Why Your Stationery Business Needs a Website—Not Just Instagram

If you’ve been dragging your feet about creating a stationery business website, this is your nudge to do so. There’s no denying that social media is a great place to attract potential customers, build a loyal following, and showcase your beautiful stationery.

While social media is an extremely helpful tool, solely relying on it to bring your stationery business new customers means that you’re missing out on owning your own audience, using the power of SEO, and building credibility with your future customers.

Social media is likened to the “word of mouth” for our generation. Instead of writing a letter to your mom to tell her about the life-changing new stationery she needs to purchase, you can just tag her on Instagram.

But we don’t have to tell you that. In fact, Instagram is probably where you opened up shop, first posting your beautifully designed invitations for the world to see, tagging your friends with the hope that they’ll share it from the rooftops. But whether you started your business on social media, Etsy, or somewhere else, it’s time to create your stationery business website.

Why Your Stationery Business Needs a Website

You know how the saying goes, “Don’t despise humble beginnings.” And for many stationery designers, that’s exactly where they got their start: with lots of passion and an eye for design. If that’s your story, you know exactly what we’re talking about. Many designers start posting their stationery on Instagram, selling as they create, gaining a following, and building their businesses from there. And that’s no small feat! But we’re here to tell you that even if you’ve got a huge following and are doing well in your business, you need a website.

1. It gives you a home on the internet.
2. It builds credibility with your future customers.
3. It adds more marketing tools to your toolkit.

A website takes you from “renting” to “owning.” As you know, renting is a great way to get your start. And it’s a great one. You don’t have to worry about all of the things that a property owner has to worry about (fixing or replacing things when they break, keeping up with the lawn, and making sure everything is always in working order). Sounds great, right? The only problem with renting is that at some point, you have to leave. The space, property, or home isn’t actually yours. So, you can’t decorate it fully, change the structure in any way, or reap the benefits when it comes time to sell.

The same is true for having a website. Social media platforms are a great and necessary place to set up camp for a little while. But when push comes to shove, you don’t own any of it. The owners of Instagram could take down your page, go out of business, or block you for any reason... and it would be legal for them to do so. Why? Because it’s their platform. You’re just using it.

Owning a website for your business gives you a place to call home, point your followers and customers directly to your shop, and diminishes the fear of losing your followers in one fell swoop.

Have you ever seen an ad for something that caught your eye? After clicking “Add to Cart,” you decide to make sure it’s a credible business (no one wants to get scammed out of their money). DreamHost surveyed over 1,200 US consumers and found that 41% of them “perceive businesses with websites as more trustworthy.”¹

When you create a website for your stationery, it gives your customers a sense of confidence that they’re buying from you (and not just a random scammer in their mom’s basement). That confidence will remove barriers to purchase and give you a loyal and returning customer for the future as well. Not to mention, most e-commerce websites come with encryption, SSL certificates, and that beautiful little lock icon in their browser that helps them feel comfortable to complete their purchase with your business.

Sharing your stationery on social media is definitely a great part of your overall marketing strategy. But it should only be one piece of the pie. When you create a stationery business website, you have the opportunity to tap into the world of search engine optimization (SEO), which helps people find you through simple internet searches.

Think about it as serving your customers with a solution to their problem at the right time. While Instagram introduces your brand, products, and even valuable behind-the-scenes content to your followers, your website’s blog, videos, and shop give your customers a place to land when they’re ready to purchase. Your website will be the go-to for purchases, more helpful and inspirational ideas on how to use your products, and the safest place to purchase.

The Bottom Line

The best way to serve your customers is to think like your customer. If you were shopping for stationery, paper goods, wedding invitations, or greeting cards, where would you feel most comfortable purchasing those items? Directly from Instagram or from the stationery business website itself? It would be the latter.

Want more helpful stationery-specific content like this? Check out PrintsWell University. It’s your hub for all things stationery business. And if you’re looking for a printing partner who genuinely cares about the success of your business, we’d love to work with you. Fill out an application here, and let’s get started.