We love something new, so when we came across Cafe Press several years ago, we knew we wanted to do something with it. For only $6 per month we could have our own t-shirt, mugs, and more ecommerce print store. We just had provide the designs. But, we quickly realized, it isn’t just about slapping on some designs - there’s a whole lot more to a successful Cafe Press store.
When we first tried having a Cafe Press store, we decided to have the free ecommerce website they offer. It was tacky, and didn’t sell a single thing. We read in their community forum that, well, the free sites just don’t do that well. Why? Because it doesn’t look professional - it looks like a section from a much larger store, and so its easy for visitors to click and ’see what else they could find’. Also, you are limited to the number of items that one design can have - which made our selection look sparce.
So, we closed that first shop - and opened a new one: www.StuffForCoaches.com. One of our main niche’s for our web design company, Indra Successful Coach Marketing, is life and business coaches. We knew this niche inside and out, we support their cause for change, so we thought it would be fun to open a store that catered to them. This time, we paid the $6 per month and it’s paid for it’s self, and then some, ever since we opened it in January.
So, what did I learn:
1. It’s important to not go cheap: you pay for what you get, and your customers won’t appreciate it.
2. Have a niche: it’s easy to target and bring people to your shop if you know who your going after.
3. Good prices: when we opened the www.StuffForCoaches.com store, we gave ourselves a very low commission (Cafe Press sets a base price, and you choose what to charge, thus the difference is the commission). We got some sales, but we realized that people didn’t look so much at the price, but more at the design. So, we went with our gut - how much does this design deserve, and changed our prices accordingly - our sales went up dramatically that day.
4. Market Your Store: “If You Build It, They Will Come” just doesn’t apply here. You have to market your store. Even though Cafe Press has some great marketing for Cafe Press, your goal is to increase your sales - not Cafe Press‘ store. Some ways you can market your store:
a. Trade magazines: there’s at least one trade magazine for every niche out there!
b. Community online forums: ask around within your physical community to find these easily online. Also, www.ning.com is a good place to start.
c. Blog: either you blog about your designs, or you add a link to your signature when you post comments on blogs that deal with your niche (but don’t be a spammer)
d. Write Articles: for online, like www.Gather.com, or for the trade magazines that deal with your niche.
e. Be Creative: post posters if your niche hangs out together, create a viral video - think outside the box.
f. SEO: make sure to have great keywords and phrases in your store descriptions as your store does get picked up by the search engines.
5. Be Patient: You most likely, aren’t going to make your first $1000 the first week. If you continue to market, to put-up new designs on a regular basis, and just stick it out, you very well could make good money. There are Cafe Press store owners that make 6 figure incomes!
The great part about Cafe Press, is that you can have an ecommerce store and keep your ‘day job’ - and a great idea for the creative stay-at-home parent! You only need to upload the designs, choose which products the designs should be one, choose the price and market the site. There’s no order processing, no fulfillment, no credit card processing, no shipping, or dealing with customer complaints: Cafe Press does all that for you - for $6 per month. I think it’s one of the easiest start-up companies a new entrepreneur can do to get their feet wet. Have fun!
Tags: , cafe press, dad, ecommerce, entrepreneur, indra successful coach marketing, Marketing, niche, parent, Start-Up, stay-at-home mom, stuff for coaches, ways to market