent) shopper. Good luck!

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by entity0x