Less is more: How to slow down to speed up your business

The past year (or three!) has felt like a whirlwind, and small businesses have hustled hard. But doing more isn’t always right for your business - or your sanity! We recently teamed up with soona and TheWMarketplace to help entrepreneurs focus on what really works and be set up for success. 

Things that go 'click': Content that works

With so many products out there vying for attention across platforms, it can seem daunting to create standout product content for your brand. Not to worry! With a few tips and tricks courtesy of soona, a provider of high-quality photo shoots for ecommerce brands, you can generate click-to-cart magic, dazzle on social, and stay seasonally on-trend. 

So, where do you start? Ask yourself a few key questions about your content:

• Is it telling a story? 
• Does it inspire action?
• Does it represent your brand?
• Is it consistent across your platforms? 
  

Knowing what content performs with your audience is key. You know your customers best, but we’ve seen a few common trends that work to help get you started:   

• Human models: Help customers see how to use your product or how it fits in their lifestyle. Don’t worry if you don’t have pro models - use your team or lean on friends and family to add a human element to your brand. 
• Behind the scenes: Everyone loves a satisfying ending or a good reveal! Just remember to stick to short storylines. 
• Animals: Stats don’t lie, people love animals doing cute things! Photos and videos with pets often generate higher engagement rates, so feature animals in behind-the-scenes shots, interacting with humans, or tied tastefully to current events. 
• Tutorials: Let your customers create the content for you! Beyond driving engagement, the content options are endless - YouTube long-form video, quick clips for organic and paid social, quotes, affiliate opportunities, and more.

f you’re looking to amp up your product photos or videos, check out soona’s virtual content creation platform, which lets you create custom professional photos, videos and GIFs for your ecommerce store and marketing channels.

Paid and organic social: Tips for maximizing your efforts 

Now that you’ve got beautiful product content, it’s time to get it out into the world. Social media is king when it comes to building awareness and driving traffic to your brand. And it doesn’t take a miracle to stand out on Instagram! Read on for must-do’s to set up for success with your brand profile. 

Optimize your profile

• Keep your bio short and sweet and use bullet points or quick sentences to keep eye engaged.
• Use tools like Linktree of LinkFolio to let people connect to your content. Match your link order to the chronology of your posts.  
• Tag your products and services and make sure your catalogue is integrated with Facebook (or manually added), so it can auto-populate and auto-update on Instagram. 
  

Plan your content 

• A content calendar is a must! Use free templates like this one from HubSpot.
• Plan out content ahead of time to stay on top of holidays, programming, sales, etc. 
• Use a scheduling platform to help save you time and energy:; HootSuite, Sprout Social and Social Studio are some examples. 
• Use the content tips we shared above to keep it engaging and on-trend
  

Build awareness and engagement 

• Build partnerships with other brands to like and share each other’s content 
• Run giveaways for customers or prospects 
• Source speaking opportunities 
  

Want to learn more about TheWMarketplace? It’s the only online platform where you can shop products and professional services from women-owned businesses so women entrepreneurs can start, pivot, or grow their online business in a supportive community with favorable selling terms.

Expanding out of at-home fulfillment: How to evaluate your options

With your content and social channels firing, those sales are going to be rolling in! If you’re bootstrapping your business, your logistics operation (aka fulfilling orders in your kitchen) may start to feel some serious strain. 

How do you know when it’s time to scale up and out?  If you have more orders to process than time in the day, need to make multiple trips to the post office, or can’t fit your inventory in your space, it might be time to expand. You’re likely to consider two main options for your logistics - running your own warehouse and shipping OR outsourcing to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider.  

Here’s everything you need to compare these options so you can make the choice that’s best for your business. 

• Consider the pros and cons:  Running your own warehouse gives you flexibility and control, but comes with managing your own labor. A 3PL saves you time but likely comes at a higher cost. 

• Look at all the costs: Build a quick cost-per-order comparison to see how running a warehouse vs. outsourcing stacks up. Don’t forget to consider the value of your time and what else you could do with it if you were not not managing your own fulfillment. 
• Ask the tough questions: Before you commit to a 3PL, make sure you understand the ins-and-outs of their services and pricing. We’ve got you covered with our 3PL checklist. 
  

• Remember that you have options: This isn’t a zero-sum game. If you’re not ready to give up all control, consider a 3PL for only some SKUs (like your higher volume or more regional ones) and run your own fulfillment for others. You can find a partner that will work with you!

If you want to learn more about 3PL fulfillment, Saltbox is here to help. Our spaces are built for growing businesses and their unique needs, with workspace and logistics solutions specially designed to help you launch, grow, and scale.

About Saltbox

Saltbox offers a cozy and practical spot for small to medium-sized ecommerce businesses looking for a mix of warehouse and co-working space. Think of our spaces as a blend of a functional warehouse and a trendy co-working area, complete with all the essentials like conference rooms, comfy lounges, and content studios—perfect for both storing goods and getting work done. 

We take the hassle out of logistics with accessible loading docks and our helpful staff who can manage your shipments and inventory for you. Plus, our flexible logistics services are designed to adapt to your business needs, whether you need help by the hour or prefer a dedicated team to handle your orders. Through our Parsel app, you gain access to discounted shipping rates, efficient pick-and-pack workflows, and carrier options typically reserved for large brands. Saltbox is here to make your business operations smoother and help you focus on growth.

Book a tour at one of our 12 locations across nine major cities in the U.S., including Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle.