• 6 Ways to Keep a Subscriber
    2024/09/04
    As a subscription box owner, you spend so much time working to gain new subscribers. But how much time and energy do you put into retaining your current subscribers? Cancellations are a reality of the subscription box industry. No matter how amazing your subscription box is and no matter how much time and effort you put into creating an outstanding subscriber experience, some subscribers will cancel. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to reduce the number of cancellations and retain more subscribers. Even a small increase in retention rate can make a big difference. Let’s talk about six things you can do to retain more subscribers. Keep Things Trendy or Seasonal How often do you change up the lineup of items in your box? I’m always researching new trends and thinking ahead to what holidays or seasons are coming up. Keep things fresh and fun to keep subscribers excited about what’s coming next month! Ask Your Subscribers What They Want Simply including your audience in the decision-making process can make a huge difference. Send out questionnaires and surveys or poll them on social media. Getting their input creates buy-in and a greater feeling of community. Engage With Your Subscribers During your monthly LIVE unboxing, engage directly with subscribers. Are you using SMS messaging? Text subscribers, asking what their favorite item was and asking for pics of them using or wearing something from the box. With their permission, use those pictures for social proof and to make subscribers feel even more a part of your community. People love to feel included! Create Added Value Your subscribers are the VIPs of your business. Make sure they feel that way. Send subscriber-only emails or surprise them with a coupon in their box good toward something in your shop. Need more ideas? Grab my resource - 10 Ways to Surprise and Delight Your Subscribers. Offer a Lower-Priced Tier in Your Subscription Box The number one reason people cancel their subscriptions is financial. Offering a lower-priced tier at the point of cancellation is one way to retain them. Some subscribers will love this option and may even move back up to the higher tier when their budget allows. Billing and Follow Up It’s not fun or exciting, but keeping track of billing issues and missed payments can make a huge difference in managing subscriber turnover. Payments are missed because of card changes or changes in addresses and sometimes subscribers forget to update their info. Reminders and personal follow-up can eliminate so much of that. Track your retention rate every month. If it starts to slip and fall below 80%, you have an issue that needs to be addressed quickly. Put time and effort every day into retaining subscribers. Join me for this episode for quick tips on boosting subscriber retention. Simple changes can make a big difference—tune in now! 10 Ways to Surprise and Delight Your Subscribers. Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform and leave a 5-star rating and a review! Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
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    28 分
  • 169: How a One Time Holiday Box Can Validate Your Subscription Box Idea
    2024/08/28
    Have you been sitting on the sidelines, listening, watching, and waiting to launch your subscription box? You have an idea, and you’ve taken some steps toward turning those dreams into reality, but something is holding you back. What if you could test your subscription box idea with your target audience without committing to a full-blown launch? Now is the perfect time to validate your subscription box concept with a carefully curated one-time box. Retail and e-commerce businesses will see high consumer spending over the next four months. Most will bring in 50% of their total year’s revenue during the next four months. That makes now the best time to test your idea. During the holidays people are more likely to spend on items for others. They’re looking for something fun and unique, something special that stands out from all the other gifts under the tree. Your one-time holiday box can be the perfect, thoughtful gift. The ultimate goal is to start, launch, and grow a thriving subscription box business. And a one-time box can be the perfect first step. A one-time box has a lower commitment for customers. It allows you to bring them into your business and then nurture them into being a subscriber. Your one-time box should be similar to your subscription box idea, appealing to the same ideal customer. Think about whether the recipients will receive the box before the holidays or as a holiday gift. This determines whether it can be holiday-themed or needs to be an everyday theme. I do a one-time holiday box every year. My audience loves it, it sells out early every year, and it brings a nice punch of revenue into my business in the 4th quarter. Since it’s intended to be given as a holiday gift (although a lot of my customers buy it as a gift to themselves), the contents of my holiday box do not have a holiday theme. Instead, it contains items similar to those found in my Monogram Box. A one-time box is your opportunity to get it right. To put together a curated experience that will wow your ideal customer and give them a feel for what they could expect if they became a subscriber. Now that you’ve curated your one-time holiday box, it’s time to sell it. Continue the audience building you’ve already been working on. Engage your audience in the process and get their buy-in with polls, behind-the-scenes, and other interactive content. Plan a launch following the Launch Strategy with socials, lives, emails, and ads. Go all in. To be successful, you need to market your one-time box with a launch. Create urgency, scarcity, and exclusivity by selling one-time boxes as pre-orders. Analyze what’s working and what isn’t and adapt. This process is great for new subscription box owners since you’ll go through a launch, curate a box, market the box, and fulfill the box. You’ll learn a ton about the launch process just by launching a one-time box and be ready to apply that knowledge to launch your subscription box. Many of my students shifted their entire businesses from successful one-time box offers to subscriptions….because they had proof of concept before turning it into a subscription box. I’ve got a great, free new resource to help you curate a box experience for your subscribers. Join me for this episode as I talk about validating your subscription box idea with a one-time holiday box. Now is the perfect time to get your subscription box dreams off the ground! Kristy’s Interview - Episode 45 - Journey from One-Time Boxes to a Thriving Monthly Subscription Nicole’s Interview - Episode 13 - A Passion for Animals Turns into 500 Monthly Subscribers Curating a Box Experience for Your Subscribers Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
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    24 分
  • 168: 0 to 6 Figures with a $300 Marketing Budget with Huckleberry Gems
    2024/08/21
    Katie did something I didn’t think was possible. She silenced a large group of creative women - subscription box entrepreneurs - with one statement. I posed a question to my SubSummit workshop attendees about ad spend. Katie’s drop the mic response was that she reached 6-figures in subscription box revenue with a $300 marketing budget. Katie Sager of Huckleberry Gems is a member of Launch Your Box, Scale Your Box, and my Mastermind. Katie set up shop in the back of her husband’s business. She made cutting boards and hosted paint parties. Katie differentiated herself from other crafters by producing craft kits that don’t require glue. Instead, customers assemble them using adhesive strips. (Genius!) Katie loved what she was doing, but knew she needed to grow the business. So she learned all she could about digital marketing. This led to diving deeply into Facebook Ads, learning how they work and how to understand and apply the data. Katie also realized she needed to bring recurring revenue into her business. One off sales weren’t enough. A tiered-tray subscription box was the answer. You have to spend money - and this includes having a marketing budget - in order to build a business. A business without a marketing budget is a hobby. Katie didn’t want a hobby. She wanted to build a business that would grow. So Katie ran her ads, analyzed the data, made changes when needed, and kept going. She launched with more than 40 subscribers and, within 7 months, hit six-figures in revenue. It took only 5 more months to double that number. Did all that growth come from Facebook Ads? No. Katie knew that building her email list was also important, so she turned her focus to that. She created a lead magnet and ran ads to it. She started a free Facebook Group for crafters and required their email addresses to join. Katie is a true entrepreneur and a super smart business owner. She knows there are a lot of puzzle pieces to starting and growing a successful business. She also knows how tempting it is to chase one shiny idea after another. Katie attributes her success to focusing on one puzzle piece at a time. For her, that meant ads first then email. Katie’s advice for anyone getting started is to get super focused on one thing to build your business and then, once you’ve mastered it, look to add something else. Build your following and build your list. Her focus for Huckleberry Gem going forward is all about community. Katie continues to create a community of women who have lost themselves in the busyness of parenting. Women who love to craft and connect. Join me for this episode as Katie and I talk through how she started her business and grew it to six figures in seven months with a marketing budget of only $300 a month. Get ready to be inspired! Find and follow Katie: Huckleberry Gems on Facebook Huckleberry Gems on Instagram Huckleberry Gems Website Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
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    30 分
  • 167: 8 Ways to Find Products For Your Subscription Box
    2024/08/14
    One of the most important aspects of our subscription box is the products we put inside it. Whether you’re brand new to business or an experienced subscription box owner, finding the right products at the right prices can be challenging. Where do you start? What about when you begin to grow? How do you buy in bulk? Before you start shopping, you will need your sales tax permit and resellers certificate. File for your sales tax permit first and then you’ll be able to get your resellers certificate. Where you head next depends on where you are in your business. I found in my own business that buying product for my growing subscription box was different from buying product for my brick-and-mortar shop or the early days of my subscription box. So how can you find the products you need? 1 - When you’re brand new to business: Local Shops/Brands Facebook Wholesale Groups 2 - Once you’ve established yourself and have some orders behind you: Many of these sources require a reference and/or other proof of business operation. Online Marketplaces such as Faire - You can shop thousands of vendors on one platform with low required minimum order quantities. Direct vendor wholesale site - Go directly to the websites and look for a wholesale link. See if you can apply for a wholesale account with them. Markets or Trade shows -These are scheduled events that happen across the country where hundreds or thousands of vendors come to connect with buyers. You can walk through all their booths, see their products in person, meet with vendors, and place orders. NY Now Dallas Market Center Las Vegas Market America's Mart Market can be overwhelming - I recommend going with a friend! I want you to go to a Market. They opened my mind to brands and vendors I never would have found or considered. I’ve met vendors at Market who have grown along with me and my business. 3 - You’re growing and it’s time to start making bigger bulk purchases: When you grow past a certain point, it’s time to buy bulk and consider working with overseas manufacturers. Global Marketplace - Alibaba, AliExpress, and IndiaMart are a great way to lower costs for items. I purchased small items first to get comfortable with product quality and shipping time. However, since the items are coming from overseas, you’ll need to give them more lead time when ordering. White Label from an Existing Vendor - Vendors allow you to custom-make products under their supply chain and manufacturing process and put your label on it. Sourcing Services - You can work with a sourcing agent who works with manufacturers on your behalf, getting products for you at really great prices. This sourcing agent handles all the communication and organization. My advice for you: Use several different vendors - don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Build relationships - get representatives and keep in touch with them. Relationships are so important in our business. Prices are negotiable - don’t be afraid to ask. Always ask for bulk pricing or discounts or free shipping or products. The bigger your business gets, the more buying power you have. If you are working on a T-Shirt subscription, I’ve got a great FREE resource for you. Check out my favorite t-shirt brands and styles pdf. There are SO many choices when it comes to t-shirts - this resource will help you find the best ones for you and your customers! Join me for this episode as I walk you through 8 ways to find products for your subscription box. Whether you’re just getting started or need more product options as you grow, get answers to your product sourcing questions! Sarah’s Favorite T-Shirt Brands and Styles FREE 6 in 60 Workshop Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
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    30 分
  • 166: Lessons Learned From My Last 3 Launches
    2024/08/07
    Three launches in three months to three different audiences. Yep, I did that. As always, there were lessons to be learned from each launch. What surprised me is that three of those lessons were the same for all three launches! That’s a lot of “3”s! So let me break it down. In late April and early May, I launched The Monogram Box™, my curated subscription box. In June, I launched Subscription Box Week, my SLO into my Launch Your Box membership. And in July, I launched my Tees 4 Teachers subscription, a monthly subscription of t-shirts designed especially for teachers. All three launches were successful (yay!) and I took similar lessons away from all three. Lessons you can apply to your own launches. Lesson 1 - People are buying! Yes, the economy is rough and yes, prices are high, but people are still buying. People buy what they are connected to from people and brands they feel connected to. Don’t use the economy as an excuse - people are buying. Lesson 2 - You need paid ads! When I started my business 11 years ago, organic growth was so much easier. Now, I need an ads budget… and so do you. Need proof? My three launches… Monogram Box™ - 82% of traffic came directly from ads. Subscription Box Week - 75% of traffic came directly from ads. Tees 4 Teachers - 90% of traffic came directly from ads. And yes, that traffic converted! If you’ve never run ads, start small. I started with $10 a day. When I saw results, I increased my budget. You need paid ads now to build your audience and make connections - use page like ads and ads for lead magnets & opt-ins. Lesson 3 - You’ve got to create exclusivity and scarcity. We’ve gotten into a bad habit of making everything available all the time. Offering too many options results in decision fatigue. Create exclusivity and scarcity around being a subscriber. I did this in my own business. The result? 421 new monthly Monogram Box™ subscribers! If you sell out, don’t buy more. Let it sell out - use that to create urgency for your next launch. Between launches, drive people to the waitlist. Don’t be afraid to close your cart. I decided to close Launch Your Box for the first time in a couple of years. What happened? I had the highest converting launch EVER for Launch Your Box! We give ourselves reasons why things aren’t working. But they’re not reasons, they are excuses. How will you do things differently in your next launch? I learned three lessons while launching three offers in the last three months! Join me for this episode as I break down my biggest takeaways and help you make the most out of your launch. It’s time to get out of your head! FREE 6 in 60 Workshop Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
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    28 分
  • 5 Ways to Do a Monthly Unboxing - Every Month
    2024/07/31
    How many different ways do you do an unboxing for your subscription box every month? Would it surprise you to learn there are FIVE different ways you can do an unboxing… every month? My box opening checklist makes it easy! Building connections. Creating excitement and FOMO. Growing your waitlist. Gaining new subscribers. There are so many reasons you need to make a monthly unboxing part of your subscription box marketing strategy. You know the why, let’s talk about the how. How can you do a monthly unboxing FIVE different ways every month? Simply follow this checklist. Live Unboxing - this is a MUST. Turn on the camera, invite your followers and subscribers, and take them through the box. Don’t overcomplicate it: Set the date Set the stage State your hook Encourage engagement early Tell the story of the box (your curation process) Show each piece and how it ties to the next Give the audience a call to action (subscribe, join the waitlist, grab one of the extra pieces) Email Unboxing - using the same content you just created for the LIVE. Blog Unboxing - turn the email unboxing into a blog post. Short Video Unboxing - while taking pictures for social media, the blog, and the email, shoot a boxing or unboxing video Use on Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Pinterest, etc. Story Slide Unboxing - create three-five slides to use in picture stories. If you’re not currently doing a monthly unboxing, don’t try to start doing all five. Instead, start with one or two - but the LIVE is a must do! If you are already doing a monthly LIVE unboxing, start layering in a couple more unboxings until you work your way up to doing all five. It’s not about being overwhelmed, it’s about making progress. And when you do these monthly unboxings, I have three tips for you to keep in mind: Always invite your subscribers - specifically to your LIVE unboxings. It’s a connection point. They provide instant social proof. They’ll love to show up with you and share their excitement! Always give a sneak peek of the next month’s box. Create excitement and anticipation. Give subscribers a reason to show up to the LIVE. Always have a call to action. Join now. Get on the waitlist. Join me for this episode as I walk you through five ways you can do a monthly unboxing - and connect with your audience - every month. Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join today!
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    30 分
  • Niching Down Your Ideal Customer Can Improve Your Visibility
    2024/07/24
    “20% of your customer base generates 80% of your revenue.” - Sarah Williams Identifying your ideal customer is not something you do once. It’s something you need to tweak and get clearer about in your business on a daily basis. In this episode, I’m talking about how to figure out who the 20% of your customers are who are responsible for 80% of your revenue and why you should focus all of your efforts on them. Oh… and one other thing. Stop trying to please everyone! When you try to please everyone, you dilute your focus. Instead of spending your time and energy on what you know works for your most loyal customers - the ones who buy from you every day - you spend time, energy, and money trying to satisfy one-off requests from customers who are not your ideal person. If you’re just getting started and even if you’ve been in business for a while, you might have an idea of who your ideal customer is, but you’re probably not sure. Start by asking yourself questions about your ideal customer and get as specific as possible with your answers. Who is your ideal customer? Start with the basics. Where does your ideal customer live? What are your ideal customer’s interests? What are your ideal customer’s challenges or pain points? Nail down the basics and then get more specific. Is your ideal customer “a mom” or “a mom of preschoolers who works outside the home and wants to provide quick, easy, and healthy meals to her family?” It is much easier for me to speak to “a mom” when I know who she is and what her pain points are! Once you get a good picture of who your ideal customer is, it’s time to talk about how to get them into your world and build the know-like-trust factor that makes them want to buy from you. Get to know your ideal customer and let them get to know you by: Hanging out in common Facebook groups offering advice and engaging in conversations. Speak their language in your posts, videos, and emails. Target their interests in your social media advertising. Serve before you sell. This is SO important. Provide value without asking for money. This month inside Launch Your Box, we’re talking all about SEO and how it can help your subscription box business grow. The purpose of SEO is to help the right people find you online. The more we can niche down, the more completely we define who our ideal customer is, the better we can be at messaging, copy, and SEO. Join me for this episode as I talk about how and why niching down your ideal customer can improve your visibility and increase your revenue! Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!
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    29 分
  • Building a Lead Magnet Funnel
    2024/07/17
    In this episode, I’m going deeper into lead magnets and showing you how to build a lead magnet funnel. Top of the funnel -this is the largest part of the funnel. Your goal is to collect as many leads as possible. Start with a free offer, giving your audience something of value. Freebie or low-dollar lead magnet. Ads to targeted interests going to cold and warm audiences. Make sure your lead magnet is niched down so you don’t waste time and money on unqualified leads. The goal is to capture leads and get them on your email list. Opt-in -the lead has given you their email and now they move to the middle of the funnel. When someone submits their email address, they are sent to a thank you page. Include an upsell offer along with the link to get their freebie. This upsell should be an inexpensive offer that gives them even more value than the freebie. The goal at this stage in the funnel is to get them to make a purchase. Once someone has reached the middle of your funnel, they’ve received value from you, they’ve made a small purchase, and now the goal shifts to getting them to purchase your main offer. For subscription box owners, this means our recurring revenue product, our subscription boxes. Now it’s time to put email marketing to work for you. Set up an email automation that is kicked off when someone opts in. Keep it simple or more detailed - the choice is yours. Simple sequence - everyone gets the same sequence with all roads leading to becoming a subscriber. Detailed sequence - create two sequences - one for those who purchased the upsell and one for those who did not. Let’s walk through a simple email sequence. Email #1 - deliver the freebie and introduce your subscription box. Email #2 - remind them to download the freebie and share the “why” behind your box with them. Email #3 - is all about the box. Share social proof and pictures of past boxes. You can extend this sequence to five emails by including an email that offers a low dollar offer and adding an email with an additional offer to join at the end. If someone subscribes at any point during this email flow, the sequence stops and they’ll continue to get nurtured in your weekly email campaigns. You need to do FIVE things to create an effective lead magnet funnel. Create the lead magnet. Create images for social media and ads. Create two landing pages - one for the opt-in and one for the thank you/upsell page. Create an embed form for the opt-in. Write your emails and set up the sequences. Join me for this episode as I talk about the importance of having lead magnets continuously bringing leads into your business and the steps you need to take to build out a lead magnet funnel. Important Links: 6 in 60 Workshop Join me in all the places: Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join Launch Your Box today!
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    27 分