Since the site launched (7-23-2012) near the end of the 3rd retail quarter, it was too late to prepare and market my designs & the store effectively for 4th quarter holiday sales. Holiday sales on eBay were consistent to years past. What I had to sell, as far as selection is concerned, was minimal. My time and attention was directed at developing our social network sites and the web site awareness.
For the past 12 months I have spent 30 hours a week maintaining my part time job and another 30, each week, on building my brand identity online.
The first year was spent, developing my brand identity. It’s a pleasure to say the brand has been well received and is “socially” contagious! I share my designs and the visuals that inspire me. Originally, there were over 10 different social & online places that I posted to, 7 days a week. Six months into the first year, I took a good look at the time spent on each and decided to focus on the 4 strongest: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Tumblr. Total posts for the year, collectively, were 20,007.
As for the web site, there was a significant amount of traffic yet it didn’t generate any revenue. Sales on eBay remained consistent. I would attribute the lack of revenue from the web site to the following: poorly marketed, a new online business(unfamiliar/trust), a crappy free eCommerce plug in (retail store program) and too little time spent managing it.
One year socially and I’m so fortunate to have this following, so quickly:
facebook | 62 followers
pinterest | 3161
tumblr | 794
twitter | 24 followers
4041 people “noticed” something.
web site | 1587 visits!
I now stand ready to spend the next twelve months, marketing the site and generating revenue from the store.
Thank you all for your continued support.
I’m doing what I love to do! cheers – ron beck