When I first opened my online store, I was just stumped where to start. Going from eBay to the web was a huge jump..where the heck was I going to get business and what if it was a fluke, no one would love me ‘alone’. Heck, at least on eBay they had some buyer protection, so I was wondering how this whole boutique thing would go down. Luckily for me, I have been running an online forum for a few years, so I wasn’t a complete moron when it came to websites, but online boutiques were a whole new world.
It just happened while I was searching for someone to design my template, I came across these little lists called “top 100 lists.” Its a little list where you add your site banner, and in turn add their banner to your site, thereby, hopefully, sharing traffic. They send someone to you, you send someone back, all is happy. (side note: if you don’t send them traffic, you drop to the bottom, no one ever sees you, the end) I could give a whole blog on these top 100 lists, but ill spare you that. One thing they did for me that was positive was open up a whole world of boutiques and online businesses I never knew existed. I just went link after link after link and asked for link exchanges and then I happened to click on something that was a blog that did reviews. I never really knew much about blogging prior to this. Sure, I had read a few here and there, but for the most part, it wasn’t a part of my daily repetoir.
For me, that’s where it started. I just took the chance, emailing reviewers..running Google searches on different keywords and emailing- hoping to catch the attention of anyone that would review my holders for press. If your a boutique owner, one of the ways I found good bloggers is to go to other products that were successful online, go to their press page, and see who reviewed them. I would click on those people, and voila, they became my newest targets.
In the beginning, bloggers did help me out a ton. By even mentioning my site, they put it out there so I got some eyes on it…now, it didn’t really generate me orders that often. But it did generate comments of other people and I was able to find out what users did and did not like about my product in the beginning. Heck, I was so green around the edges. And as much as it hurt my feelings reading some comments about my product, once I dried my tears, I knew they were right, and I was able to FIX the issues and ultimately, became very successful. I can say that bloggers led me down the path by providing me users that gave me the lowdown when I still sucked.
As good as that all sounds, its not all fun and games. I found that some bloggers are a bit stuck up. My product wasn’t good enough, the “right thing” (think: not electronics), and not backed by some fancy names yet. Heck, I was a mom trying to make it! I can tell you even to this day, I will exchange links with anyone trying to get their name out there. If their product sucks and they cant fix it, they will fade away. I’m not going to stifle some mom who has her heart set and is learning because I’m some big shot on the net. (btw, total random scenario, not saying I’m a big shot..would like to be. LOL). One blog, I will remain nameless so she doesn’t get any traffic off of being a bitch, emailed me back and said I “wasn’t the right type of product for her site”. Uh, hello..your a MOMMY REVIEW SITE. I have peeked at her pages a few times, and she does all sorts of things like my product. I have no idea what bug bit her ass and made her Queen of the Review board. I may lay down for Parenting magazine, but not some mom who wipes spit off her kids chin the same way I do. I could totally see her sitting there scoffing at the very idea I would waste her time even asking.
Second thing I found, is sometimes bloggers want too much of a product..or even to exchange links (no review) want a product. What?!? Exchanging links, you want a product of mine? It costs me time and money to get together something, and unless your gonna provide me with sales, I cant provide you with product. I should have a clause..if I don’t get at least 3 sales off of me sending you a product, you have to refund ME. I’m not Walmart, I’m not Target, I don’t have a factory in my backyard..I have these 8 fingers and 2 thumbs working my tail off to share my (very cool) product, so exchange with me or not, but don’t expect me to put up your link AND send you a $40 bow holder that took me $7 to ship and 2 hours to make. What I don’t get, is where are the days of telling people about something really cool, rather then trying to just get something out of it. I personally like to do FOR people, not have people do for me.
I had a mom the other day email me and ask me if I knew how to make a tutu wand. I don’t, I wish I did, but I spent 30 minutes today searching on the net because I wanted to send her directions on how to do it. I didn’t say…”if you buy a bowholder, Ill tell you.” I just wanted to help her. I think bloggers should be more accepting of up-n-coming products, promoting mom based business and designs more frequently, and at the very least, just share a once a month “check out these cool sites” blog, instead of a “you give me something, ill list your name” blog. In fact, to tell you the truth, I don’t want to bribe anyone. You like what I have and think you want to share it, or you don’t. I can tell you that those that have worked with me, I also in turn buy from, share with other people, and blog about myself, so a little goes a long way sometimes.
Last, but not least, please please don’t be a blogger that takes my stuff and never returns my emails or phone calls. In the beginning, I wasn’t so picky about who I worked with, I didn’t know much about the whole thing, I was majorly winging it. I did get a referral for a few large sites and one of my friends hooked me up with a woman from this site and she agreed for a review and was very excited and sweet about her girls getting it. I sent it in December and never heard from her again. Its not only unprofessional, its just down right discourteous. She wanted a package with info about me and I wrote up a long letter about how I got started and during the busy Christmas season, I made sure I went out of my way to get her product and the info she wanted..and nothing. I have probably emailed the site 50 times to no avail. Don’t take peoples products and never contact them again..its stealing! On top of it, I had a fire about 2 weeks after I sent her the product and I lost everything and had to restart my entire line. I really could have used her “review” to let people know what was going on with my site and to share that I would be back.
I don’t want to discourage people from using blogging as a form of reviews. It certainly has its place and contests have their place. They get people excited about a product, it does create exposure, and can draw people back. For large companies, its about branding thier name. For me, I have found that only very large review sites have created enough interest, traffic, and buzz to actual generate sales off of. Bloggygiveaways has been one of them..they sent me 33-500 visitors a day both times I was on with them. Another is Pinks and Blues, who not only return emails promptly and personally, but have just been so nice, extremely supportive, and never forget me when they have something going on. Its been over 6 months since they made me their find of the day, and I still get traffic from that. But for the majority of blogs and contests, most people just want a free product, come, post their name, and run off. Other then the Google ranking assistance for my link being up, they rarely don’t do much for me on the boutique side in sales. They can help me in connections though, so its worth that! What helps me in sales is someone who buys something and has real passion about it..they said, I BOUGHT this, I put it in my room, I love it… Then people know its not some fake, drummed up review to get a bowholder, but that they found it worthy to purchase. I had one blogger order three bowholders for personal use (had no idea she was a blogger) and then review me on her site and send me the link. She happened to be just into reviews at that time and we were her first review! Now, many many months later, with both of us more established, I was MORE then happy to provide some products and gift certificates to her site for a giveaway.
There will always be a place in this world for mom bloggers, they do get product out there that many of us never would have been able to touch into the public eye, but please be a responsible mom blogger. We are all just trying to make it..as bloggers, as boutiques, and honestly, we need EACHOTHER.
As a boutique that is now in top Google rankings and drawing a fair amount of sales and traffic, I get to pick and choose the blogs that I work with now…but what I really want is just the average, every day person, who stumbled upon my site, who bought something, and who’s little girl fell in love…that’s where the real power is.
Trisha
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