The Personal Websites Have Arrived!

I know, it's been entirely too long since I've been in touch with my girls. I apologize PROFUSELY! I have definitely been out of the Premier Loop and have been preoccupied with a bazillion other things. But then... yesterday... Premier released the NEWEST jewelry lady tool: our OWN PERSONAL WEBPAGES!! WOO HOO! I am so excited. I got mine set up this morning and voila! I'm basically a pro and TOTALLY re-energized to get going in my Premier business!

To visit my webpage, click here.

I wanted to encourage you girls to take advantage of this tool right away by giving you some tips and ideas, and also sharing what I'm doing to launch my new website project!

Setting Up Your Webpage
Setting up the webpage is quick and easy! Premier has a tutorial online. If you skip this part, you'll probably be able to figure out the setup with no problem. The setup page walks you through, step by step. I recommend making this page personal by adding notes from you instead of keeping the messages Premier has set up for you. I visited some other Jewelry Lady sites to get ideas of how they were using their sites and the verbiage they used. This is also a great place to highlight specials that Premier is offering, or ideas and special events of your own! I would love to hear some ideas from you of other ways you can use the "noteworthy" box. Maybe quotes, fashion tips, seasonal guides, links, etc?

Overcoming the Cost
The monthly fee for having your own website is almost $10. If you pay for an annual subscription, then it's $100, which saves you two month's subscription cost! This may seem steep, in addition to the $350 we already pay annually, but you think about this! That $350 is already paying for the Premier Website itself, plus all of the awesome support we get from the home office. It also pays to have our Sales Tax filed FOR us at the end of tax year. It pays for free shipping on all of our sample jewelry, catalogs (which are EXPENSIVE to ship!) and other supplies. This cost also keeps people from just "buying in" to Premier so that they can take advantage of the discount and share it with their friends.

Also, think of it this way: if you sell just ONE pair of $20 earrings per month from the convenience of an online catalog, it's already paid for itself! Today, I sent a text to ALL of my past contacts with the exciting news and I ALREADY had a lady say she'd lost one of her favorite earrings and wants to order a pair to replace them! There's this month's fee!

Paying the annual fee is smart, but if you're not sure, you may want to consider paying for September through November monthly to decide how worth it the cost is. The special introductory rate ends in December, so make sure to subscribe for your annual membership before then!

Launching into Action
Consider using the website for a special promo! You may want to consider different booking bonuses, challenges, contests, or specials. For my first attempt at making the most of this site, I'm hosting a FALL INTO FABULOUS event. This is similar to the Spring Fling I posted about a couple springs ago. I used the new tools on the website to send out an invitation, and then plan on sending more information to those who RSVP yes. [When I have my documents complete, I'll attach them here].

To view the invitation, click here.

Spreading the Word
Now that you have a site, make sure you spread the word like crazy! Social media is great for this. Here are some ways that I have/plan on spreading the word:

* Social Media: Post it to your page, send personal messages to friends with a note, and add it to the "website" box in your profile. You may also consider adding a hyperlink when you have awesome jewelry on in Facebook pictures, or when you receive compliments online. I also Tweeted the link and posted a picture of my FALL INTO FABULOUS invite to Instagram.

* Text: I sent out a text to every girl in my phone book who has hosted, attended, or shown interest in a Premier Show. Or any girl that I THOUGHT might! Texts are great for sending info and links because they are in print for the girls to access later, but texts are best followed up with a phone call.

* Phone calls: Now is a great time for courtesy calls! Remember the intention of Courtesy Calls is to check up on girls. You are NOT necessarily trying to sell anything or book shows. Just let them know you're thinking about them, ask how their jewelry is doing, and then let them know you have a new website they can use if they'd like to check out the new catalog.

* Special Mailings: I ALWAYS send a Christmas card to my past hostesses, and sometimes to favorite customers. My first two years, I used Vista Print to order cheap post cards. This past year, I sent electronic cards. I prefer the hard copies, but of course, email is significantly cheaper. On the cards, I say Merry Christmas and offer some special coupon as a thank you. The problem with the coupon is most girls don't have a catalog on hand. This year, I can include my website and online catalog and hope for more sales! :) Here are my 2010 and 2011 Christmas Cards.

* Business Cards: The business cards I have have the old hostess plan on them, so I need new cards anyway. When you order your business cards, make sure they have your website on them! You can order business cards for FREE from Vista Print or just $13 on Premier Incentives.

* Show Supply Labels: On all of your catalogs, show folders, order forms, etc, you should have labels with your name on them. Consider adding your website to these too! Labels are a cheap and EASY way of putting your information out there!

* Email Signature: Most emails allow personal signatures to be added to every email automatically. Mine says, "Your Favorite Jewelry Lady" and then has my information. This is a great place to add your website. Even people you are emailing who know nothing about Premier will now have a little more information about what you do. Maybe you'll peak someone's interest!

Remember to Keep It Personal
With today's technology, it is very easy and tempting to become an online business. REMEMBER that is NOT what Premier is about. We are about KEEPING IT PERSONAL. That means our goal is to be building relationships with ladies and taking the opportunity to minister to and encourage women. This why there is no online ordering. Premier wants to make sure that we are still in contact with our hostesses and customers. So while all of these tools are fabulous, please remember, to KEEP IT PERSONAL.

Love you girls!
Denise