Website & Social Media
My online business heavily relies on keeping my shop website up to date and functional, as well as keeping followers engaged on social media so that they stay interested in what I have to offer.
Website
I have found that the most important things to do to maintain my business website are to keep it updated, keep it clean, and stay transparent.
Keep It Updated
When releasing new products, I make sure to publish listings right before advertising these new products to my subscribers. This is so that my subscribers get a first-look at what is new. I also change my logo to fit holiday themes/featured holiday products to feed the holiday excitement of my customers. Holidays are very important for my business, as figurines serve as good decorations. Not to mention ornaments tend to be a hit.
Keep It Clean
Double-checking work is obviously important. I’ll admit that I have rushed to publish a bunny origin story before, as well as at least one product listing, later to find embarrassing typos within them.
I’m constantly rechecking links on my website to ensure customers continue to have stress-free experiences while visiting the site.
Stay Transparent
Editing product photos is normal and necessary. However, I have found myself going too far with editing and having to start over. My products are bound to have imperfections since they are homemade and hand-painted. I have learned that I need to be clear about that in my photos, and in my product descriptions. I also make sure to be accurate in describing the size and general look of my products in the description so none of my customers feel like I’m selling them something different than what is shown.
Social Media
I have social followings through an email subscription, Instagram, and Facebook. I have to continue to keep all my followers interested in my business while also bringing in new followers.
Email Subscription
My email subscribers are people that want to be the first to know what to expect from my business. They voluntarily subscribed; I consider them my biggest fans. I make sure to notify them first on any new products/changes, as well as send them exclusive polls since their opinions are most important to me (they’re generally more likely to make purchases with me).
I personally think Instagram is the easiest platform to navigate when trying to make connections. Through Instagram, I have been able to build relationships with other rabbit-themed shops and make connections through mutual followings. I have found that Instagram hashtags are useful for making connections too.
I post information on all shop updates on Instagram so that my followers can stay in the loop. Other posts I have made were giveaways to attract new followers, and posts that I thought would be entertaining.
On my stories, I try to support other accounts I like/build connections by sharing their posts. I make like posts and comment on posts that belong to accounts I want to build relationships with too.
A large portion of the domestic rabbit community is made up of middle aged women. This demographic can be easy to reach on Facebook. However, reaching out and making connections to new people is harder to do on Facebook than on Instagram. Although I did have my local rabbit rescues post about my 2022 Easter products on their pages, which did catch some attention. I can’t rely on other organizations to continually advertise my business when they have their own things to advertise. I have found that I can only invite personal friends to like my shop page rather than anyone I feel would like my page.
With that being said, I do still post updates on Facebook for my existing followers.