Annia M. just started her new job selling jewelry when lockdown in March 2020 forced her employer to close. She remembers that time to be very bored and frustrated. Sound familiar? Well, Annia has thus far made over 2’000 francs revenue and unfolded a new passion. Still, sounds familiar? Probably not… but the thought-provoking comments of Annia’s path will guide you to your own success story.
IT WAS MEANT TO BE A ONE-TIME THING
It started by not knowing how to pass the time during quarantine, so she decided to go on regular walks and pick some freshly grown flowers as she had an idea to cast them and glue them to a photo album as a birthday gift to a friend. While searching the internet, she came across ideas on how she can embed flowers in resin with a casting technique. The pressed flower is covered by glue which eventually dries hard and clear. While Annia thought her gift was just a one-time thing, her friends were impressed by the result, asking if she would create something similar for them as well. While they overloaded her with ideas, she realized she already had the perfect product to start within her mind: keychains. Be curious enough to listen to your audience. Don’t lose your train of thought and unique ideas.
It felt as if Annia read all articles and watched all tutorials on the internet about resin casting before she finally decided to learn by trial and error. She only needed a small starting capital to begin. She tried out various flowers, pressing techniques, forms, and mixtures before achieving her first keychain. Her obsession overtook her, and she spent an endless amount of hours casting at her kitchen table. Before she knew it, she learned weaving methods for the thread attached to the cast form. Although she was always crafty, she underestimated how many times she would fail and sometimes still. But her first batch sold quickly, so Annia continued. It was clear that her end product should be wholly self-made and local. She handpicks her flowers or buys them off the local market. She befriended the florist who has a stand close by and made a weekly agreement to purchase specific flowers from her. Accept failures while learning by doing. Use your surroundings to your forté.
DON’T SECOND GUESS IT
While her sales started to grow, customers started sending Annia images of their pleased purchase. She wanted to use the images sent, so she decided to portray them on Instagram and promote her product and display her work thus far. She named the brand “cles fleurs” which in French means “keys flowers”. Annia says it was a no-brainer to chose Instagram as a platform since it is simple, low-cost, and accessible platform to receive attention. Annia decided to create a business profile and never looked back. It was meant to make it official and professional. This profile option on Instagram allows the owner to gain insight into users visiting your page. Furthermore, you can add multiple buttons to simplify messaging and shopping via the page. In July 2020, the shopping function was where users could shop through the platform. It suggests products based on their likes and followings. The new function gained positive feedback as many companies were struggling during the pandemic and were forced to switch to a more digital shopping experience.
Instagram’s algorithm values updates from friends over businesses, be aware of posting actively, or your post will have less authority on the explore page compared to a personal account post, according to current research (Olson, N., 2019 October) Additionally, n.a. (2019, February 28) states more than 800 million people use Instagram every month and over 500 million logs on every day. Approximately 80% of all Instagram accounts follow at least one business. Instagram found that 60% of users have found a new product on the platform. It continues to be the platform for discovery and further product education.
DON’T OVERTHINK IT
Although Annia decided not to use the shop function as her product is customizable and not off the rack. She says it takes the charm away from its‘ individuality. She uploaded a pricing list and realized sales function regardlessly. Espeically when stores reopen she realized she wouldn’t have time for a larger amount of sales. One keychain takes about 2 hours of active labor and about 24 hours to completely dry and till its final form. Realistically the brand has many potentials, yet she is not ready to reduce her working hours as a sales assistant. Her capacity is limited, which is why she is thankful for friends and resellers to let her focus on creating her products. Stay true to your values. Determine if your strategy is a good fit for your long-term goals. Be aware that a webpage is often needed to direct users to your website to complete the transaction.
Her customers are her audience on the social media platform. 70% women from the age 17 to 26 years and Winterthur. The men supporting her brand appreciate crafty work or are looking for a gift for the women in their lives. They all have in common that they admire flowers, individuality, locality, and self-made crafts. However, the social media app is a great marketing platform, especially when uploading consumer submitted photos. Still, she isn’t bothered that her social media page doesn’t reach all of her target group and says Instagram plays a role but never as big as word-of-mouth advertising.
There are 2.7 million Instagram users in Switzerland. The age groups between 13-24 and 25-34 are still the most represented, each with around one-third of all users according to Instagram nutzer Schweiz 2020. (n.d.). Instagram rewards comment with increased visibility. It is essential to interact with customers and engage them to comment, like, or share your content. Author unknown (2019, February 28) an eCommerce Snapshot report found 54% of U.S. consumers between ages 18-29 said consumer-submitted photos and videos were more valuable than retail or brand visual content. And approximately half of those between the ages 30-44 felt the same way. 42% of women on Instagram in the U.S. said they love to shop and consider it a hobby. Use other Instagram functions like Instagram stories to drive attention to your product, leading to a call of action.
TAKE THE RISK
While her first keychains flew out to Italy and more people from various cities in Switzerland and all over Europe, Annia decided to take the plunge and invest in a working table. The app „Money“ helped her overview her sales and expenses. She set a goal that when she reaches 1000 revenue, she would decide for the asset. Little did she know that choosing on that investment would, later on, save her much time and frustration. Shortly after Annia received an invitation to sell at „Vino Kilo,“ a known national market, she remembers agreeing to their offer and realizing her night shifts would only begin. It was also time to step out of her comfort zone and try something new. She knew it was her chance to gain new customers and surprise regulars with an additional product in her range. As she is a connoisseur in jewelry, creating earrings was an easy one. Furthermore, she extended her range and cast glasses for decor and regular usage. Her stand at vino kilo gained a lot of attention due to the glass flowers hung by colorful threads on branches. While she states that not only vino kilo but the whole process since last year has been a success, she admits that she is still very critical with her work. She never sells an item that isn’t perfect and always has room for improvement. Take advantage of customers outside of your city. Use online tools and apps to support your accounting and stock overview.
FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE NEXT STEPS
Although she receives many inputs on what she should cast, Annia states it always has to be on-brand for her. She has already received offers from local tattoo studios and shops eager to sell her products. This opportunity means the demand will always get bigger and the space in her flat smaller. For this reason, her next step is to work with a friend to create a clear corporate identity. She wants business cards, a simple webpage, a clear strategy for Instagram, and even a small one to invite customers to pick out their desired flowers and forms.
(2018, April 24). Match the design of your Instagram account to your online shop’s landing page: The better the design of your Instagram page matches the design of your online store, the more likely it is that the user will have a consistent shopping experience. Instagram Shopping has some crucial advantages for companies that sell physical products. Up to now, the platform might have been an inspiration to buy new things. However, to purchase an illustrated product, they first had to search for it in the provider’s shop. The new shopping feature significantly shortens customer journeys. Visual marketing is vital!
Something we can all agree on is Annia’s most important recommendation for a successful story:
- Start.
- Be true to yourself.
- Be aware of what you and your brand stand for.
- See where it takes you.
by Lea Hollenstein
Bibliography:
- Author unknown (2019, February 28). 7 benefits of instagram brands likely don’t know. PowerReviews. Retrieved 19 March 2021 from https://www.powerreviews.com/blog/benefits-of-instagram/
- Instagram nutzer schweiz 2020. (n.d.). onlineKarma. Retrieved 2 April 2021, from https://www.onlinekarma.ch/blog/instagram-statistik-schweiz
- Kinny, J. (n.d.). The pros and cons of instagram checkout. Total Retail. Retrieved 19 March 2021, from https://www.mytotalretail.com/article/the-pros-and-cons-of-instagram-checkout/
- Olson, N. (2019b, October 22). Pros & cons for instagram business account. Your Charisma B.V. | Digital Marketing Agency. Retrieved 21 March 2021 from https://www.yrcharisma.com/2019/10/22/pros-and-cons-of-instagram-business-profile/
- Pros and cons of instagram shop(Ig shop). (2020, August 25). Carousell College. Retrieved 21 March 2021 from https://college.carousell.com/pros-and-cons-of-instagram-shop-ig-shop/
- B. the online marketing summer slump-be successful with these 7 tips. (2018, April 24). Instagram’s new shopping feature and its advantages—Swat. Io. Retrieved 19 March 2021 from https://swat.io/en/update/instagrams-new-shopping-feature/
- What you need to know about shoppable posts. (2020, July 1). Inferno. Retrieved 19 March 2021 from https://creativeinferno.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-shoppable-posts/
This blog caught my attention because of the title. Who doesn’t want their own success story? The first paragraph does a good job at engaging the reader by describing something that most people can relate to. Throughout the blog post the writer had a balanced mix between communicating Annia’s story while involving the reader with tips that they can make use of themselves. By reading about a real life experience the reader gets an idea of how the process of developing one’s own business can look like. The text written in bold gives the reader a clear guideline on the important factors to consider and focus on. This also makes it easier to scan through the post and retrieve the most important points the writer makes. I appreciated the Instagram statistics that the writer included which gave the blog post more credibility.
The writer expresses that the most important factor of Annia’s business is word-of-mouth advertisement while laying the focus of the blog post on Instagram advertisement. It would have been interesting to read tips on how an aspiring business owner could widen their social network and spread the word outside of social media if that’s what helped Annia grow her business the most. Sometimes sentences could have been formulated a bit more concise for the reader to understand the point that the writer was trying to make. However, the bold texts at the end of the paragraphs bring back clarity in this aspect.
Overall, the writer wrote a well-structured, step-by-step guide on how to get started with one’s own business which ends in a nice summary of the most important factors to remember. The writer focused on encouraging the reader to go ahead with their idea which leaves the reader motivated to do so.
Claimed by Shirin