{Me at the top of King’s Canyon in the US}
I’m back!
Yes – our epic trip has come to an end, and here I sit, back in front of my familiar computer.
It’s a strange feeling, diving back into work after being away for so long. Simultaneously easy and familiar, and slightly awkward.
My main aim for my first week back is to get organised – to deal with emails and such that I neglected in my absence – as well as taking some time to plan out the rest of the year and ‘get my head back in the game’ so to speak. Along with this goes the process of re-opening my Epheriell shop, and kick-starting sales after being closed for over 2 months.
In an online business – heck, in any business – 2 months is a pretty long time to close your shop. You lose the momentum and rhythm you had going – you lose the everyday awareness of your brand that people had – and you have to find a way to launch your business back into the consciousness of your customers.
So – how do you get the sales flowing again?
Here are my 4 tips, including examples of what I’m doing right now:
1. Do something special for everyone
Re-open with a BANG! Have a sale, a special competition… something that will draw people in and get them intrigued to check out your store.
I’ve decided to give away a $50 Epheriell Gift Voucher to someone. To enter, they need to make a purchase from Epheriell.com by midnight on Sunday. This means that I get a few more sales coming in – and I reward someone who already loves my work enough to pay for it.
2. Give your best customers/mailing list subscribers something extra
Sure, do something for the wider world… but you should go that extra mile to make your best customers feel special.
Because they ARE special.
They deserve a little extra treat for helping to get your sales rolling in again!
My mailing list subscribers are not only able to enter the gift voucher giveaway… I’ve also given them an exclusive 15% off discount if they order this weekend. Are they using it? You bet your ass they are!
3. Get back into your marketing habits
If you had a successful business before you closed, chances are you already had a set of good, daily/weekly/monthly marketing habits in place. Slide on into those familiar habits like that pair of comfy Ugg boots*, and you’ll see sales pick up pretty swiftly.
For me, that means tweeting, facebooking, pinning, instagramming, blogging… and generally being all over social media on a regular basis. As well as sending out regular emails to my list again, of course, and renewing listings on Etsy.
I also did a bit of a re-design on my site (which I’d had in the back of my mind for a while) to freshen things up a bit!
4. Be patient!
Chances are, it’ll take a little while to get the ball rolling again – and that’s okay!
Use the time to plan, make new designs, work on your marketing strategy, dream up new income streams… whatever you think you need to work on to move your business forward.
Because before you know it, orders will have picked up again, and you’ll be so busy working in the business that you won’t have the luxury of as much time to work ON the business.
So, use this quiet time wisely, and be patient – because things WILL pick up again.
Have you ever taken a big chunk of time off from your business? I’d love to know how you got going again after your break.
*If you’re not an Aussie, Ugg boots are deliciously warm and toasty sheepskin slippers.
