3 Actionable Steps to Blow Your Competition Out of the Water
You won’t believe the time I wasted over the last six years trying to make a go of this thing I call a business. I knew little of the role target markets had in conversions.
Don’t waste your time or your money. Learn the power of marketing to your ideal customer with these 3 actionable steps that will blow your competition out of the water.
What You Will Learn:
- How to decipher between good and bad traffic
- Write a customer profile
- How to search the web like a buyer
Not All Traffic is Created Equal
In 2007 when I opened my Etsy shop I drove traffic to it via my blog, articles, signature, guest posts, and even advertising. With the amount of likes and traffic going to the shop I should have had plenty of sales right? WRONG. What was my problem?
Yes, I received traffic but it was the wrong kind.
Getting compliments on my work strokes my ego but it does nothing for my bank account. – Click to Tweet
I needed to invite people who wanted to buy what I made in order for my shop to be profitable. It makes perfect sense to me now. How about you?
Action Step 1: Make a list of 10 ways you can drive targeted traffic to your shop.
- Knowing Your Customer Intimately is the Key to Success
- Hone in on that one person who is ready to buy what you have to sell
Example: amigurumi and play food
Customer: parents, teens, collectors, or college students > girls, boys > kawaii > handmade > gifts
In the above example I might concentrate on the collector and kawaii group. This group has a large female population. They are in the teen to young adult age group. They are upper middle class with a steady income.
Collectors look for original pieces or a series to invest in. They have disposable cash and are ready to buy when they find what they are looking for.
I would research this group to see what type of character and food they are looking for as well as the price range these items usually sell at. In my research I would notice where they spend most of their time online for possible guest blogging and/or advertising opportunities. I might also see if there are conventions or vendor fairs that these groups of buyers attend.
Know Your Customer Intimately
In order for you to market to targeted traffic you first need to know who that is. Creating a customer profile or biography can help you. Describe everything about your ideal customer even what type of food she likes and the type of make-up she uses.
Action Step 2: Write a biography of your ideal customer. Answer the following questions:
- Male or Female?
- Age Group?
- Income Level?
- Location?
- Married or Single?
- Career?
- Children?
- Home or Apartment?
Use Keywords that Your Ideal Customer Uses
Knowing how to use keywords properly will significantly increase targeted traffic to your shop. Silly me, I was intimidated by target words in 2007 so never studied how to use them.
Learning takes time but is well worth it. You will see your conversion rate increase as well as your traffic.
I recommend reading “Seo Bootcamp” by Tom Treanor. He guides you step-by-step through the process of identifying and preparing your list of words based on your business goals and customers.
Action Step 3: Learn how to search like your customer. Make a list of 100 terms you can use in your listings.
I made 3 worksheets to help you take Action today. Download Actionable Steps Worksheets
Conclusion
You know how to differentiate between bad and good traffic. You understand the importance of identifying the exact buyer for your product. Discovering how consumers search and using that knowledge to optimize your listings will bring the right kind of visitor to your store.
Sara Duggan loves crochet and writing. She joined the crochet blogging community in 2007 as Momwithahook. In 2008 she toyed with designing patterns and shares her creations on Squidoo – Momwithahook Patterns. Ready to monetize your crochet blog? Register for Hooking for Cash 101, an eCourse that will transform your blog in 31 days.
