How to Turn Your Admirers into Customers

Design, print, photograph, post, comment, share . . . rinse and repeat. If you’re a stationer, you know how this game works. To build your business, you’ve got to grow a following! If you’ve been working on your social media strategy for a while but haven’t seen a return on your investment, you’re not alone! Many stationery designers must spend time building their audience before they start seeing consistent sales. And it doesn’t happen overnight.

With the right strategies, you can turn those admirers into paying customers. Keep reading, and we’ll show you how to do just that.

5 Ways to Convert Your Followers into Paying Customers

Building a social media following is a critical component of any successful marketing strategy. But building a customer base first is essential. Here are five ways to do just that.

Build Trust and Credibility

Before social media, Susie feels ready to click “purchase” on her wedding invitations, she needs to trust that what you’re offering lines up with the vision she has for her big day. She wants to know that she can trust you to help her vision come alive—even through an invitation.

One way to help her build that trust is by sharing as much content as you can, highlighting several types of wedding invites, sharing happy feedback from other brides, and even posting some up-close-and-personal looks at the stationery itself.

Here are some ideas:

• Showcase your work consistently on your social media platforms.
  
  
• Share behind-the-scenes content to help your business feel more personal and relatable. Remember, people aren’t just purchasing stationery. They’re purchasing your story.
  
  
• Highlight your happy customers as often as you can. Many people don’t purchase from someone unless they check out the reviews. Are you sharing your customers’ positive experiences? Doing this helps build trust.
  
  

Include professional photography and polished product mockups. Your product images are everything. If your current images aren’t displaying the best parts of your stationery, it’s time to do an overhaul. Hiring a professional photographer will help! But if you don’t have the funds for that, you can create beautiful images with your phone camera and some editing software.

Create A Seamless Buying Experience

Sometimes, the only thing standing in the way of turning your followers into customers is a bad purchase process. Are you making your potential customers jump through too many hoops before they click purchase? Think about it this way: You want to remove as many barriers as possible for people to make a purchase. One way to check on this is by doing an audit. Have a friend or family member (or even a total stranger) walk through the process of placing an order and give you their feedback. Were there too many steps? Are all your links working? Are there too many clicks?

Here’s a simple checklist to help you as you audit:

• Ensure links are clear and functional on social platforms.
  
  • If you have a social media storefront, make sure those orders are going to the right place and that they’re working properly.

• • If you have a Link Tree, ensure you keep it updated and that all those links are working too.
    
    
• Keep websites and Etsy/Shopify shops user-friendly and up to date.
  • For example, make sure your inventory matches up with your site listings and that each listing has a clear description of what your customer will be purchasing.
    

• Offer clear pricing, timelines, and FAQs to remove buying friction.
  • They say clarity is kindness, and that couldn’t be truer for a shopper’s experience with your business. Offer as much information as you can to help a future customer have the information they need to purchase from you. Is what they’re receiving matching up with what they think they’re ordering?
    
    
• Add “shop now” or “inquire now” CTAs on all your social content.
  • Adding a call to action on your social media posts sounds simple, but sometimes, it can be the biggest reason someone purchases from you. Remember, if you don’t ask, they won’t know!

Engage with Your Followers and Use Exclusivity

This is a big one! Make sure you’re engaging with your followers. Reply to their comments and direct messages quickly. Not only does this tip off the algorithms (hey, Instagram!), but it also shows your customers that you want to engage with them.

Another way to build interest in your followers is by asking them to sign up for a newsletter. This helps your customers get to know you even better and feel more personal than a public post on social media.

A third way to engage with your followers is by offering sneak peeks or first access to brand-new designs. This exclusivity helps your followers feel more special and rewarded for engaging with you. This type of marketing helps increase their interest and will give them even more opportunities to purchase from you.

Use Social Proof and Urgency

One of the best ways to convert followers into paying customers is by asking your past or repeat customers to share positive feedback about their orders on social media. Don’t be afraid to offer discounts in exchange for reviews as well. You never know what kind of growth a good review can bring!

Using urgency to get more sales is another way to bring more business. For example, you could create a limited-time offer for a seasonal product, like Christmas cards. Or you could only offer certain products during launch windows and let everyone know that it’s a limited-time-only product. You could even generate a countdown for a brand-new product to make it more fun and get everyone excited for a new launch.

Bridge the Gap from Inspiration to Purchase

If you were in your customers’ shoes, what would you need to make a purchase? Is there a business that you’re following because you’re inspired by what they’re offering? What is keeping you from purchasing from them? Think about it in the same way for your own business. Would you need to see a sample pack of paper? A swatch book of colors? Would you need help coming up with exactly what you’re looking for? If so, offer that to your own followers.

For instance, if your follower knows she needs wedding invitations, but wants a customized version of two of your products, she might benefit from a free design consultation. That way, you can help her hone her vision and give her more confidence in what she’s ordering. Plus, you’ll help her gain trust in the fact that you know what you’re doing, and you’ll come through!

Another way to help your future customers is by guiding them through the ordering process. If they’ve never ordered stationery before, you can help them by taking the guesswork out of it. Maybe that’s a short video explanation, or a simple step-by-step guide on the product page.

You’ve Got This!

Remember, the distance between a fan and a future customer isn’t that far! If someone already follows your business account and admires your work, you’re halfway there. These five strategies are simple ways to help you get there.

Listen, we know growing your small business can feel daunting. But we also know you have what it takes to be successful . . . and we’re here to help you along the way. When you’re ready to take your designs to print, we’re here to help you bring them to life. Contact us today to see how we can help! We can’t wait to hear from you.