There’s a popular theory for how TpT sellers start making the big money.
Step 1: Make at least 50 products.
Step 2: Advertise your products on social media.
Step 3: Make all the money.
If you’ve been following my ranting for any length of time, then you already know how I feel about this over-focus on social media. It just doesn’t work without a larger strategy.
But regardless of how you feel about social media as a marketing tool, what I want to focus on right now is what needs to happen BEFORE you start cranking up your external marketing.
Your store needs to be optimized first
A lot, a lot, a lot of sellers are trying to push traffic to their TpT store, but they are wasting that traffic because their stores aren’t ready.
They don’t know who their target audience is.
They’re not targeting that audience in their social media strategy (or there is no strategy).
They don’t have a unique message that attracts the right buyer.
They don’t have product descriptions, store assets and visuals that communicate that message.
If you’re pushing traffic to your store without making sure that your store is ready to receive that traffic, there’s a good chance you’re going to waste most of your effort.
Is your TpT store ready for you to crank up the marketing dial?
This is marketing 101. This is how I hit mid-four figures every month without any social media or any other marketing at all.
Start with where the sale happens. Everything in your store should be focused towards getting the sale. If you haven’t done the following things in your store, then PLEASE STOP worrying about social media and get on this first:
- Identify your ideal customer, unique selling proposition, and marketing message. (If you need help doing this, join the free 5-day branding challenge for a complete step-by-step guide.)
- Create store branding assets (quote box image, banner, side image) that clearly communicate your brand message to customers.
- Create a consistent look for your covers that ties into your store branding and makes sure that return customers recognize your work when they see it.
- Get your conversion rates up with high quality covers, thumbnails, previews, and descriptions. External marketing will only amplify what’s already there, so if your conversion rates aren’t as high as they could be, you are losing sales.
- Get rid of all those social media links in your product descriptions. I’m sorry but I just don’t understand why so many people do this. Why would you send people AWAY from the sale? This is hurting your conversions. 🤦🏼♀️
- Decide on the three main product lines or topics that your store offers. (Yes, just the top three). Channel your store towards these three with priority custom categories, cross-posting in product descriptions and inserts into product downloads.
- The people most likely to buy your stuff are people who have already bought your stuff. If you’re not upselling in your product downloads, you’re leaving money on the table.