Writing Your Listings or Descriptions For Your Products

Writing Your Listings or Descriptions For Your Products that you are offering for sale online.

Welcome to LilacsNDreams, and happy to see you!

Writing Your Listings or Descriptions For Your Products is where we are going to try to focus with today's topic. This is about the text the you use that will help in advertising your product. The listing you create can help you with making your sale. 

When you write your listings you need to understand what your customer's needs are, and what they are wanting to get from your products you offer. In your listings you want to help them see the results of the product, and why they should buy it. You want to share about your products offered their size, their length, how you made it, materials used, etc etc. While doing this you also need to make your customer realize the benefit, and the pleasure of them owning your products too.

If you can help identify what the customer is hoping to gain from owning your products you offer you are letting them know that you do understand what their needs may be, and what their desires are also. You want to make this about the customer as well. 

When doing your listings it helps to think like the customer. Think about how you shop as a customer. You want your customers to be pleased, happy, and comfortable with their purchases they are receiving. 

Try to have a clear picture of how the customer will benefit, and what their end result will be with owning products you offer. Try to practice putting the customers needs first. Try to switch your focus from just making a sale to the service of your customers. 

Key elements to effective writing are the What, the Why, and the How. 

The WHAT is the basic features of what your product is, what it's made of, what it measures, and etc. This should be the first paragraph of your listing descriptions. Try to make this short, and sweet if you can as you are leading them into the Why of your products. 

With the WHY of your listing you would like to describe to your customers the benefits of of the product that you are offering. This is one place to think like the customer to help them envision them having your product, using it, and what uses they can have from it in their homes. Try to give them a picture that they can envision from your description that you are offering. You are giving them the product in their mind simply because you offered a form of a visual for them to see. 

When it comes to the HOW of your description this is where you the seller come into the picture of your listing. Pretty much here you tell the customer how you are able to answer their questions or their needs, and confirm this is why you are the person to buy from. 

When you write your listings you want the customer to feel that you understand what their needs, desires, and wants are. These types of descriptions can add to the life of your photos, and listings. Your are helping the customer envision having your product in their world.   

Remember to also visit with Lisa at Market Your Creativity to follow some of her suggestions, and what she is sharing as well.

Thanks so much for sharing your time with LilacsNDreams, and it has been great to see you here too! Hope to see you again soon. Take care everyone, and have a Happy Day!

How to Sell With Market Places You Choose

How to Sell With Market Places You Choose

Have you chosen the market place you would like to start selling with? There are many options available out there, and you will have to choose what feels good to you. Make sure you research them a little bit before you sign onto one. 

Etsy is for handmade, upcycled repurposed, vintage, art, and supplies. An alternative to this is Artfire. Etsy has really taken off from where it started back a few years ago when there was just 400,000 active sellers which it is now up to more than a million, and counting. Other alternatives to look into would be Ebay, Amazon, Storenvy, Indiemade, Zibbet, Ecrater, and there is plenty more to consider. It depends on the type of products you intend to sell, if you want to sell straight out, or if you prefer auctions like what is offered at Ebay. Some will be free to list, some will have small final value fees, some will offer different payment processors that you can choose to offer with your shops, and many other things. 

Once you have chosen the place you would like to start with, and have set up shop with your shop name, policies, shipping, and etc. You will then want to get started with pictures of your products for you listings. Make sure that your pictures are bright, crisp, and clear. With good pictures your products will be noticed. Remember that the photos are a very important part of your customers first impression when they visit your shop. 

Next you will want to work on proper listings for your products you are offering. Remember as you do this that the customers cannot touch the product you offer. So, you will have to describe a physical experience for them. If you do not take the time to list your products properly then the customers will not give you the sale. 

Don't make your listings like they are going to be on craigs list. Customers won't go for that. They like to have the descriptions in full so that they do not have to spend all their shopping time asking you questions. Instead welcome them into your shop just like you had a physical storefront. When they click on your picture they want to feel that you have taken the time to respond to their interests. 

This is all a part of building your shop. With the early stages of your shops you will have time which is on your side for you to do things with. You could start a blog with the same shop name, or if you already have a blog maybe you would want to use that for your shop name. Use Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram. Set up some social media accounts, and spend some time establishing those places as well. As you get busier you will be able to choose the places that are more enjoyable, and that you find benefit with too. It's all a part of building your small business. 

Think about one of your favorite places that you like to visit, and shop with. Remind yourself of the atmosphere, and the surroundings it has that you so enjoy. This is what you would like to incorporate into your own shops so that your customers will want to take a part of your business home with them.  As your business grows you will refine things along the way. 

Keep in mind that the market place you choose is just a starter home for you to build with. Also, do not be disillusioned by business takes off the minute you open shop. It takes time, many things to learn, mistakes will be made, but it will grow with patience and work of it. Visit with Lisa at Market Your Creativity to learn from her experiences that she shares with everyone. 

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams in learning some ways to start our online businesses. I enjoy it, and hope to see you again soon. Have a Happy Day everyone!

MarketPlaces For New Businesses Starting Up

MarketPlaces For New Businesses Starting Up. Having a Back Up Plan is good too.

Starting a new business we generally choose a marketplace, or a platform to start with. We are nervous starting out, it takes so much work, there is so much to learn, we have to know so much, marketing needs to be done, SEO, and there is really a lot to consider. So, when starting out you try to go with a platform that does some of this work for you. 

For handmade, upcycled, repurposed, vintage, supplies, and so on many sellers will start with Etsy as they are growing, and becoming known. There is also Artfire that some sellers will use too. Don't forget Ebay the big one that is still around after all these years, and Amazon too. It just depends on what you are selling, and the exposure you are looking to have for your products. Using recognizable sites adds an extra dose of reputation, and accountability to your shops. 

Many are not sure who to trust online, and that is understandable. When shopping sites like Etsy, Ebay, or Amazon people know that they will have a place to report fraud, non-delivery, and offer feedback too. Keep in mind when building your business from scratch that using a recognizable website will add instant credibility for you too. 

What you need to understand is that when using marketplaces you do not truly own your small business with them. These marketplaces own the shops that they host, and they do reserve the right to manage them however they feel fit to do. You are paying them rent to use their platforms to sell your goods. When you use these places you agree to their contracts, their terms, their rules, and their policies. So, it is always good to have a back-up plan as mentioned. 

Honestly, think about it. If your shop was closed by one of these marketplaces due to violation of rules, copy rights, infringements, etc without any warning - What would you do?  What would you lose? Think of all the hours, and time invested into your shops. So, if you are serious about your small business you will want to look at these marketplaces as a starting point for you, not a permanent home. 

I would recommend that you have a domain for your business as soon as possible. You can use the domain for the platform you have chosen to start with. Build your reputation with the domain directed there. What is good about having a domain is that it can be redirected at any time, and you are not losing out on anything. This is a part of that back-up plan you should have for the "just in case" something happens. 

Yes, it is good to start with a reputable marketplace. Find one that is organized for a new business with low inventory. Make sure that it is clean, simple to use, feels comfortable for use by you....everyone is nervous first starting out, does the proper job of show casing your products, your brand, your reputation (feedback, previous sales, followers, admirers) 

Many feel that when they first start they should have their own websites right away. It takes a lot of work to set up a site, build your reputation, work with SEO for visibility and to be found, and etc. With you learning a new venture it is good to start out simpler so that you can learn with it. Using a marketplace is a way to start for your customers getting to know you, learn your brand, your business, and what you have to offer. 

Most places you can start your shops free today with some of your products, and your pictures. Once you open shop hopefully you will have some user friendly tools to use that you can play with, and learn from. Also, with some of these user friendly sites it is nice to have tools that show you anayltics of views you receive, traffic, sales, income received, keywords being used to find you, etc. These kind of stats can help you see what marketing efforts are working for you, and what is not working for you. They are good to learn from.

Once you have worked with a platform you will come to a point that you are out growing the place. This is why you want to have that back-up plan working so that you can start to move on, expand, or if an issue arises with the marketplace you are able to move on. Having the domain looks good on business cards too. When you decide to move the domain can be redirected, and customers will always be able to find you by using that domain too.

Remember to visit with Lisa at Market Your Creativity. She has had more experience with some of these issues, and she is sharing them with everyone to learn from. 

Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams today. Have a Happy Hump Day everyone! See you again soon. 

Picture Products Photography For Selling Online

Picture Products Photography For Selling Online

Hello Everyone, and Welcome back to LilacsNDreams! Selling online is being continued with Picturing Products With Photography. I am not expert with this issue. I learn as I go, read advice that others share, and am able to share a little bit of what others have taught me along the way. Not to worry if you have been dealing with this as it is a revolving topic that is often discussed among many other sellers. 

Keep in mind that your pictures are the first thing that customers will see as they enter into your shops. You can teach yourself to take good photos, and the best part of this as that your eyes become the lens through which everyone gets to see your products. Your pictures will help you keep the customers in you shop to continue further looking, and clicking through your shop. 

For those who make, or sell items that will be worn will find that sometimes using models is a good thing. When using a model you can give the customers a better image of how the product will look as they would use it themselves. Some sellers feel that using a model will give the impression of the items made have then been used. Most sellers won't sell the items that have been worn. So, then maybe instead you might want to use manniquins, manniquin heads, or maybe even some manniquin hands too. Depends on the product that you are offering what your choice will be. 

You want to try to simplify your backgrounds, and your drops. When the customer enters, and sees your pictures you want their eyes to focus with the product that you are offering. If your backgrounds were to get to busy, or to creative the customer will be searching for what is the actual product being offered. Try to keep your pictures bright, clean, and clear for the customers to view. The more professional it looks, the better presentation all around it will be for the prospective customer to view. 

If you have a simple looking product try using mabye some kind of scrapbook paper, linens, doilies, and something light yet appealing to your product. 

Make sure that your backgrounds, and your backdrops have mainly a matching theme. Switching things with the backgrounds is fine, but try to make them blend in with the different pictures that you are showing. A little variety can be good for your listings with the attention that it brings to the eyes of your customers. 

Lighting is something that can be difficult to work with. Many suggest using as much natural light as possible is good for your pictures. This is where you will need to experiment with your pictures using different times of the days, using indoor and outdoor pictures, and finding where you can get your best shots at. I know one product that many work a little bit more with to picture is jewelry. It can be done, takes a little time to find what works for you, and looks so nice when you have found what works for you too. 

When you are working on your pictures one thing you will have to keep in mind is that this step does take patience to do. You might want to consider it being an all day event when doing this. Remember, this will be the first thing that will matter to future customers visiting with your shops. There is a lot to learn, and to experiment with in taking pictures; focus, backgrounds, backdrops, lighting, angles, etc. So, take a deep breath and allow yourself the time, the space, and remember the patience it will take to achieve this skill. 

When you can visit Market Your Creativity, and see what she is sharing over there with these business issues as well. 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and for those who watched the Super Bowl that you enjoyed it as well. Thanks for stopping by LilacsNDreams, and hope to see you all again soon. Have a Happy Day!

Its Friday, Have a Great Super Bowl Weekend

Its Friday, Have a Great Super Bowl Weekend!

Stopping by to leave a note for everyone visiting today. WooHoo! It's Friday, and weekend here we come. This weekend will be a big weekend for many across the country because it's Super Bowl Weekend too! So, if you are a fan of football which team are you rooting for? I really wish the 49ers would have won instead of the seahawks because I think it would have been a really good game to watch. 

Instead we will have the Broncos, and the Sea Hawks playing for the Super Bowl championship on Sunday. Any big plans for this particular day? I myself intend to go over to sister's place, gather with a few people, have some snacks, and we will see what ends up in my hand for drinks. Thought about some wine I found at the store I liked. See if I make it there this weekend with this crazy weather we have been experiencing. 

Hey, glad you stopped by to share some time with LilacsNDreams! Have a wonderful, safe, fun filled weekend everyone. Enjoy the game Sunday, and see you all again on Monday. See You!

Basics of Shipping Using the United States Postal Service USPS

Basics of Shipping Using the United States Postal Service

Today is being discussed the basics of shipping, and offering this service through the Unites States Postal Service (USPS). I will be discussing this service as this is the one that I use myself, and have dealt with over the years. Keep in mind this is not the only service available to use for shipping. This is something you will research a little more due to what you size, the size of items you sell, and also the weight of the items too. Some like to use Fed Ex, and there are some who like to use UPS as well. 

I am most experienced with using Priority Mail with the Postal Service. For those who sell lighter weight, and smaller items using First Class Mail is a good option for those. Remember, there are several ways for you to use in shipping, and it is nice to know a little bit about the services before hand too. 

Express Mail. Once in a while a customer might ask for this service because they want the item shipped to them over night, and want to use express mail. Generally when customers request this service they will also offer to pay for it. That is a good thing because this service is a bit more spendy, and would be costly for you to have to pay it. You can easily get a quote from the USPS.com site. Most customers will not realize how much more this faster service will cost them. So, it is best to give them a quote as you will see many will decide against using it then. Yes, it's nice that it ships over night, or next day service. Prices will be a bit cheaper online than at the post office, but it still starts generally over $10.00 for this service, and up. 

Priority Mail. This service is offered as a 2 day service, and generally will arrive in 2-3 days to the customer. There have been times that it has taken a bit longer than the 3 days, and you will find that the post office does not guarantee fully the arrival time. Your issues for any hold ups can be many things, but you will learn it happens during the distribution centers with the post office. 

With Priority Mail you will get free tracking, and they now offer the insurance included free for items up to $50 in value. Anything over that there is a small extra fee to be paid. You can also order online the priority boxes to use, they ship to you for free, and the boxes are free to get too. There is also the Flat Rate Priority Mail that many will use too. Please, before you use the Flat Rate check into it a little bit more. Many times you will find that is is cheaper to use the regular Priority Mail compared to the Flat Rate Service. Another Priority Service they have added is using Regional Flat Rate. The prices are suppose to be better with this, and when I asked at my post office I found out it was something that had to be done online to use this particular service. I have not used it yet, but will have to look into it further for me to use as I might be able to save more shipping cost for the customer with it. 

If you are going to ship packages that weigh more than 13 oz this might be the better service for you to use. 

First-Class. This service ships at the same speed, and service as a stamped letter will. Domestic shipping (within the Continental United States, except to Hawaii and Alaska) has a delivery of 3 days, or less. This would probably be your best option for the price to use if using envelopes, or packages to ship.   

Remember with First Class it will generally ship within 2 days, and can be 3 days at the most. 

Parcel Standard Post, and Media Mail is the cheapest ways to ship. They are also the slower shipping services to use too. The estimated shipping for this is generally 2-8 days. Standard post would be your cheaper way to ship with heavier, larger packages as they will allow up to 130 pounds. However, if you are shipping a reasonable weight in a box the faster shipping service is generally less than a dollar more to do so.    

Media Mail is generally for shipping like books, DVDs, and CDs. Most of these kind of items will weigh less than 13 oz. So, you might want to consider First Class mail then since it would be a better deal. Now, if you have a heavier book to ship Media Mail would be the option to consider. 

Your packages generally will arrive within a week with these 2 services, or up to about 8 days at the most. If your items are heavier, and bulkier than you could consider this service. I would also like to mention that if you are doing that kind of shipping you might want to check into Fed Ex, and UPS to compare prices. 

With shipping there is also some advanced options that you will need to know about using too. Tracking, Insurance, and Confirmation will be available for most of your packages. There is an additional expense for these too. Remember as mentioned that insurance is included for up to $50 free of charge with Priority Mail. It might not be necessary to use these extra services, but it is nice to have the documentation to offer to your customers too. 

I have been shipping packages since 2004, and I am fortunate that I have not had to replace any shipments, had any lost shipments, or any damaged shipments either. 

Tracking is done cheaper on line for cost compared to the purchase of it at the post office. Now, if you use Click-N-Ship online to buy, and print your postage with USPS it comes as a free option with Priority Mail, Standard, and First Class too. You would just check the box on the address forms, and then you and the customer will receive email tracking on the package. Supplying the tracking number to the customer also allows them to go in, and track the shipment as well too. 

There is Shipping Confirmation that I have not mentioned either. Using this service does cost, and the customer would have to be there upon it's arrival to sign for it. If they are not there at the time of delivery a card/notice will be left for them to pick the item up at the post office. In this notice it will also notify them of how long they have to pick the item up before it is sent back to the original shipper. 

International Shipping. Many sellers do not want to open up to this service for their products to ship. I have heard many sellers mention that when they started offering International Shipping that they seen an increase with their sales too. Within the United States if your items qualify to ship First Class, or with Priority Mail then you would be able to use International Shipping too. 

Generally Priority Mail can take about 6-10 business days. You can also ship up to 4 pounds for First Class Mail which would be the cheaper service to offer. Keep in mind it can also take longer with First Class to ship with about 10-14 business days. I have seen some sellers note that it can take up to 6 weeks for these shipments. There can be delays depending on what country it is going to. Also, customers who are using International Shipping need to be reminded that they are the ones responsible for the tariff fees, custom fees, and any taxes that their countries charge. There is no way for us to know these fees, and they are never included with the shipping cost. That is something they have to take care of in their own countries. 

Some International Customers will ask that packages be marked as a "gift" too. This is something you cannot do for them. They are trying to by-pass fees, it is illegal, and so you do not jeopardize your shipping privileges with International you cannot do this. It simply is not permissable. 

To get an idea of how much any kind of shipping would cost with USPS you can visit their site for their price sheet online.  

I forgot to mention that when you ship Internationally there are customs forms that need to be filled out as well. I believe with some of the postal changes that those forms can now be done online as well. In order to ship over seas all you will need for information is the sender and recipient's information, the package weight, and the package value too. 

As you get started with your shipping you will find that you will either under charge your customers which it becomes your cost, or you might over charge them which you need to know when you will reimburse the difference to them. Some sellers will reimburse if they charge $1.00 or more because of the fees if it is anything less than a dollar it is not worth reimbursing to them. Customers do not get over excited about that small of a fee under a $1.00. 

Make sure to get familiar with your shipping options, and explore all of the services that are offered. It helps to determine the best value that you can offer to your customers for the products that you will be offering with your online business.   

Don't forget to visit with Market Your Creativity to see her layout of what she is sharing with all these topics we have been covering so far.

Well that completes the basics of shipping with your online business for today. Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams. See you again soon with another topic that will be shared with having your online business. See you ~ ~ ~ 

Packaging Your Products You Sell to Feel Special

Packaging Your Products You Sell to Feel Special 

Welcome to LilacsNDreams with the topic today of Packaging Your Products You Sell. This is something that we all deal with at some point, we all started some where with this issue, some of us have found ways that work for us over time, and some of us are learning as we go with things, right?

Packaging your product is an important part of selling online. This is the first time that you will be making an impression with your customers. Packaging can actually help you turn one sale into many more with customers too. 

When we all ship we worry about getting our products to the customers in a timely fashion, that the package is intact, and that it was properly packaged to get to them. For those who do shop online consider your past experiences you have had with this. So, when your packages showed up to you were you Wowed, or impressed by it? Was this experience what you had imagined it to be? Or, did the arrival of your package, and seeing it disappoint you? Keeping this in mind you would like to impress your customers as they receive their packages, and have them be wowed by it too. 

Over time you will always look for ways to improve your packaging. Of course making it cost efficient, but making the customer happy as well too. This can mean a lot to your business. Keep an eye out for new, and improved ways that you can package. Search around to get some ideas of packaging, and what others do that seems to be successful. Another good source to search around with would be at Pinterest too. 

Try to keep the outer appearance of the package neat, clean, and presentable. Something to consider when doing this would be your shipping to, and return labels. Maybe on your return address labels you could consider having some made with your logos, use the fonts you generally use with the branding of your business, and etc. Some might do the ship to label by hand. For a faster, and more convenient way you can also print with your computers too. This is the way I use as you can print your labels with Paypal, from ebay, etsy lets you print labels, and you can also go to the USPS site to do this too. 

Now, depending on what you sell will also determine the supplies that you use to ship with as well. For smaller items using padded envelopes is good. For bigger, and bulkier items using boxes is generally used for a more safer, and secure delivery. Some will use ribbon, tissue paper, bubble wrap, peanuts, insert invoices with thank yous written on them, include a thank you card, include your business cards, and etc. 

Over time you will continually strive to improve, and to personalize the shipping experience for your customers. The next time you receive something in the mail, and it makes you feel good, excites you, and you are pleasantly pleased. Then, ask yourself how can I apply these same elements to my own packaging for my customers. 

Remember to visit with Market Your Creativity to read more detailed about some of these steps that are being shared. Follow with her, and see some of her visuals that she shares as well. 

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams, and see you next time. I wish you all the best. Have a Happy Day . . . . Happy Hump Day Everyone!!