So you’ve made the leap into e-commerce; now you and your mate are the hosts of your own site and on your way to achieving your entrepreneurial dream. It started with a “niche” of an idea such, in my case, a site that offers luxury beach home décor! And you initially supported this germ of inspiration with research, (demographic and psychographic and anything you could find in USA Today,) informal cocktail party surveys, water-cooler focus groups, maybe even conversation or opinion, if the relationship could stand that kind of pressure. If not, you are in for a host of problems related to this new endeavor, the breadth and scope of which you cannot imagine!
Okay. If that same spouse has been equally supportive throughout the process of site construction, finding vendors who answered your, now-ritualized opening salvo, “Do you drop-ship?” and supported you through the ego-crush of the prospective vendor’s eye-roll followed by the abrupt heel turn or look of abject disapproval (they have figured out by now that you are not “brick and mortar” and are thus slightly tainted), the unanticipated endless hours of product inputting, usually done between the time the kids go to bed and when your face plant into the computer keyboard ends that evening’s …or morning’s session, then you are one of the fortunate few.
Of course, it helps if the idea to host your own site is truly the result of a joint commitment since what follows closely resembles the first weeks of newly minted parenthood. Yes, after the seemingly interminable months of pregnancy whose redemptive moments of firsts (the first sound of the heartbeat, the first flutter kick, the first day without dry heaves, the first pair of real maternity jeans and, my personal favorite, the first case of major cleavage) you have given birth, or published. What miracle hath this union wrought!
And much like the sleep-deprived parents of a months old infant, days of bliss are followed by months of short-tempered, sharp retorts to seemingly innocent questions such as, “Who added Cottage Bedroom to the nav bar?” or “Tell me again how much the credit cards and Yahoo and Paymentech take?” Or, “Why haven’t we gotten any orders yet?”
Right.
Running your own e-commerce business is not for the faint of heart, or the impatient, Type-A personality comfortable in a managerial role who considers the cause and effect theory as one of the immutable laws of nature. Not so with internet marketing. The mechanics of this phenomenon exists outside the boundaries of natural law, defying logic, changes in barometric pressure, positive economic indices, and is completely unresponsive to hysterical bouts of crying.
The doors are open, the lights are on and your store is up and running on the internet. You are now among the brethren of e-commerce retailers, ready to reap the heretofore unimaginable riches of international commerce. Turn around and look. You have a bulls-eye on your back. You are now the target of every other entrepreneurial marketing genius who anticipated your shortcomings, your insecurities, your dashed hopes and thwarted dreams of success beyond measure. They have the answer to your web angst.
They understand how the search spiders of the internet seek out and find those magical addresses where the thousands of infinitely attractive products are featured with captivating and thorough description, competitively priced with promises of free shipping, immediate shipment and impeccable, round the clock customer service are available at the mere click of a mouse! And you can be one of the chosen few. When Google or Yahoo or Shopzilla or Bizrate or (fill in any of the endless variety of search options) is tagged by a lonely soul who is traversing the web in the wee hours of the morning, or, discreetly of course, during stolen moments of a business day on the company’s computer, your site will be one of the first, (or second, third, fourth… on the first page, anyway) of those served to the credit card possessed. And you, Paymenteched and Paypaled, Visa’d, Mastercard and Amex-sanctioned…you are ready to serve.
What now? You have used your matrimonial capital to launch this project, stealing those bonus checks, squirreled away for the long awaited Caribbean cruise, the college fund, the new deck, car, home remodeling project…and invested it in what promised to be nothing less than a winning lottery ticket.
The moment of truth arrives when you, seasoned internet veteran, birth-parent of your
www.cottageandbungalow.com realize that, without ADVERTISING, no one will ever find you! “Search” is a four letter word. “Search” is a metaphor for “oh my gosh, I had no idea that there were 300,000 responses to a request for the two innocuous words “coastal décor.”
Yes, Mom and Dad, your beautiful child… the one that the universe has crowned with superlatives, has to compete with the snaggle-toothed, weak-eyed, second cousin twice-removed who understands the indecipherable lingo of keywords, meta-tags and search-engine optimization….THAT child will be accepted into the hallowed halls of Ivy League Internet Marketing.
Before you despair, take comfort in the learning curve that we, as all parents, experience. Your first order. Someone has found your site. OHMYGOSH! And placed an order. How did they find you? ASK! Include a sign up, opt-in for additional information on your “baby”…Let your customers tell you where they search and what they look for. Monitor “click-trails” and “searches” on your site. Search other sites. Read magazines that cover your industry, product sector or expertise. Contact their editorial staff… they may be interested in an “advertorial” which features your site. And this stuff is free!
It’s a partnership…like it or not, as an internet retailer, you have another spouse. Big Love!
Wife, mother, author, businessperson and newbie e-commerce retailer
www.cottageandbungalow.com
