How long to build up an online shop

[ideasreaction]

Hello,

My name is Gabriel. I have recently launched a new farm shop on a national trust tenancy farm. It is very seasonal here, we are based by a carpark which gets 110k visitors a year and I think about 109k of those are April to September! Great money in the summer selling Ice cream and a range of products but you need to tighten the belt in the winter.

So in the Autumn I have developed our website, Ruxstons. now I need some tips on how to take our online marketing to the next level. In the past I ran a chocolate company for four years which built up to me suppling 500 independent shops however I never really took off in online sales. I am worried my limited SEO skills are a bit weak. What tips would people have to build up online sales from people who have not come into the shop ( a lot of our customers online are people who visited in the summer). We don't have any complaints over the products and the prices are comparable to supermarkets. I have tried Facebook and google ads but at best I broke even, of course they may not be amazing ads. Anyway if anyone has any constructive and informed advice it would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[fisicx]

Spend money on marketing and you could be making money immediately.

Wait for google and it could take a year to build up (or maybe never).

Even with great marketing the site needs to be slick. Yours unfortunately isn’t as good as it could be. Upgrade to full membership and get a website review.

 

[ideasreaction]

Spend money on marketing and you could be making money immediately.

Wait for google and it could take a year to build up (or maybe never).

Even with great marketing the site needs to be slick. Yours unfortunately isn’t as good as it could be. Upgrade to full membership and get a website review.

But I didn't make money immediately on Facebook or google ads. So which sort of paid marketing ideas would you advise?

 

[fisicx]

Both google and Facebook ads work really well. The trick is to get the right landing page. Sending people to your homepage won’t work (unless it’s optimised as an advert landing page).

 

[ideasreaction]

Both google and Facebook ads work really well. The trick is to get the right landing page. Sending people to your homepage won’t work (unless it’s optimised as an advert landing page).

Thank you. That is useful to know.

 

[japancool]

And also targeting your ads to the right audience. You can end up paying for a lot of wasted impressions if you cast your net too wide.

 

[fisicx]

Thank you. That is useful to know.

Think on it like this. If you have a deal on locally sourced beef the advert should send people to the page listing the products on offer. You would have a simple ordering system with options to collect or get delivery. Visitors would be landing on a page that matches the message in the advert.

 

[makingideaswrk]

I'd have to politely disagree with @fisicx regarding SEO. I think SEO can be more effective than paid marketing specifically in the local area. Targetting the right keywords with the correct content could dramatically increase your Google rankings quite quickly. Did you know that "farm shop somerset" is searched 500 times per month on Google. Although I do agree that the website needs to be up to scratch specifically for mobile whether you do paid marketing or SEO.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Why should they buy from you, answer that and your on your way. The potential customers need a reason to use you, At the supermarkets they can buy a weeks requirements in maybe a hour, everything from Clothes, Newspapers, Bakery, Butchers, Veg , and a good few more items. you need to entice them and be prepared to spend on advertising to achieve this

 

[fisicx]

I'd have to politely disagree with @fisicx regarding SEO. I think SEO can be more effective than paid marketing specifically in the local area.

I agree, but they are targeting the whole of the UK:

Privacy Policy | Ruxstons

Our terms and conditions for our privacy policy. Please read before using our site and accepting our conditions.

www.ruxstons.co.uk

Which is a lot more difficult.

 

[Deleted member 335660]

What tips would people have to build up online sales from people who have not come into the shop ( a lot of our customers online are people who visited in the summer). We don't have any complaints over the products and the prices are comparable to supermarkets. I have tried Facebook and google ads but at best

Hi, Yes building a website is one thing, getting business out of it is another.

We started our shop just before the lockdown and hoped we could develop our online sales to make up for it; but we didn’t. In fact this last month has been the best one in 18 months.

You need to make sure you understand SEO or get someone to do it for you. You need to do Facebook marketing on specific products rather than brand awareness.

In your line of business I would also look at having a blog and Newsletter. People visiting you might be interested in things going on and stories about the farm. Behind the scenes events etc. They will then sign up and you can push products through the blog or Newsletter.

 

[TeaRoomLady]

I’ve had a quick look at your website and the copy is rather bland eg ‘pantry’. You need to get attention straight away, mention brand names (good for SEO) and make it all sound more exciting.

 

[SEODEV#338055]

Wait for google and it could take a year to build up (or maybe never)

Oh dear where are you getting this information from?

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Before thinking about SEO, can I suggest you look more closely at what you are selling and how your product is portrayed.

I expected the front page to show samples of your products looking mouth wateringly fresh in the form of fresh meat and cooked and prepared dishes - 'the end product'. Instead I see Cows and Goats with tagged ears.
There's a hurdle to cross that dissipates when sat in front of a nice roast dinner. The conscious thoughts that Beef actually comes from Cows is usually lost when it comes to marketing but you are quite literally putting it on the front page!

When it comes to the copy, you are making statements that require the reader to plough through paragraphs of information for supporting benefits. You write, 'None of the animals raised were fed soya or palm in their feeds, you can read more about avoiding certain feeds here and it's importance' and add a link to an incredible *900 words explaining the benefits - somewhere within hoping there are reasons to make me want to make a purchase.
*munitions, world war 2, heavy metals, metabolites that are known to degrade via alkaline hydrolysis!!!

You should be saying something like, 'None of the animals raised were fed soya or palm in their feeds, both of which are extremely damaging to the environment'

On a general note the entire site comes across as 'Farmer heavy' down to your profile pic wearing welly boots and wax jacket. Would your potential buyers not be looking to purchase from a Butcher wearing striped apron, white coat and Boater?

 

[SEODEV#338055]

Can't even begin to give you any advice until you stop using Wix

 

[SEODEV#338055]

Gabriel @ideasreaction how's your new online shop project going?

Did you make any changes?

Keep us posted

 

[aashisk2323]

Hello,

My name is Gabriel. I have recently launched a new farm shop on a national trust tenancy farm. It is very seasonal here, we are based by a carpark which gets 110k visitors a year and I think about 109k of those are April to September! Great money in the summer selling Ice cream and a range of products but you need to tighten the belt in the winter.

So in the Autumn I have developed our website, Ruxstons. now I need some tips on how to take our online marketing to the next level. In the past I ran a chocolate company for four years which built up to me suppling 500 independent shops however I never really took off in online sales. I am worried my limited SEO skills are a bit weak. What tips would people have to build up online sales from people who have not come into the shop ( a lot of our customers online are people who visited in the summer). We don't have any complaints over the products and the prices are comparable to supermarkets. I have tried Facebook and google ads but at best I broke even, of course they may not be amazing ads. Anyway if anyone has any constructive and informed advice it would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

If you are not that good at SEO then you can hire someone to do it for you as it is one of the best ways to gain visitors and customers that are relevant and are actually looking for the products you deal in. However, SEO is a time taking process and will take time to fetch results from it. Till then you can use social media, social media ads, google ads, and display ads to benefit instantly.

 

[MBE2017]

Locally several butchers use Facebook groups very successfully, but I agree with Lucan Unlordly post above, you need to improve your copy and pictures, learn that you are really selling the sizzle, not the sausage.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

really selling the sizzle, not the sausage.

Sounds like you attended the same sales courses as me!

 

[StevePoster]

In our country, small online shops just set up a live broadcast on Facebook live to introduce their products or items as well as their quality features. Since then its been a trend in the Philippines because most Filipinos consider Facebook as one of the marketplaces for their needs.

 

[Thomas_Stewart]

Hello,

My name is Gabriel. I have recently launched a new farm shop on a national trust tenancy farm. It is very seasonal here, we are based by a carpark which gets 110k visitors a year and I think about 109k of those are April to September! Great money in the summer selling Ice cream and a range of products but you need to tighten the belt in the winter.

So in the Autumn I have developed our website, Ruxstons. now I need some tips on how to take our online marketing to the next level. In the past I ran a chocolate company for four years which built up to me suppling 500 independent shops however I never really took off in online sales. I am worried my limited SEO skills are a bit weak. What tips would people have to build up online sales from people who have not come into the shop ( a lot of our customers online are people who visited in the summer). We don't have any complaints over the products and the prices are comparable to supermarkets. I have tried Facebook and google ads but at best I broke even, of course they may not be amazing ads. Anyway if anyone has any constructive and informed advice it would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

I think you need to find a specialist who can competently set up advertising and the work of your site. Moreover, a person who knows this will be able to tell you what and how it works, so that in the future you can take control of the work of the site. I wish success to your market

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Video production here. Just using your phone to shoot video, you can convert more visitors to customers.

My suggestion would be to put video customer testimonials on there. Specifically, happy buyers enjoying your products. You can show your products. Show, don't tell.

This will generate more trust and convert more visitors to buyers.

 

[makeusvisible]

We are in the process of starting on a project almost identical to yours. So much so that I actually wondered if you were our client!

I'll try to offer some advice from experience which hopefully is of use.

Perhaps prior to thinking about a specific campaign (such as SEO or social), you may want to just take a look at the brand, and how you present the products and information.

When someone walks into your shop, they probably buy into the personal service, or maybe the presentation of the product....or perhaps the trust brought with buying from a site on a national trust site. You won't benefit from any of those online, so your brand and website really need to identify some USPs. Loads of sites sell meat, and you need to buy those customers into Ruxtons from the off.

For example;

You have taken the brave move of raw meat images on your product pages. that's a tough sell. Nothing looks less attractive than some raw pork sausages! Your presentation is bang on, but perhaps think about some other ideas on your product pages to compliment. For example....

Secondary images showing the cooked meat

Content such as recipes with could be used across multiple products

Video content in this space works really well. A simple video of those free-range duck eggs whisked up with some ground pepper and pan-fried makes a pack of 6 look much more appetising.

Forgive me if I have missed it, but I couldn't see allergen information on the product pages. You are obligated to show this on all the product pages, as well as within the packaging on delivery items. It will also help you by building trust in the product (and Ruxtons).

Its worth investing the time and money in doing as much as you can on the above, so that as people visit the site, they start to convert into sales at a higher rate.

Beyond that, the world is your oyster. Without wanting to use the obvious pun....don't put all your eggs in one basket. Thinking of multiple channels. For example;

SEO
Google Ads
Social

Make sure before you start paying into any channel you have your user tracking bang-on. You should be able to look at the data, and see the visitor numbers for each channel, the revenue, and thus how much each sale is costing you to generate per channel. Thats how you will establish what works....and what doesnt.

The last thing Id say, is that if SEO is going to be a channel you work on, take advice on your site's performance. Currently, your Google page insight score is just 13/100, and that is going to significantly hinder any efforts to rank, and perhaps for visitors to convert into sales.

Hope that helps. If you want to chat any of the above over feel free to msg me.

 

[Nicola78]

If you have a website for your products then hire a SEO epxert for increase visitors for you site. But you have not budget or dont' want to spend money then create an account on any e commerce platform like Alibaba, Amazon or eBay and start selling your products free of cost.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Not sure if Gabriel's visit here inspired him to take a closer look at the website but it seems to look a whole lot better now?

I'm tempted to order, but am a little too far away methinks...

 

[MVonBerg]

Not sure if Gabriel's visit here inspired him to take a closer look at the website but it seems to look a whole lot better now?

I'm tempted to order, but am a little too far away methinks...

Hi Lucan,

I'm Fraser, Gabriels brother and the one who created and works the website (I'm sure he claimed creation to simplify the post). However we do work together on it sometimes. I read through all of this and lots of useful advice. And made the soya/palm information a bit more hidden, for those customers looking for intelligent detail. I have focused and am practicing photography. Ideally images are of cooked meat but this costs a lot in our stock and time to produce. However I believe some raw meat can be made to look good. I have altered structure etc and still a very long way to go but thanks to you and everyone for the advice. Hopefully the website is better still since May, but we have a physical shop to run that is very busy in a town now which takes time away from here.

Many Thanks
Fraser

 

[MBE2017]

I would advocate using video recipe or cooking type lessons, although it takes some time and stock, once made it can last for years. Maybe combine it with a tasting day, film people trying the finished product and their reactions and feedback.

All the cookery shows on tv list the ingredients, but it is the final dish they concentrate on. Possibly get a local chef to do the cooking and explain why quality ingredients matter.

Anyway, best of luck. My wife and daughters support several local farm shops, butchers etc, price does not really come into their decision making on the day.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Hi Lucan,

I'm Fraser, Gabriels brother and the one who created and works the website (I'm sure he claimed creation to simplify the post). However we do work together on it sometimes. I read through all of this and lots of useful advice. And made the soya/palm information a bit more hidden, for those customers looking for intelligent detail. I have focused and am practicing photography. Ideally images are of cooked meat but this costs a lot in our stock and time to produce. However I believe some raw meat can be made to look good. I have altered structure etc and still a very long way to go but thanks to you and everyone for the advice. Hopefully the website is better still since May, but we have a physical shop to run that is very busy in a town now which takes time away from here.

Many Thanks
Fraser

I think your website is honest in showing raw meat but I'd argue that a shopper is not getting the piece you are offering, unlike when they walk into a butchers shop and select it themselves. Not a deal breaker though as they are unlikely to be your target customer anyway. They will be buying on convenience, quality, taste and presentation. In that respect and it's been mentioned above 'selling the sizzle not the sausage', should be your number one priority and that will come down to and include good professional photography.

Cruel to be kind moment....!
Google Christmas Hampers and look at the images. Products stacked high, wine opened and poured, jam shown on a piece of buttered crusty bread, decorative stars in the background, festive tablecloth in foreground.
In yours, you have 10(?) items spread out on some wood shavings in a cardboard box!

Put £20 on the price, buy some wicker baskets, add a £5 voucher off of first meat order and pay a photographer to set it all up and snap away!

 

[fisicx]

Hopefully the website is better still since May...

Marginally. But while you use wix you will continue to struggle.

For everyone else - website reviews are only for Business Members and in the Website Review forum

 

[SMEMartyn]

Good evening Gabriel

You have asked a question that has a very complex answer. It is VERY easy to burn money in this area so take a step back and think carefully before spending money.

There are some key things to consider. The first thing is that your website needs to spot on before you do anything. It is pointless driving traffic to a website that people will simply close if it does not look professional. You will waste thousands if you are not careful.

Firstly I would suggest that you get a basic understanding of how online marketing works so you can develop a online marketing strategy to include a budget. Do a online course as this will teach you the basics (give me a shout if you want to do one). You will also need to understand SEO and build that at the same time as that boosts search engine rankings. Pay per click adverts come and go but your rankings remain firm if you maintain SEO.

Once you have some basic knowledge I would look to use the services of an agency. Yes this will cost but this cost will be less than if you play at it yourself creating adds that do not work. Many people dive straight into a DIY marketing campaign not knowing what they are doing and it costs more in the long run.

I hope this helps.

 

[MVonBerg]

Marginally. But while you use wix you will continue to struggle.

For everyone else - website reviews are only for Business Members and in the Website Review f

Originally I used wix due to it's ease of construction and simplicity. Is this not a situation where, people prefer the platform they are used to and advocate those benefits, or is Wix really bad! Is it possible to get someone to move everything over to another e.g wordpress? without sacrificing current work.

 

[MVonBerg]

I think your website is honest in showing raw meat but I'd argue that a shopper is not getting the piece you are offering, unlike when they walk into a butchers shop and select it themselves. Not a deal breaker though as they are unlikely to be your target customer anyway. They will be buying on convenience, quality, taste and presentation. In that respect and it's been mentioned above 'selling the sizzle not the sausage', should be your number one priority and that will come down to and include good professional photography.

Cruel to be kind moment....!
Google Christmas Hampers and look at the images. Products stacked high, wine opened and poured, jam shown on a piece of buttered crusty bread, decorative stars in the background, festive tablecloth in foreground.
In yours, you have 10(?) items spread out on some wood shavings in a cardboard box!

Put £20 on the price, buy some wicker baskets, add a £5 voucher off of first meat order and pay a photographer to set it all up and snap away!

That's an interesting view.

But overall you are right, forgetting raw vs cooked meat the photography needs to be on the next level, particularly on the hampers (and the odd original old photo) where it is not up to the standard it needs to be.

 

[fisicx]

Originally I used wix due to it's ease of construction and simplicity. Is this not a situation where, people prefer the platform they are used to and advocate those benefits, or is Wix really bad! Is it possible to get someone to move everything over to another e.g wordpress? without sacrificing current work.

Whilst wix is better than it was it is still very restrictive in structure and functionality. An experiment with Wordpress would show you a huge range of opportunities currently not available with wix.

Your site has loads of things that could be improved. Getting help with this has the potential to greatly increase business. The skills needed to plan, develop and launch an effective website are not everybody’s forte.

 

[forevergroup]

Moving a website from Wix to an SEO-friendly platform, like Wordpress - designing an entire site in an SEO friendly way - and actually achieving decent SEO - appear to be way out of the scope of a forum thread. Unless you work in the industry it’s honestly impossible for you to see quite how far away you are from that endgame right now.

Unless you have the investment and commitment to achieve that, which is going to require external expertise (or which there are numerous experts here, and the option of a website review as offered above) I wouldn’t suggest pursuing that approach.

Certainly I would suggest fleshing out your Google business profile properly as that’s going to help markedly with the local search.

Google / Facebook ads need to be targeted and ideally to a landing page as others have suggested. Perhaps post elsewhere asking for quotes on having a member review your PPC accounts for you? And perhaps build a landing page or two which is much cheaper than a full site rebuild? I’m certainly not a PPC guy but I’m sure there are members here who know that well and can happily help you out on a small contracted basis.

While we’re all happy to help out with general advice, I fear this area is too broad for general forum feedback to be enough to satisfy your commercial needs.