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Want my site to turn hits into sales

studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
edited December 2007 in Website Critique
I am preparing a press release that I know will generate a lot of hits on my site.  My goal is that anyone who visits my site who has a baby, a grandbaby, a friend who has a baby, etc.  Will buy something.  I am considering adding a category called "gifts" and having sub-categories by price "$10-20," "$20-30," etc.
 
I think I may have a tendency to be a little wordy and Home Page suggestions would be especially welcome.
 
Thanks,  I appreciate your taking the time to help a fellow entrepreneur.
Cherie


http://www.studiocherie.com


connecting parents and babies with style
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    Thank you for your insight!
    Cherie

     
     
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    I should have mentioned that I am working with a template and I don`t have the funding to hire a web designer right now.
     
    I did get onto the site and make several changes based on Steve`s suggestions:
     

    I uploaded a better version of my logo that does incorporate the company name. 
    Changed the store name to "The Studio Cherie Shop."
    Added gift categories with dollar amounts - that says "you buy things here" to me.
    Changed my welcome message to ask for sales.

     
    One reason I opted for white backgrounds and a somewhat plain look is that it uploads fast.  I do not like visiting sites that are so visually rich that they take time to load a page.  10 seconds seems like an eternity to me on the internet.  I have received positive feedback on my "clean look" in the past.
     
    All comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated!
     
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    Craig,
    Wow!  This is where it really pays to get outside opinions.  The diaper bags One of my customers sent me the photo and I thought it was precious, so I put it on the homepage.  Now I see how confusing it would be to someone like you who might think this looks like the silliest thing ever devised to hold and carry a baby.  (This shows the value of captions.)  I feel like a bona fide idiot for featuring such a confusing photo on my site.  Thank you for your gentle inquiry.
     
    Another day, another tweak!
     
    The product that I think is going to be the huge hit is my patent pending changing pad.  It is shown on the homepage in pink (featured category) and in zebra (featured product) both on the left side of the page.  Maybe I should replace the baby in the bag photo with the baby on the zebra changing pad photo, making my highest potential product most prominent.  That`s what I will do today.
     
    Thank you so much!  Keep the comments coming, this is extremely helpful.

     
    StudioCherie

    studiocherie12/6/2007 2:18 PM
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    The photos and what is featured has been updated.  I hope it sets people in the right direction and clears up confusion.
     
    Any other comments or suggestions are welcome.  So far the two responses have helped me tremendously!  Thank you.
     

     
    The Studio Cherie Shop
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    consumertreehouseconsumertreehouse subscriber Posts: 11
    If you are going the cloth diaper route I think you have a great idea going. More and more people are turning to cloth diapers due to the "green" quality of them; less trash and reusable. I think you need to add more color to the site, there is way to much white, maybe add a baby themed background or something along those lines. People like graphics, pics, color, etc....that makes people want to stay on your site longer. Right now the only thing that tells me you are selling something is upper left side of your site. I think you are off to a great start. Keep it up and Good Luck
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    Craig,
       Your comments have been really helpful.  Many of my customers are grandparents to the babies, giving gifts to their sons or daughters who are the new parents - which may happen to you someday!
       The changing pad is really small when folded, and bigger than most when unfolded.  It also functions as an omni-accessible "bag" for the wipes case and can accommodate a diaper or two into the folds.  It really is the ideal thing to have with you everywhere.  It can be carried by the strap, stowed on or in the stroller, or tucked into your Prada bag. 
       Anyone who has babies who are walking and talking but not potty trained doesn`t want to carry a diaper bag, but they need this. 
       Probably more info than you needed...but I am proud of my invention.
     
          Thanks again, I am sure I will see you around!
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    Steve and Nikole,
       Thank you for being so thorough!  These suggestions add up to a major overhaul, but I am up for it.
     
       I think what I will do is print copies of my home page (and the others if this works well for me) and mark them up manually with the borders and font changes, etc.  Then I will call Prostores and have their very helpful technical support guide me through the changes.  A couple of the changes that I have been wanting myself - the white space at the top of the page that bothers Nikole has always bothered me too, and the "Welcome to..." are part of the template, and I will need a manager there to make those changes.  If you don`t mind, I`d like to message you two when the changes are done for more feedback.
     
       I can line up the products on the product pages right away.  That will be an easy change.  Thanks for the thoughtful feedback on that, Steve.
     
       When I was a kid, we got an actual catalog like the J. Piederman catalog.  Every product had its own page and every product story was an adventure.  I absolutely loved it!  Look for the J. Piederman version of Studio Cherie product descriptions coming soon.
     
       My 7 year old corrected his 5 year old sister at the dinner table, "It`s not piss-getti, it`s puh-sketti."  Since I have nothing to teach you, I thought maybe I could entertain you a little!
     

     
    Studio Cherie, good to the last dribble
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
       Nikole was right (not news to anyone, I`m sure.) Now that I have lined up the products, I see how boring the descriptions are. 
       Steve was right too, of course.  Lining up the products is a much better layout, so much more relaxing to look at. 
       I will be relying heavily on Nikole`s article on copywriting as I rewrite virtually everything on my site.  Thank you for posting the article, it is succinctly written and relevant.
       Craig, thanks for the encouragement on the description I wrote for you. Onward to the paper and pencil stage...thank you all!

    Studio Cherie, where babies poop and parents are prepared (not an actual slogan-just warming up)
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    entreplanetentreplanet subscriber Posts: 3
    I think you should hire a pro developer to redesign the website. In order for people to fork over their credit card info online, they better trust your company and know you are real. In order to do so, you need a professional looking website, with categories, a shopping cart, phone number and more.
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    I really appreciate Craig, Nikole and Steve for actually looking at my website and giving relevant commentary.  It is that level of professionalism that makes these forums work.
    I took the week-end off with my family, but now I am back to work and getting to better layout and copy.

    Studio Cherie - better baby baggy burpers (not an actual slogan)
     
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
       As I rework the layout, I see the need for more effective copywriting, and Nikol`s article and the references she sites there are immensely helpful.
     
       The first thing I am addressing is the issue of relevance.  I have identified 8 (not finished yet, so there will be more) points of relevance for my products, each one good for producing a hook.  Do you think 8 hooks on a home page is too many?
     
       Would this be the best place on the forums to post a poll, asking for a vote on the best hook?
     
       I think this may be the best one, but there are at least 7 other reasons why people have purchased my products:
     
        For those who are tired of carrying a diaperbag, there is Studio Cherie.
     
       
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    Yes, that makes sense.  I am posting new product descriptions right now, editing out all of the details that I think are cool, but my customers couldn`t care less about.  I am trying to be thorough, yet concise, interesting, yet plainspoken.  The various tag lines I`ve tried here are thrown out for comments such as yours.
     
    Thanks!  Each of the following has a product or a page link.
     

    Studio Cherie has innovative accessories for a new generation of parents.
     

    My Favorite Changing Pad by Studio Cherie makes it possible to leave the diaperbag behind.
     
    As seen in Beverly Hills, the diaperbag in disguise by Studio Cherie (Steve, if you click on this one, it will go to the page where I am making or have made the most changes to the descriptions.)
     

    Diapers on a plane no longer a scary feature for savvy parents at Studio Cherie
     
    New, "no juggling required" changing accessories by Studio Cherie
     
    Studio Cherie makes a place to change baby at Grandma`s house that stays handy in a drawer.
     
    Changing baby away from home can still be a relaxed time of bonding with Studio Cherie`s patent pending changing pad.
     

    Dads wear Studio Cherie diapers (on their shoulder) with pride.  Note: I will be adding a photo of a dad with sleeping infant on his shoulder like this one of a mom and the daddy camo diaper will be there on his chest/shoulder area.
     
    The Studio Cherie links go to the home page which will also be changed, but probably not until tomorrow.  I am hoping one of the tag lines here seems good enough for home page material.  Please let me know which one(s) you like.  Should I
    turn this into a poll?  What would be the best place to do that?
     
    studiocherie12/10/2007 7:30 PM
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    Here is the deal with the cloth diapers (thanks for asking Acunick) they are diapers, but they are used more often as burpcloths.  I am aware that cloth diapers are very popular and I have contacts in both LA and Seattle who sell cloth diapers and have huge followings.  The cloth diapers that they sell and use are a little more complicated in their construction than I want to take the time to produce.  If I am going to make something complicated, it`s going to be a bag, that is where my talent lies.
    My diapers are flat-fold, sometimes called pre-fold diapers.  The only time I could see somebody pinning one on a baby is for a photo shoot because they are so adorable. 
    I sell them as diapers because you don`t have to sew a label into a diaper, whereas I am pretty sure you would have to sew a label into a burpcloth.  I don`t want a label getting in the way of their use.  My favorite burpcloth was always a cloth diaper, but I hated how it looked, all spotted with yellow urps.  These are just a fun, yet highly useful product.  I am the first one making them like this, so I do want to grab more market share before I get copied, but I know it is inevitable.  That is why I am here tweaking my website before I put out the press release about the diapers.  I know the product description for them needs to be a lot better - on my list for today!
    Studio Cherie has the new tradition in traditional cloth diapers
     
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    jwilljwill subscriber Posts: 0
    Hello Cherie,
     
    I need help with a web-site. Can you tell me how you did yours. I don`t have the funds to hire a web designer. Please help me out. What type of web site you have??
     
    Thank you
     
    Ozelia
    jwill12/11/2007 7:20 PM
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    studiocheriestudiocherie subscriber Posts: 6
    I have updated the site as much as I can myself.  If you look now you will find I was able to reduce the white space a bit by reducing the size of my logo  (not sure if that was a good trade-off.)  Steve/Craig/Nikole, if you guys (or others who have expertise in the area) could comment on the trade off between the white space (at the top of the home page) that bothered me and Nikole which I was able to cut by about 1/3, and the importance of clear branding, which the larger logo provided, please do.
     
    I also got rid of the somewhat useless "Welcome" message and put in a headline that (I think) makes a good offer, based on Nikole`s great copywriting article and what I have to offer.  Please feel free to comment on the headline I chose.
     
    I found out that I could not make all of the changes I put down on paper, like putting a border around a block of text to give that block a background color.  Prostores does allow for customization like that, but I would have to know how to work with the source code and their tech support couldn`t walk me through it.  They want me to pay one of their web designers for that.  In short, for the structure and graphic refinements Steve said were lacking, I need a designer.  I believe Steve already said that, but I had to see how far I could take it myself first.
     
    Nearly every product description has changed as well.  The full J. Piederman treatment seemed like it would be too long, so I opted for the Cliff Notes version of J. Piederman descriptions.  I know it sounds like an oxymoron, but let me know what you think if you have a chance to read through a few of them.  By highlighting key points on each item, I think I have produced a more inductive sales process.  I never thought of how deductive my descriptions were until I read Nikole`s article.
     
    I think it was Henry Kissinger who always rejected his speeches three times by saying "it needs more work" before he even read one.  I know the photography needs more work - in process.  I have written the headline about 5 times already, so I think it`s time for feedback on that.  The descriptions have also gone through the fine tooth comb of my mind a few times.  The question is, do any of them capture your imagination?
     
    In Summary, please evaluate:

    Size of logo on home page:  go back to bigger, more legible and the white space that goes with it?
    Headline also on home page: is it any good or is it dreck?

    Product descriptions: anything still confusing?
    If I don`t change structural and graphic elements for a while, should I put off marketing efforts like press releases and advertising until I hire a web designer?  Is there something about the look that you think would turn a potential buyer off?

    Again, many many thanks for all of the feedback here.  I am glad I read the sticky topics first about how to use this forum and how to receive a website critique.
    Give the new grandma in your life a gift she will treasure.  Only $10 at Studio Cherie.
     
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