Today I am reviewing the TPT store Math Minds 101. This branding review is completely unbiased and was completed for educational purposes on the subject of how to brand your TPT store.
First impressions
The store is colourful. Based on the store name and the message about no prep math resources, it’s fairly clear that this store’s focus is on math products for junior and intermediate grades. There are lots of products and a good number of reviews – this seller is establishing a presence and has a clear subject focus.
Messaging
Pros:
- There is a subject niche (math for jr/int grades)
- The name of the store and quote image help establish the focus of the store
Next Steps:
- The more specific your messaging is, the better. What is the BEST thing about the math resources you make? How are they different from other products available? How do your products make your customer’s life better? Having a specific subject/grade range that you focus on is great – I’d love to see you take this even further by telling your audiences WHY they need your products.
Visuals
Pros:
- Visuals are colourful
- There is an image for both quote box and banner
- Product covers have a consistent design for the most part
Next steps:
- There isn’t really an identifiable visual theme. Consider choosing a few consistent fonts & colours for all parts of your store.
- The logo is a bitmoji which can cause issues as the image is Bitmoji’s intellectual property. I recommend creating a unique store logo that will help communicate your brand identity with your customers
- I recommend thinking about your messaging first, then get some help designing a logo that will go with your message. Then you can tie the visual aspects of your logo (fonts, colours, etc) into the other parts of your store.
Store Features
Pros:
- The quote box image calls attention to a specific line of products (this is a great use of this space – especially if that line of products has a high conversion rate!)
Next Steps:
- Consider adding a link to the quote box image so that clicking it will take the customer to a list of those no prep resources
- I’m not a huge fan of using the banner ad to ask for followers unless you are specifically offering something – what’s in it for them? A great spot to ask for followers is in the actual products – that way you are targeting people who have already liked your products enough to purchase them.
- Consider adding a side image to feature a specific product
- Consider adding custom categories to make it easier for customers to find various products
Products & Customer Service
Pros:
- Lots of positive reviews from happy customers!
- Most products seem to have at least two thumbnails.
Next Steps:
- A lot of Q & As do not appear to have responses – make sure to respond promptly as other customers may see and notice comments that have not been responded to. (If there are old questions that are no longer relevant to answer you can also delete them)
- Generally speaking, most of the products I looked at had descriptions that were quite short. Beefing up your descriptions to thoroughly describe the product as well as tell the customer how it will make their life easier should help improve conversion
- Remember that customers tend to SCAN text rather than read it fully. Instead of writing only paragraphs, try to break up your product descriptions with text features like bold text and bullet lists
Final Thoughts
This seller has clearly been working hard. They have a good number of products and reviews, however the number of followers is low. While having followers isn’t everything, it does make it more difficult to gain traction with new products.
Building more engagement with customers (through clear messaging as well as review and Q&A responses, for example) should help boost repeat business.
When a customer lands on your teacher store, you’ve got a split second to grab their attention. Are you sharing your message effectively? Get your own full store review here.