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JUKI Small Business Seminar: Marketing Strategies for the Small Business Owner

July 30, 2022June 29, 2022by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment

When you’re a small business owner, marketing can be challenging to do on your own. Many have trouble finding and reaching the right audience, and from there, getting that audience to visit in person or an eCommerce shop. If you’re having difficulty deciding how to market your product or services, follow along as we give options on the top strategies business swear by and how to use these strategies for your business. Having the right strategy can help you drive traffic to your store and increase shop sales.

These strategies are easy and quick to implement, making it easier to begin today and test what options work best for you and your business. So don’t get stuck on marketing, and find fun ways to get the work done right.

Strategies to Implement Today

Let’s review five strategies you can implement into your marketing plan today.

Email Marketing

Email marketing refers to those email promotions, newsletters, and advertisements you receive in your inbox from brands that you’ve subscribed to or shopped from before. You can use this as a way to inform customers of new products, promote sales, educate them on products or services you offer, and so much more.

Since this is a communication form owned exclusively by you, you can choose what’s implemented and how you will design and send these email marketing campaigns. These programs’ costs can range from $20 to hundreds depending on your needs. Below are some programs you can look into that are perfect for email marketing.

Email Marketing Programs:

Constant Contact
SendinBlue
MailChimp
ActiveCampaign
GetResponse

Keep in mind that many of these services offer automated email marketing campaigns, making life easier for you and saving you time. Below are some examples of how you can use automated email campaigns.

Emails upon Purchase: These can be sent after checkout and help send shipping information, customer service information, and anything else you feel is essential for the customer’s purchase.
Promo Emails: Use these campaigns to promote new products, back in stock announcements for popular items, and sale promos your shop might be having like cyber Monday.
Relationship Building: Use this platform as a way to share business newsletters. Share videos to introduce yourself, products, or services. Promote your blog or team members. Think of this as a road between you and the customer.

Finding Your Influencer/Affiliate partner

One of the best ways to market your service or product is finding those influences or affiliated businesses with a trusted customer base that resonates with your brand.

Influencers involve partnering with creators who align with your brand message and promote your product or services on their pages. They can bring high user engagement to your social network pages and website and create a relationship between you and your niche base. If you’re going to work with an influencer for your brand, the top-selling social media sites are Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Tiktok, and Twitter.

Affiliate marketing, on the other hand, is a business-to-business transaction. Usually, the affiliate you work with will help you generate those leads and sales you’re hoping for. These are often paid companies that find fun ways to promote your brand for you. They can share it on their blogs, podcasts, social media platforms, websites, and more.

Google Ads

This marketing strategy is a little more pricey than the ones we’ve mentioned, but let’s talk about how they work and their cost.

Misunderstood and labeled as tricky to use, Google ads can be one of the best ways to reach your customer base. The search engine can run your ads to those looking for products similar to yours by using keywords. For example, if someone searches “personalized t-shirt”, you can promote your products under this, bringing in new customers.

There are different ads you can run. One type is a text that commonly pops up after searching for a product or service. These are labeled as Ads and show up in a blue or green link URL. Another is google shopping and product advertising with images. You can place products in their shop with carousel images, prices, and reviews. These are also labeled with a small tag that says Ad for customers to be aware of.

When it comes to cost, you can go as low as $5 and higher. You only pay when your ads are clicked, and you have the ability to target your ads to the right customer base. By choosing preferences on location, search history, and more, your product has a higher chance of going to the right customer base.

SMS – Text Message Marketing

One of the new and fastest ways to reach your customer base, SMS marketing offers a new and innovative way to share sales, purchase updates, and so much more. With over 90% of SMS marketing messages opened, compared to emails that average 20%-30% opening rate, SMS is a great way to connect with your audience.

Like an email marketing system, you control what content your campaigns have. You can create promotions for sales, membership exclusives, campaigns, and more. These can also be scheduled and sent out at any time. A thoughtful and purposeful campaign can do well on an SMS campaign and bring in those sales you’re looking for. Look below for recommendations on your SMS programs.

SMS Marketing Programs:

Clickatell
ClickSend
BurstSMS
Trumpia
SlickText

Get on Social Media

One of the best things you can do for your brand is exposed your business to social media sites. You can promote and sell your products and services by using social networks. You have the option to pay for your post to be boosted (non-organic advertisement) or to not pay at all and use tricks like hashtags and geolocations to bring attention to your socials (organic advertisement.)

Many social media sites are out now, and each one has its own audience and trend. To choose the right channel where you should market, pay attention to who is in your niche and how you plan to advertise to them. Choosing the right channel can also depend on the merchandise you’re selling and your goals.

Your goal when using social media as a tool for marketing usually falls along with the following:

Building a relationship with the customer base
Bringing in new leads
Showcasing your brand
Increasing sales

The best way to complete this effectively is by creating content, scheduling your posts, and automating what you can. Remember to take this a step further and communicate with your followers. Respond to comments, like posts that tag or reference you, repost relative stories, and keep up with customer-related questions. Building a relationship through these services is one of the best ways to create new and returning customers.

The Next Step

If you’ve been researching new ways to market your business, take one of these techniques and try it out! Trial and error can be the best way to see what works for your customer base and you when it comes to marketing. By taking the initiative to try new marketing tactics, you can follow the results and see what options are best for your sales and overall branding.

Some strategies will work better for others than you, and this is okay! Marketing is about finding your audience and reaching out to them on their channels—test techniques and channels to see where you can get the best response from shoppers.

Whatever technique you choose, don’t forget to change it up every while and explore new channels. Marketing starts with you and deciding what best ways will get your name out there.

Do you have tips for those marketing their small business? Let them know and leave a comment below!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Spotlight: Exploring House of Lilli with Anjori Halder

July 23, 2022November 29, 2022by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment

Meet small business owner Anjori Halder, creator, and designer for House of Lilli, a business that does embroidery a little differently. Known for her free motion embroidery work created by free motion quilting on the HZL-F600 sewing machine, Anjori has begun making a name for herself in the sewing world. From beautiful full portrait designs to small motifs that bring her apparel to life, let’s learn about how Anjori discovered her skills in embroidery work, where she began, and where she plans to go!

It all started with a wedding invite in 2010. One day, after becoming a bridesmaid to her dear friend Veronique, Anjori needed a crinoline slip for a themed dress! In her “I want to DIY everything” phase of life, she decided to take it upon herself to create a slip with the help of some blogs and a machine off Craigslist. Even after “crudely” finishing her first piece of apparel, her journey in sewing had truly begun.

Outfits created by Anjori through sewing, upcycling, and embroidery

“I call it my therapy and use it constantly to de-stress. But I also use sewing to keep my mind sharp.”

While the journey was on and off, Anjori would find time to complete refashions and housewares in her downtime from her career as a software engineer and project manager. It wasn’t until she transitioned to a stay-at-home mom that Anjori truly began immersing herself in sewing. Finding the need to do something and gain a sense of accomplishment, she threw herself into the hobby. However, she would soon find out that sewing could be toxic after experiencing the push of social media on her work.

“That need to sew turned toxic, though. Social media and the idea that you had to be creating content all the time to grow followers, to, in turn, grow your business took a toll.”

This moment would change the direction in which Anjori was running her business. After learning about slow fashion and revaluating how she was running her business, Anjori decided it was time to do things differently. Slowing down her work, she began creating again for pure enjoyment and not just for the sake of creating.

Outfits created for Anjori’s daughter through sewing, upcycling, and embroidery

Indie patterns and pattern testing brought the fun and creativity back to sewing for Anjori. She began by creating clothing for her daughter, honing her skills at a smaller scale, and was able to grow her confidence in garment creation. After sewing an Anarkali from a sari that her late mother had gifted her, Anjori’s confidence in garment creation for adults rose as well.

Inspired by those she was creating for, she focuses on how her creations will be used and enjoyed before sewing. Her favorite inspiration is her daughter, a strong-willed and goofy personality who had an obsession with construction vehicles! After her daughter requested a dress with a bulldozer on it, and Anjori had no luck finding one, she decided to test her skills in embroidery and make her one! Continuing to create for her daughter, Anjori focused on embroidering designs and sayings that would inspire her daughter in life.

House of Lilli showcases this with Anjori’s creations focused on positive & reaffirming messages. Her embroidered art shop concentrates on creating art with only a machine, thread, and her hands. Pulling from her heritage, she creates Indian garments, or garments with Indian motifs such as paisleys, peacocks, elephants, and tigers. Completed with free motion embroidery through the free motion quilting feature, you can see the pops of color and bright energy she pulls into her work. Described by friends as positive and always looking for the bright side, it’s no wonder she brings this into every project she creates, not letting mistakes in her projects hold her back.

“Mistakes are opportunities to learn and keep going or realize change is needed and pivot to something new.”

What’s our favorite part of her creative process? The unique use of free motion quilting as free motion embroidery! Gravitating toward embroidery work, even as a child, Anjori knew that adding images and designs would be the next step in going from homemade to handmade. Unfortunately, it was here where she hit a wall. Knowing that the cost of an embroidery machine could be high, she found herself at a standstill on what step to take next. It wasn’t until she stumbled upon creator Emma Giacalone on Instagram that she discovered the possibility of embroidering using free motion quilting.

A new door in creating had been opened, and Anjori walked right in! Finding a new way to bring her art to life, she was excited about how simple the process was to begin. All she started with was a sewing machine that could drop the feed dogs, thread, fabric, and a design. It would take time before she began using a darning foot, admitting to still skipping that step on some days!

Using the HZL-F600, she created her designs quickly and easily fill them in. Creating embroidery using the HZL-F600 is fun and different and has allowed Anjori the freedom of creation in embroidery while sticking to her budget. When asked about what she recommends for JUKI users out there who want to try their hand at free motion embroidery through free motion quilting, she advised having the following tools in your sewing kit:

Embroidery hoop
Stabilizer of some sort (washable or tear away)
Open toe darning foot
Heat erasable pen

While using a machine with ample throat space has been helpful, as well as her tools, she also advises to seek out training! After taking a sculptural embroidery class from Meredith Woolnough and learning new tricks and tips for her projects, she encourages others to invest in themselves and their hobbies.

“Never be afraid to invest in learning.”

While opening her small business has been a journey, she knows that planning and strategy are what build a business. As a small business owner, you are now the marketing manager, designer, producer, shipper, and so much more. Success can be different for everyone, so Anjori advises taking time to figure out what success is to you and not comparing yourself to other businesses. She also recommends getting to the nitty gritty and taking those “boring” business courses that can assist you in running yours!

Taking her own advice to heart, she’s recently taken a business course presented by Jan Ditchfield and has begun reworking her strategies and plan. So while we wait for the new and improved House of Lilli to rise, we’re so excited we were able to introduce her creations and technique!

Continuing her work in embroidery, Anjori hopes to keep instilling positive messages in her creations and sharing her work with others.

“Creating with my hands, whether it is sewing, painting, drawing, or knitting, is a treat for my soul. I find it relaxing and fun, with a sense of accomplishment when you complete a project. Of course, in the end, you usually end up with something nice to look at too.”

To learn more about Anjori and her journey in embroidery, follow along below for her social links!

Visit House of Lilli’s website today to keep up with her blog and sign up for her newsletter!

Keep up with Anjori’s free motion embroidery work on her Instagram here!

Business Plus, JUKI Posts

JUKI Small Business Seminar: Setting Up Your Logistics

June 25, 2022July 8, 2022by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment

You’ve finally started your small business and have a product ready to be sold, your website should be up and running, your budget and finances should be in order, and you have those customers prepared to buy. Now that you have a start-up, let’s discuss getting your product to the customer!

Logistics is how you move materials, components, and products between your suppliers, storage locations, and customers. There are three things you should keep in mind as a seller: speed of delivery, stock of a product, and logistics cost. So let’s dive into your business and review how you create your products and how you’re getting them to the customer.

Lead Times and You

When your business begins to grow in sales, you might be reconstructing your process on where you buy supplies. Buying supplies at your local craft store for a business can be pricey, and when your sales reach a larger scale, it’s not cost-effective anymore.

When you begin to set up your logistics, consider critical lead times. For example, how long will it take for a customer to review your product, how long will it take to process an order and ship it, and how long will it take for you to receive the supplies you need for your product? Asking yourself these questions can help you plan for the cost and speed of your orders and shipments.

Knowing the lead time on the processes in your business will allow you to have smoother communication and expectation within your business and with the customer.

Shipping Carriers

When it comes to your process, shipping time to your customers should be a priority, especially in today’s society we’re shipping the same day, and overnight has become the norm. Because of this, shipping companies will work with small businesses by assisting them in maintaining good relationships with their customers and offering reasonable rates. You can also inquire about assistance provided for small businesses like logistical assistance and managing inventory. Here are the top 5 shipping companies we recommend for small businesses.

United States Postal Service
Sendle
UPS
DHL
FEDEX

United States Postal Service

Ships goods both domestically and internationally, offers discounts and loyalty credits to small businesses, and delivers goods within 2–8 days on average. In addition, it provides free application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow small businesses to add shipping tools to their websites easily.

USPS shipping costs vary based on package size, delivery location, and delivery speed.

TIP: Deliveries on Sundays and holidays typically come with an added cost.

Sendle

An Australia-based small business shipping company, Sendle is best for small packages because it guarantees the best price for domestic packages up to 20 pounds. Shipping is 100% carbon neutral, and there are no subscriptions or contracts involved. They are well known for beating the price charged by major carriers for packages under 20 pounds.

TIP: packages cannot pass 20 pounds, and international shipping is unavailable.

UPS

If you ship large products, UPS will be the best option for you. They offer competitive rates (large flat rate boxes start at $18.40) and have resources for small companies that can assist in preparing your packages and information on palletizing your products if needed. They also offer same-day delivery in some cases.

Small businesses can get discounted pricing from UPS, with shipping incentives ranging from 20% to 50%, depending on the desired shipping speed and the small business’s average weekly shipping volume.

TIP: Some APIs, application programming interfaces, can’t be used on customer-facing websites.

DHL

If your business has taken you overseas, DHL Express is the best for those international shipments. They have a long-lasting history in international shipping and offer resources for small businesses that engage in global trading.

Costs vary widely based on your package’s size, whether it’s an import or export, the shipping speed, surcharges, and any optional services you choose.

TIP: DHL is known for many surcharges and optional service fees, so keep a close eye on your shipping agreement to avoid cost surprises.

FEDEX

FedEx is known for everyday shipping, even weekends, which means your product is delivered faster. FedEx can assist in shipments domestically and internationally and has a shorter lead time than others. Shipments in the US are usually 1-5 days and 3-7 for Alaska and Hawaii.

Small businesses can also benefit from their small business program, offering discounts on shipping, printing, money management tools, and more. They also provide a yearly contest where small businesses can win funds.

CON: Small package shipping costs are higher than USPS. However, they can arrive faster.

Packaging

When it’s time to package, we know how important it is that your product arrives to the customer safe and on time. The first step to completing that goal is ensuring you have the suitable packaging material for your product. One of the things to keep in mind before buying your material is knowing that purchasing in bulk will save you money down the line and is worth the investment. So follow along as we share the top things you’ll need for your packaging process.

Boxes and Mailers

Begin with deciding how you’re going to ship your product to the customer. The most popular options are boxes and mailers.

Cardboard boxes can offer the best protection for many products. Whether your product is a perfect square or an odd-shaped size, a cardboard box with the correct dimensions is an excellent choice for shipping purposes. You can choose to personalize these boxes and find them in different styles, colors, and sizes. These can be bulked orders or found at your local shipping store.

Mailers are great for small or flat products and less prone to damage. You can personalize these to your company’s brand, like cardboard boxes, coming in various colors, styles, and sizes. You can also choose to purchase mailers that come with a form of protection, whether this is internal cushioning or outer material that can handle bad weather.

Depending on your products, you can choose to keep an assortment of shipping materials available to use. However, keep in mind your product when purchasing shipping material to not waste funds on unnecessary boxes or mailers.

Cushioning and Filler

Keep your items safe and secure by purchasing cushioning and filler material. When shipping, these are crucial key material pieces as you want the product to arrive to the customer exactly how it left you.

Cushioning material is used for fragile items like glass, porcelain, or ceramic. Think of bubble wrap, foam peanuts, paper as options to keep the product from shattering or breaking in its packaging.

Void Filler can be used for any product. With material options like craft paper, air pillows, shredded paper, and others, these pieces of material will keep the item from moving around or crashing into each other if you’re sending more than one product at a time.

Keep these materials on hand at all times, as you wouldn’t want to ship products out without some filler to avoid broken or chipped products on arrival.

Labeling and Tape

Once your package is well prepared and safe to be closed up, you’ll need to seal and address it before shipping. Using quality tape and labels is the best way to confirm your product arrives to the correct customer on time and safely.

You can even create personalized packaging tape to stand out from competitors since packaging tape comes in various colors and sizes. Having suitable tape will save your product from accidents in the shipment process. You can also choose to invest in a tape dispenser if your company sees a pickup in shipments, which can help the processing speed.

Labels are also created in different sizes and styles. Used mainly for addressing the customer, make sure to use good labels to ensure it won’t fall off in transport. Labels can also include your company logo, specialty stickers like “handle with care” and more. Keep in mind that you can personally create these labels and style them to fit your product and small business.

Get Ready to Ship!

Now that you have the basic information for shipping and handling logistics for your small business think of ways to make yourself stand out. Packaging and shipping don’t need to be boring and can be another way your company stands out from competitors!

Look into eco-friendly merchandise for shipping and packaging. Include thank you letters, promos, or small freebies to induce excitement and customer loyalty. Create an unboxing experience for customers by creating a process that showcases your brand when opening a package from you, like wrapped apparel in tissue paper with a sticker to open the merchandise.

Your package is a window into your business for customers, so make sure to focus on your packaging like you would your product!

JUKI Posts

How to Create Your Online Course

June 11, 2022June 7, 2022by sewinwithjuki3 Comments

When we think of creating a business, our mind often jumps to brick-and-mortar shops or online shops that sell creations. However, there is another type of business many tend to overlook, and that’s their expertise!

One of the most popular ways to sell your expertise in a skill is to offer online courses that new crafters can purchase and use on their journey. These online courses can be pre-planned and downloadable or offered as live sessions with scheduled classes for students to attend. The pro of providing a service like this is that instead of a physical product like your quilts and apparel, which require multiple steps like creating, shipping and processing, an online course allows you not to worry about things like that.

Do you feel like you have expert knowledge that others can learn from? Have you built a platform showing friends and followers tips and tricks on your machines? Creating an online course is about taking that knowledge plus your skills in teaching that offers you the chance to compress your expertise and showcase it to new crafters like yourself.

Follow along today as we go over some steps you can follow to create your online course today.

Let’s Talk About Online Courses

In our day and age of technology, online courses have risen in popularity. From education on how to run a business to classes on sewing, online courses have broadened our ability to learn new skills worldwide.

Online courses can take much time to create and require much planning and direction. However, this is a single product that you can sell multiple times without you having to re-create. There is no product inventory or packaging cost; instead, customers can easily buy this service with a few clicks. Besides purchasing a few subscriptions to create and host your course and purchasing the equipment necessary to film and edit your videos, your central budgeting will go towards marketing and hosting your course after creation.

Online courses can also offer high revenue. After you’ve completed the costs that go into your original course creation and production equipment, the rest of your revenue can be profit. Whether you choose to update the course once in a while or leave it as is, this product can be seen as passive income and is a perfect addition to many businesses.

Building Your Course

Let’s jump into the steps to building your online course! As we know, there are many educators out there who are offering online courses in their fields of expertise. The best way to stand out from others is to find your niche in skills and build on a topic that you’re uniquely good at. Think of your course as a solution to new sewer needs, and choose a topic where you have credibility, expertise, and of course, passion! Follow along as we go over steps to keep in mind while building your course.

Research Your Future Customers

Before you can jump into creating your course, let’s discuss who you’ll be teaching and selling to. Below are some tips to keep in mind when researching your audience.

– Learn what your audience wants to know! Are you constantly asked how to create a handbag? Finish a sleeve? Free motion quilt designs? These questions are essential to note, so when you make your course, you can find what common questions, and more complex ones, can be addressed. In addition, students want to feel accomplished when they attend your class, so learn what skills and projects can achieve this while working on your course design.

– Find the solution! When new students find your course, they often have a problem they’re looking for a solution to. Your course can be that problem solver! Make sure when creating your course that you offer efficient and quick ways of teaching skills and sharing your knowledge.

– Learn your audience. It’s best to know your target audience, whether you are selling to new sewists who have little knowledge or experts who want refresher courses or to learn more complex skills. Then, when it’s time to promote and sell your class, you have a clear message for students to read and understand, so they choose the right course for their needs.

– Don’t forget to put yourselves in their shoes! When creating a course for a student, put yourself in the students’ shoes and make sure you’re covering the essential details. You don’t want to attend a class and leave with more questions than you came with, so have friends and family test the course and find what pieces can be removed or should be added.

Need help deciding what subjects and problems to cover? Do some research in your field! We recommend googling trends, browsing community forums, and roaming social media to see what questions and concerns are being brought up in your community that you can answer with your course! Keep in mind what problems you have solutions for, what goals your students have, and how you can help them achieve their goals.

Choosing a Class Type

There are multiple formats for your online course that you can choose from. Depending on how you plan to structure your class and how many days you believe a student will need to learn your material, you can create a template for students to follow when downloading your course.

Mini-Course

These courses can take up to a few hours or one day. These classes can be formatted as a video, blog series, and more. Generally, in the lower cost sector, these courses are offered at low rates or free as a marketing tool if you’re trying to sell a higher-end course later. Mini-courses are perfect for those treading the waters of starting an online course and can give you an idea of what plans and efforts are needed to create a multi-day course.

Multi-Day Course

Generally, a multi-day course takes a few to several days of work to complete. Broken down into chapters or modules, these courses break down the lesson plan into multiple segments where a student can gain more in-depth knowledge of a skill. In addition, a multi-day course will often include add-on material for teachings like a project or worksheets. Falling into a higher cost range, these courses can range from $300 – $2500. A great way to sell this course for newcomers is offering that mini-course we mentioned beforehand as a sneak peeks at what’s available. A mini-course is also helpful in validating your expertise before a more significant purchase, like a multi-day course.

The Master Class

A master class should offer in-depth knowledge and skill teaching for your customer base from weeks to months. Generally offered for those already in the field looking to expand on their current skill set, these classes can go up to $5,000 in charge. We don’t recommend creating a master class as your first or even third course, but it is something that can be worked towards if you enjoy teaching!

Master Classes have a way of succeeding when they start becoming communities. When creating a master class, look into creating a community forum or group page for your students to interact. This is a great way to encourage communication between you and your customers while creating a loyal customer base that will want to return and learn new skills and talents from you.

Breaking Down Your Course

Once you’ve decided what your course will be focused on and what format you want to create yours in, it’s time to break down your ideas and start planning! Again, put yourself in the student’s shoes, and work from end to beginning to see how you’ll plan out your lesson. Remember, the point of your course is to provide a solution for someone’s problem, in this case, their lack of knowledge or expertise on a skill or project.

Below is an example of a course breakdown:

Once you have an idea of your outline, depending on how many days your course is and how much time you expect your course to take, it’s time to start planning the content for the lessons and what formats you’ll need to create those in. Besides text, below are examples of content formats you can use in your online course.

Video Content: portray those stitches, curves, feet replacing tricks, and more using video as a tool.

Screencasts and Walkthroughs: if you’re working on a program, like the Tajima Sai Writer, for example, screen record your directions and how-to’s and place those in your course so students can follow along and build with you. Using screencasts and walkthroughs is a great way to show step-by-step instructions when using programs that new users are unfamiliar with.

Downloadable content: Here is where you can place patterns, worksheets, to-do lists, and more that correlate with your lesson plan. Creating interactive work for your lesson plan is a great way to keep the student involved and have them learn these skills hands-on.

Before setting up your content, research what formats other courses use that you find helpful and find out what content students feel most comfortable learning with. Your content will solely focus on your audience group and their needs, so think about what you would like to work with if you were learning.

Setting Those Prices

Pricing will always vary on course cost, but your format is the first step. For example, free and low-cost are recommended if you choose to do a mini-course. On the other hand, high costs are expected if you do a masterclass. Other things to keep in mind when playing with the cost are who your audience is (think of what they’re willing to pay), and your expertise and credibility (the more expert you are in a skill, the more people will want to pay.)

Research your competitor’s pricing and their expertise levels to get an idea of pricing. Don’t sell yourself short, but be realistic when placing pricing. Make sure to set a goal for yourself to decide how many students will need to sign up for your course each month to meet that goal.

Choosing a platform

Once you’ve planned, created, and priced your course, it’s time to choose students who can access the platform. Follow along as we go over a few options you can consider before choosing your venue.

– Udemy: to keep it easy and simple when creating your first online course, we recommend checking out Udemy! With over 50 million current students, their platform can offer you the chance to get your name out there. To create a course, you must first follow the process of being approved as a ‘premium instructor,’ and then you’ll follow easy step-by-step directions on how to set up your first mini-course! With multiple support options for new teachers and programs you can join to up your business game, Udemy is excellent for beginners in the online course world.

– Thinkific: Beginner-friendly, Thinkific is simple and offers ready-to-use templates for those creating their courses. Feel free to follow along with the template and tweak it to your liking as it recommends specific cue points like quizzes, instructor notes, downloads, and more. Created to make your life simple, Thinkific works towards simplifying the creative process so you can enjoy your course faster.

– Skillshare: Those looking for creative skills in crafts tend to float towards Skillshare when it’s time to learn something new! Free to sign up and publish a course. This is a great way to practice creating mini-courses and getting comfortable with building your skills in teaching. Keep in mind that your classes will be accessible here unless listed on Skillshare’s premium catalog.

Getting Your Name Out There

Now that your course is up and running begin marketing your expertise! Work on that email marketing campaign, share your class with your social media pages, encourage others to join and share too, appear in content relevant to your audience and niche, and consider paid ads. It takes time to find the right marketing tools for your audience and see what brings in the right customers, but tests and trials are the perfect way to bring in those students and get your class running.

Don’t forget to ask for reviews and testimonials that can be shared on your sites so new prospective students can get an idea of what your course can do for them! Remember, your course’s goal is to help students accomplish their goals. So don’t take feedback to heart, and listen to your students’ needs as you tweak and perfect your course for future customers.

Let’s Get Started!

Now that you’ve planned and set up your course let’s make it a reality! If you’ve been able to teach yourself and teach others, creating an online course that follows your passion is a great business to look into. Teaching others your passion can be an enriching journey while setting you up to earn money through your expertise and skills! So, if you were to start an online course today, what would you teach?

Interested in starting your business today? Visit us here to see how JUKI can help you start today!

Business Plus, JUKI Posts

JUKI Small Business Seminar: Creating Customer Loyalty

May 28, 2022July 8, 2022by sewinwithjuki3 Comments

It’s great to get new customers and introduce your brand to new people, but one of the best ways to succeed is to create those returning customers. You can cultivate the relationship from the first time they purchase and continue it through social media and other channels.

One of the ways you can do this is by GLUE marketing, a strategy we’ll dive into in this article, where you ‘Give Little Unexpected Extras’ to customers during their experience with you and help them feel a sense of gratitude. By going just a bit above your competitors with this tactic, you can build closer relationships with each sale. GLUE doesn’t have to break the bank but can be a small thank you note, freebie minis of your product, or fun advertising products like stickers.

GLUE doesn’t need to be used all the time, but it can be used as an assistant. So if you’re going to be doing a sales promotion, for example, you can go ahead and throw in those GLUE tricks you’ve been saving on surprising customers and building that bond.

Follow along as we go over other GLUE tactics on your marketing plans to encourage those repeat customers and bring in new ones.

Build a connection

With marketing, you can also advertise your business and brand, so take the time to introduce yourself and the company’s story to build that bridge of connection with your customer base.

You can focus on your company’s guidelines, bring attention to how you create or source your products and materials, or share what you use for sustainable practices in your company. All these little things will open a door between the inside of your business and customers, creating a more personal feel to your work.

Honesty in marketing is one of the best ways to get your name out there. By sharing the behind-the-scenes, and showcasing how to use a product or how it’s made, you can bring in new customers, and they’ll feel closer to your brand.

Content in your packaging

Receiving a package in the mail is one of our generation’s favorite feelings, which is why as an e-commerce shop owner, you’ll want to create a package that will engage the customer long after it’s been opened. Opening that package and seeing your product for the first time is what all your work has gone into, and you want to make sure your work was worth it.

Minor aspects like prints, including business cards or flyers, can bring those customers back to your business through blogs, social media, and your website.

While the GLUE tactic can take planning and work from you or your team, it can create a strong bond between customers and your brand and keep them interested in re-purchasing. That personal touch drives people to specific shops, so taking the time to add this to your marketing plan can be a successful tactic.

Branded Gifts

You’ve probably shopped before and experienced this, like receiving a sticker with the brand name, for example. You have two options to consider when you decide to place branded gifts on your packages, ‘Value Add’s’ or an ‘Identity-based’ gift.

– Value Add: this is a small and economical gift that can help the customer get more experience with your products. Think of this as an opportunity for immediate use and a sample of a different product they can come back to purchase (creating that returning customer you want).

– Identity-based: this can be considered a form of free advertising while still a valuable gift for the customers. Think of identity-based gifts like branded stickers or pins that can be placed on apparel, cars, or more that will showcase your brand while showing off their interest. For example, every purchase with Vans shoes comes with a sticker of the vans logo, which a skater can add to their board. This is free advertising for Vans and is now a fun accessory for the customer.

Video

During the onset of COVID-19, we saw an increase in brands using videos to get personal with their customers. With the removal of face-to-face shopping for some time, and many have switched over to preferring to shop online, creating that personal touch between the consumer and seller is essential.

Videos can bring that personal touch many have been feeling has gone missing. Follow along for a few ways you can take this and use it in your marketing plans.

Try creating thank you videos during the holiday season! By posting a video thanking your buyers during the holidays and wishing them well on your social platforms, you can bring in that special touch. Create these in comfortable places like your kitchen or living room to take away the business side and showcase something homier.
Use videos in your newsletters or other email campaigns! By including videos that showcase your products, how-to’s, project ideas, and more, you can share the uses of your product while bringing a face to your work. Many shoppers miss that face-to-face feeling when shopping, so creating a video can be the touch they need to purchase from you.
Use video conferencing in your customer support cases! When it comes to online customer support, you want to create an experience that makes the customer happy. Use video conferencing for support calls to assist with questions, concerns, and more. You can even use screen share to help thoroughly when needed.
Create videos for your products if they require assembly or directions to use. Walk the customer through and showcase tips you might have recommended if you had sold the product in person. Add the link on a business card or flyer in the packaging for easy access for the customer.

Customer Support

Customer support is one of the biggest deal-breakers when returning to a shop. No one wants to deal with poor customer support during their shopping, so look into ways to build a successful support plan or upgrade your current one.

Focus on shipping and handling policies, and establish how and where customers can reach you. By having a dedicated contact they can reach out to, customers will feel more comfortable when shopping with you if they have questions or need to handle a return/exchange.

This is still a GLUE version, even if it’s not a gift. Offering proper support and contact information can be the difference between you and another online retailer that doesn’t offer these options. Remember that this doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7. Good support is setting and meeting reasonable expectations for you and the customer. This falls on you to respond promptly, assist where you can, offer support where you can’t, and be accountable for shop/item issues.

When handling customer support, some tips to keep in mind are setting up follow-up dates for issues and concerns or creating an FAQ for your shop that customers can easily access.

GLUE and You

In the end, using GLUE in your business is a tactic that can lead to success and assist you in creating a loyal customer base. For GLUE to work correctly, you need to ensure your product and customer service are up to level. Think about how you can make the customer’s experience special, and plan your customer approach from there. Remember, your product and service are the main focus, but the little extras sure help!

Tag: diy

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