2012 is going to be a great year! Here are four things I think every online business in the quilting industry should watch for in regards to online marketing.  I find that quilters are getting more tech savvy (and technology is improving to make the Internet easier to use).  What are your thoughts? Feel free to chime in on our Facebook page.

Social Media Marketing Focus

Businesses are always looking for efficient was to market their product. As a result, many turn to social networks for their advertising and marketing needs. Many small businesses have seen that social media marketing efforts are cost effective, due to the fact that social networks are databases of people grouped by common interests.

According to Digitalbuzzblog.com, an astounding “56% of consumers say that they are more likely [to] recommend a brand after becoming a fan [on Facebook]”. Businesses, both small and large, are beginning to find out how powerful it is to circulate their name through social networks.

Do you have a Facebook page? If not, we'll be happy to set up a Facebook page for you as a free service. Meanwhile, please be sure to “like” us on Facebook for news, education, and other helpful tips: facebook.com/websitesforquilters.

In 2012, expect to see a lot more of Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ (pronounced Google Plus).

See below about an invitation to a free education webinar about how to do Facebook marketing correctly.

Facebook E-commerce

Jumping on the social networking bandwagon, an emerging trend for online stores is to set up storefronts right inside their Facebook page. Fans and customers can order right from Facebook page without ever leaving the social network. This is a more recent adoption of Facebook by business owners that could make this behemoth social network even larger. With more and more stores signing up on Facebook every day, you can be sure we’ll see more store owners put sell products right on Facebook. It makes shopping online a social experience again!

Facebook e-commerce isn't just for big corporations anymore. With the Dash system and Advanced Shopping Cart system, a version of your site can appear as a tab in your Facebook. This makes it easy for your fans to purchase products on your Facebook page. Your Facebook e-commerce site will automatically synchronize with your website.

Mobile Apps

Consider for a moment how many people you see today that browse the web on their mobile phones or tablet computers. Mobile connectivity is not only increasing in popularity, it’s a permanent, viable, and helpful resource that helps people worldwide to function on a daily basis. According to the Device Essentials service that reports web traffic by device, nearly 7% of U.S. Web traffic in 2011 came from mobile and other non-desktop computer devices. Also consider that the popular game Angry Birds by Rovio had 6.5 million downloads on Christmas Day 2011 alone! According to a Pew survey, 35% of Americans own a smart phone. How many of your customers are choosing to browse the web on their iPhone, iPad or Android instead of surfing the web at home on their desktop PC?

A “mobile friendly” website shows a different design or view of your site for tiny screens (such as smart phones and iPads). Mobile apps are applications written to run on the phone with or without Internet connectivity. We can help you with either strategy for reaching more customers this year.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a “pin board” or visual bookmarking site that is averaging 11 million visits per week, and growing. Pinterest has had explosive growth (especially among women) and can offer a way for business owners in the quilting industry to become increasingly seen by others and will probably be a game changer this year. Pinterest is a way to share your products and keep in touch with the most current design trends to get inspired. All you have to do is visit this site and you’ll be hooked. Follow our pins at http://pinterest.com/website4quilter.

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We're very excited to announce AllQuilting.biz, a comprehensive and one-of-a-kind online quilting directory for anything quilting-related.  AllQuilting.biz features 21 categories and over a thousand quilting-related businesses related to the quilting industry.  Check to see if you're currently listed.  If not, get your business listed on the site for free with a basic listing!  Increase visibility and gain new customers from your listing. Upgraded listings are also available.

AllQuilting.biz also features a free classifieds, videos, news, coupons, and other items of interest.  AllQuilting.biz is new; please spread the news to your friends.

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Let’s say you’re going out to eat at a local restaurant tonight for a date. If given the choice, would you rather trust a ad in the newspaper, or a friend’s opinion? Chances are, you would chose the friend’s opinion. Why is that? It’s because we tend to value other’s experiences more than we do a business’s advertisements. We like to hear stories. In a great way, customer reviews of your services and online store can be that “friend’s opinion” that will get customers to trust your business.

According to a recent survey by Deloitte & Touche USA, 99% of us find consumer-generated online reviews to be credible. What does this mean? It means that reviews often influence your customers more than an ad can. So if you know your online store and service is top-of-its-class quality, then why not let others talk your business up for you? The whole purpose of customer reviews is to grant the consumer knowledge to make an informed decision; and that, for consumers, engenders trust in your business.

Encouraging your customers to leave reviews can help new customers feel secure in their choice to choose your service over someone else’s. Most of the largest online stores do this—such as Amazon. In asking their customers to review their services, online store, and overall customer experience, they build customer trust and keep their buyers informed when making a purchase.

So, lets say you would like to start generating customer feedback and reviews. Where would you start? Here are some sites and strategies I recommend when starting to cultivate online reviews of your business.

• AllQuilting.biz
  
  This site is an online business directory for anything related to quilting. Customers go to this site to leave reviews of online businesses as well as to recommend sites to their friends. Signup is quick and free.
  
  
• Find My Fabric.com
  
  This site is an online fabric quilting supply search engine. It is a free way for customers to leave reviews about their experience with businesses across the web. With an easy to navigate search engine, customers can read what others have said about your service.
  
  
• Facebook.com
  
  How many millions of people use Facebook on a daily basis? What a well-know and wonderful (not to mention free) network available for business owners to get the word out about their company. Facebook is a great place for others to discuss your awesome service. Encourage your customers to leave a wall post on your Facebook page about their experience with your business.

You could also set up Google Alert (As discussed in our previous newsletter) to let you know when someone has left a review on your site about your business. This way you can track customer satisfaction with ease, always being up-to-date on what others are saying about your service.

Getting the word out about your online storefront and business doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as a full-on ad campaign—it can be as simple as signing up with any of the review services mentioned above. Start allowing your customers the ability to give reviews on their experience with your business today. It is not only an effective way to gain the trust of new customers, but is also a great way to help spread the word about your business.

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There is a lot you can learn from watching trends.  One of my favorite tools is called Google Trends and Google Insights for Search.  Both tools give you an idea of what people search for on Google over a period of time.  

One trend is that the quantity for searches related to quilting fabric seem to be at their highest at the new year and around back-to-school time.  Here's a screen shot of a trend:

Do you notice the peaks near the start of each year, and again in late August?  Red means searches related to "quilt fabric", and blue is searches related to "quilting fabric".  What will you be doing to prepare for more searches?  If you optimize your website for fabric-related searches and make your products enticing to web visitors, you can expect a boost in sales next month! 

Related articles: Trends for Quilt Fabric Searches

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