Top 5 Ways to Improve TpT Sales in Your Teachers Pay Teachers Store
You know that your store is always changing… just like you, your goals and your business. None of this is ever set-it and forget it, not if you have goals to truly thrive. Whether those changes are seasonal, that amazing thing you just learned, or updates in education recommendations and requirements, you’re always working on your store. And we all know there will be ups and downs in sales. BUT there are things that you can do to set your store up for success, and help it continue to be successful.
You already know that your TpT store isn’t a set-it and forget it thing. Not if you have goals! You’re changing and trying new things all the time. Some of them seem to help sales and some of them seem to make no difference. Or maybe it’s just the time of the year?
There are things that you can do to set your store up for more predictable success, and help it continue to thrive and grow.
Whether you’re looking to hit a big goal by the end of the year, or just increase your seasonal sales, here are 5 things that you can do to set your store up for more repeat customers and easier sales.
None of these are THE magic bullet alone, but they are still worth doing as you strive to create that repeatable sales cycle. Each step can be set up and then evaluated and adjusted as you work toward your community of repeat customers and word of mouth referrals.
Ready? Let’s get started!
1. Keep your featured resources up to date.
If you aren’t using featured resources, you definitely should start doing this.
Your featured resources follow your potential buyers around your whole store. They hang out there at the top of your page no matter what category your customers visit. Your featured resources should be your most popular items, and can definitely be seasonal. Think of this as your “highly suggested” section- the resources that people are looking for, even if they don’t know they are looking for them.
About once a quarter, or even once a season, you should review and update your featured resources. This is especially true if you feature holiday themed resources! So, if you had any Hallowwen themed resources, they shouldn’t be up there come November 1st. Trade those out for Thanksgiving or Christmas options.
You can also use your featured resources to promote or test a new product or bundle that you want to put in front of the most buyers. You can feature up to 4 different products, so there’s always room to make a switch, even if it is only for a few weeks.
Keeping your featured resources up to date makes sure that you expose your best work to the largest number of your buyers. To make sure they are your most popular products, you should review your analytics to see if any different or newer resources are ready to move up to your featured resources.
This is valuable real estate in your store, so make sure that you are using it well to promote new resources and show off the best that you have to offer!
2. Set Up and Use Custom Categories.
Most buyers will move on if they can’t find what they are looking for on the 1st page! This is where custom categories come in. If you don’t already have these in your store, I’m sure you’ve seen them on the left hand side of someone else’s store.
Custom categories help your potential buyers find your products more easily. These are like the big department signs in Target. Women’s clothing here. Office Supplies over there. We all like to be able to have some guideposts to know where to find the resource we are looking for!
When you can make it easier for your potential buyer to find that perfect resource, the more sales you will make. Custom categories help guide your buyers to the right resource without having to scroll through things that don’t fit their needs.
Plus categories can help your potential buyer stumble across a resource they weren’t even looking for. Some of your resources should be included in multiple custom categories. Your bundles can be included in a “Bundles” category AND in the algebra, phonics or whatever other category they fit. Then your potential buyer is looking for one thing and realizes that a bundle also solves three other problems that they weren’t specifically looking to solve today. Win-win!
Yes, these can take a little bit of time to set up, but it is SO worth it.
3. Make sure your primary freebie is current and amazing.
This is so often overlooked because it feels maybe a little less effective, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Your freebie may very well be the MOST important part of your store!
While a download of your freebie is not making you money the day it is downloaded, an amazing freebie will bring potential customers back as paying customers.
A current and amazing freebie is there to gain the trust of your potential buyers. The trust that could result in a new loyal customer. This is why your freebie should showcase your best work! A great freebie helps establish the value of your paid resources. This is your sample piece, and it should make people come back wanting more.
So, if your freebie is still the first one you created, make the time to update that to show what you can do now. Make it the best example of what your potential buyers will find in your store. Also, be sure to revisit it at least once a year. Your freebie should change and grow just like your store.
4. Use your store banner to say WHO you serve & WHY they buy from you.
When a potential buyer finds your store, you want to make it easy for them to figure out if they are in a place they want to be. In only a few seconds they will assess if it seems like they’ll find the resource they want or not. Make it easy for them by showing in a concise and attractive way how you are here to serve teachers within your niche and what you offer them.
Your banner is a great place to do this, and you can also make sure that your logo and custom categories (remember those) provide information about your niche.
This is fairly simple, but it helps customers feel comfortable and confident in their search, and that starts them on that path of trust.
5. Find a happy balance between your title size and your resource image.
Every resource cover should have BOTH a title that can easily be read, even on mobile, AND an image or mock-up so your customers know what the resource looks like.
While cute covers can be fun to make, that extra click it requires for a potential buyer to figure out what the resource is can make the difference between a sale or a scroll past.
On the other hand, a super clear title alone just doesn’t inspire the way an image or mock-up does. You do want to make sure that there is a glimpse into the actual resource right there on the image your buyer can see.
This can take some trial and error, and don’t be afraid to browse other stores to see what works and what doesn’t work.
Remember… Make It Easy
These all share a theme of making it easier for a potential buyer to find, recognize or browse your store. They also all fit in with having an attractive and well-branded store… just remember to keep your potential buyer in mind as you choose and update your elements.
If you’d like to see some of these tips in action in a TpT store, check out the store audit I did for Learning Over Lattes. She did a great job of including custom categories and having a great freebie available. One area she was able to improve was finding that happy balance between a title and a resource image. These are the things that really do make a difference for sales in your store.
As you are creating a thriving business to support your dreams, you’ll want to schedule in time to review and update these things as they fit your goals and process!
