Month: April 2023

Categories
Creator success News

Earning made easier: Spring’s Q1 investments enable greater creator success

This year, Spring is investing heavily in the success of our creators. We want you to maximize your income by doing what you love best.  

To help you along your journey, we’ve made significant changes in Q1 that make creating, launching, promoting, and selling merch easier than ever. What’s more, these improvements are just the tip of the iceberg. With your success in mind, you can expect us to roll out many more incredible changes throughout the year. 

Here’s what’s new:

Platform Integrations Updates 

We started the year by expanding the power of our integrations so that you can promote your merch in the places that matter to you and your broader fanbase. Additionally, many of your favorite social platforms are making changes that help creators realize their potential. 

Here are some exciting social shopping updates:

  • YouTube’s new Vertical Immersive Shopping features give fans a more interactive shopping experience during live streams.  
  • Youtube Official Artist Channels can now sell merch on Youtube with Spring.
  • Instagram now allows users to add up to five links in their IG bio, letting Spring creators easily direct traffic to their store as well as promote other important calls to action. 
  • Our partnership with Kajabi, a platform where you can create and sell online courses, allows you to display your Spring merch under each course. 

Expanded Catalog

We rolled out a bunch of new, highly-requested products. Check them out and launch your own when you sign in!

Tote bags

Bomber Jackets 

Full Zip Windbreaker

Pullover Windbreaker

Crew Socks

Slides – they’re back and even better!

New Samsung case sizes

Improved Creator Services & Capabilities

We’ve made big investments in the things that matter to you. We’re excited to announce lower base prices, faster shipping times, higher-quality printing, and more! Additionally, we’ve been improving our platform and services to maximize creator success. Check it out. 

  • Lower base prices on products. You can keep the profit or pass the savings on to your fans!
  • Faster shipping times. We’re committed to a quality fan experience with an updated processing promise. We will be quicker. Read more about how we’re making this happen here.
  • Higher-quality printing on your merch with new state-of-the-art printing technology.
  • An improved dashboard experience & seamless social integrations so it’s easier to set up and earn. 
  • Premium Design Services so creators can access professional designs at great prices: store hero banners, promo image designs, merch graphics, or you can bundle all three!
  • A new & improved store chatbot! This is part of our effort to offer support tools for your fans as they are shopping in your store. 

Team Growth 

To provide faster response times, improved resolutions, and a better fan experience, we’ve doubled our Creator Success and Support teams. In addition, we also added some incredible members to our Marketing and Merchandising teams, which will result in new creator tools, design and merchandising inspiration, and opportunities for our Spring creators! 

Company News 

We started CreateSpace, a series of networking events for creators to get to know each other and share tips on how to grow.

You have made your voices heard. We are responding with a resounding We Got You!😁 We cannot wait for you and your fans to experience these improvements and the ones we will continue to make throughout the year!👍

Questions, comments, thoughts? Reach out to us anytime at creatorhelp@spri.ng! We’d love to hear from you.

Categories
Uncategorized

How to Use Spring’s Social Integrations to Boost Sales

On the surface, integrating social channels with your Spring store may seem like a no-brainer, but let’s dive further into why utilizing our social integrations is so valuable.  

Social media connects you to your fans. Social integration connects your fans to your products by giving them a direct link to your Spring store while they are engaging with you on your socials. It’s an effective way to build awareness of your brand, increase loyalty, and generate sales. 

Let’s look at why social integration is so important, how it works, some of the benefits, and even some tips. Ready? Here we go!

First off, what are social media integrations? 

Feel free to skip this section if you already know, but social integration is the process of connecting social media accounts with a website. Have you ever been on a website and seen little logos like Instagram or TikTok? That’s one way. Another way is to have links out to your site directly from your social accounts. Think of it as a two way highway.

What social integrations does Spring offer?

Spring makes it easy to connect your store to your socials and offers integrations for the following platforms:

If you want to connect your Spring store to any of the platforms above, simply click on them and we’ll walk you though how! Our social integrations only takes a few minutes to connect and can help you earn EIGHT to TWENTY times MORE than creators who aren’t using our integrations!

Why are our social media integrations important?

There is only so much you can do by mass mailing and begging on social media for people to spread the word about your products. And it gets expensive paying for ads. The main thing customers want (once they’re interested in a product) is convenience––that goes for shopping on their platform of choice, easy access to info on the product, and finally, what every creator wants––the purchase! Put simply, social media integration drives a LOT more traffic to your Spring Store.

Let’s examine a few reason why:

  1. Social Media Integration opens the door to building relationships with future customers. About 80% of consumers, after having a positive interaction on social media, are more open to buying from a brand. Customers are more likely to buy from you when they have an easy way to learn more about your services and products.
  2. Social Media Integration helps you track your engagement and brand’s reach. You want to know which posts drive the most engagement. How many likes and clicks did you get? How much traffic are you driving to your store and from which posts? Having this data helps you determine how to spend your time and resources in the most efficient way possible and most importantly, which content resonates with your audience the best. 
  3. Social Media Integration gives your Spring store greater reach. People who would never even know about your products now have an easy way to see what you have to offer––all because you included links to your Spring store on your social media accounts. 

At the end of the day, human nature doesn’t change. People are more likely to buy what they see. Your products will be more visible with social media integration. It allows you to connect your fans to your products without them having to search for them outside of your social channels. 

Social media integration tips

Before you do anything, make sure at least some of your social media accounts align with your mission, your voice, your brand, etc.––who you are, what you sell and why. This process will assist you in determining which content is most appropriate and which platforms are most relevant to your audience. 

  1. Call out your products. Make sure you are highlighting your products and letting fans know they exist! Just including a link with no context won’t help you. Draw attention to your designs and direct fans to where they can click to purchase.  
  2. Links. Make sure the links between your Spring store and social media pages are accurate and easy to use. Customers will give up on your social media presence if they have technical issues while clicking, or have trouble finding links. 
  3. Relevance. We get you need to be promotional and focus on your own products but the trap many fall into is not to point out how that actually benefits your audience; what they can gain from your products. Remember––it’s about them. How are your products relevant to them? Design your campaign in a way that will grab their attention. 
  4. Post regularly. Audiences are fickle. If they don’t see new content, they’ll move on. There isn’t one rule on how often, but stay consistent. Loyal customers will know when the next post is coming because you follow a reliable schedule. 

Social Media Integration is the best way to grow your business as a creator. If you need a refresher on how to do this, click here. Happy prospering! 

As always, reach out with any questions at creatorhelp@spr.ing.

Categories
Creator success

How to Design & Promote Mother’s Day Merch

It’s almost time to celebrate mom, which means your fans are looking for ways to celebrate mom, too! Mother’s Day this year is on Sunday, May 14th, and it’s a golden opportunity for creators to capitalize on excess consumer spending. Did you know that according to the National Retail Federation, expected Mother’s Day spending totaled $31.7 billion in 2022, up $3.6 billion from 2021’s record spending! Approximately 84% of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate Mother’s Day, so what are you waiting for? Now is the time to design! 

Create now!

For ideas, think of what moms would shop for themselves and check out our Mother’s Day collection. Some women’s merch favorites include: 

  • Women’s Tees
  • Women’s Flowy Tanks
  • Yoga Pants
  • Mugs
  • Wine Glasses
  • Tote Bags

Add a catchy slogan to capture the sentiment. Sure, “Best Mom Ever” is a good one, but don’t be afraid to get creative. Moms do A LOT! How can we honor all that they do for us? And don’t forget, there are all types of moms, from new moms, grandmothers, step moms, soon-to-be-moms, and even dog moms.

As for color palettes, pink is always a favorite. But you can also capitalize on this Spring’s other trendy colors, like lavender, teal, tangerine, and bright green.

Now that you have some design ideas, here are 5 key ways to boost sales with your Mother’s Day Merch:

  1. Don’t wait! Start creating and designing now. It takes a minute to mock up, get products ready, and finally launch. Shipping cut off dates are 04/24/23 for US orders, so you need to promote your merch and give fans enough time to order. Also, here’s a pro tip: create Mother’s Day promo codes and use them when promoting your merch on social to help you boost sales!
  2. Order a sample. Another reason you want to create now is so you can order a sample in time to promote special Mother’s Day merch on your socials. Bonus if you can get a mom to wear your merch! 
  3. Create promo codes. You definitely want to create Mother’s Day promo codes to drive sales and create a sense of urgency to buy now so fans can get their order before Mother’s Day.. 
  4. Get personal. Why is Mother’s Day important to you? How can we celebrate all Moms? Share your experience. Fans relate to real emotions.
  5. Repost UGC (user generated content). Encourage your fans to wear your merch and post on their socials. This is an organic way to spread your brand, and it gets more people interested in you and your merch.

Creators can deepen their connection with their fans by promoting merch that honors the role moms have played in their own lives. Happy prospering and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

Categories
Creator success

How to Easily Sell Spring Merch With Instagram Shopping

Are you aware 2 billion people are on Instagram every day? Of those users, 130 million use Instagram Shopping and 90% follow a business account. Clearly, Instagram Shopping is a great tool for creators to open an online storefront, tag products in posts, and simplify the process for the customer. 

But what exactly is Instagram Shopping? It’s a feature that allows you to create a digital, shareable catalog of all of your physical products right on Instagram. Conversely, Instagram Shopping allows consumers to learn about and purchase products in a few easy steps. It’s not the way of the future. It’s now. Instagram Shopping is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to selling products on IG. 

Don’t worry, Spring makes this easy. In this blog we’ll show you how to set up Instagram Shopping using Spring’s Integration Tool as well as some tips on how to sell more products via that method, so that you can hit and exceed those sales goals! Let’s get started. 

Set up Instagram Shopping with Spring

When you’re ready, and eligible, you can set up Instagram Shopping through Spring. Here’s what you can do on Spring:

  • Manage, track, and create your orders and ad campaigns with Instagram, as well as incorporate the look and vibe of your Spring store. 
  • Use our tools that help you promote, sell, and list products on Instagram. 
  • Set up a product catalog. Many people don’t like the hassle of doing this, but if you connect through Spring, we’ll automatically import your items. If you want to connect from the Instagram side (if your account is eligible), here are some basic tips on linking Instagram Shopping with Spring:
    • Go to Commerce Manager.
    • Open the Catalog tab and go to Data Sources.
    • Select Add Items, then Use a Partner Platform, then hit next.
    • Select your platform of choice: Spring.
    • Hot tip: Remember to keep catalog maintenance top of mind. Once your catalog is set up, it’s important to maintain it. Always keep product photos updated and hide unavailable items.
  • Submit and wait for your account review. (It might take a couple days). 
    • Go to your Instagram profile settings.
    • Tap Sign Up for Instagram Shopping.
    • Follow the steps to submit your account for review.
    • Check the status of your application by visiting Shopping in your Settings.
  • Turn on Instagram Shopping. Once approved, connect your product catalog with your Instagram Shop.
    • Go to your Instagram profile settings.
    • Tap Business, then Shopping.
    • Select the product catalog you’d like to connect with.
    • Tap Done.

Instagram Shopping is great but it’s only the beginning. How can you utilize this great tool to increase your sales even more? We got you. 

Tips to sell more products using Instagram Shopping

Here are some tips that will help you get the best results from Instagram Shopping:

  • Shoppable Posts. Shoppable Posts allow you to add product tags to your content so customers can purchase. Similar to tagging other users in your posts, Product tags on Instagram tag the products. Your shoppers can then quickly shop your products and click on your tags. 
  • Instagram Stories/Product Stickers. Inside your Instagram Stories are Product Stickers. You can tag specific products in Stories, just like tags in posts. Don’t know how to create Instagram Shopping Stories? Here’s how:
    • Use the Stickers function to tag a product in your Instagram Story.
    • Upload or create your content for your story as usual, then hit the sticker icon in the top-right corner. Find the Product sticker, and from there, choose the applicable product from your catalog. (Really cool tip: customize your product sticker to match the colors of your Story)
  • Tag Products in Reels. Here’s how: 
    • Create your reel. Then tap Next. 
    • Select a cover image and add a caption. 
    • Tap “Cover” and slide the image at the bottom of the screen.
    • Tap “Tag Products” and select the product(s) or collection you’d like to feature. Then Tap “Done”. Lastly, tap “Share” to publish your reel.
  • The Shop Tab. On your profile, the Shop tab is where your visitors can see all the products you’ve tagged in your posts on Instagram. This includes any content that features the products. 
  • Collections. You can create and customize collections in your shop to help tell your brand’s story.
  • Instagram Checkout. If this is enabled, your customers can purchase directly from Live Shopping, Shopping for Creators, and product launches. Shop Pay will automatically pop up for the customer, making it simple for them to check out. 
  • Use the best hashtags. Add as many as you can! Hashtags build brand awareness and get your content to the right people so that you and your products become more discoverable on Instagram. 
  • Shopping Ads. You can either build an ad from scratch in Ads Manager or boost a Shoppable post you’ve already created. You can do this using the Instagram Product tags. Simple! If your ads have product tags, you can drive to either your Spring store or Instagram checkout (if you have access). 
  • Create Instagram Shopping Guides. Instagram Guides are basically mini blogs that live on the platform. For users with an Instagram Shop, this can be a fantastic way to promote products with an editorial perspective. Think trend reports and gift guides. Here’s how:
    • From your profile, click the plus symbol in the upper right corner, then select Guide. Next, tap Products.
    • Search by account for the product listing you’d like to include. If you’ve saved the product to your wishlist, you can find it there also. Then Select the product you’d like to add and tap Next. You can choose to include multiple posts for a single entry if available. They will be displayed like a carousel.
    • Add your guide title and description. If you would like to use a different cover photo, tap Change Cover Photo. Then double check the pre-populated place name, and edit as needed. If you wish, add a description.
    • Tap Add Products and repeat steps 4–8 until your guide is complete. Then tap Next in the upper right corner. Finally, tap Share.
  • Visuals. To increase sales you’ll need high-quality photos and videos. It never hurts to get really good at editing videos or photoshopping photos. Or show your product in action with how-to or proof-of-concept video.
  • Share sales and promo codes. It’s always a good idea to offer a time-sensitive incentive to get fans to act quickly. With Spring, creating and managing promo codes is easy.
  • User Generated Content (UGM). This is when other users share your merch. Jump on this! They are giving you free advertising and credibility. 
  • Always end with a CTA (call to action). “Buy Now.” “Share with a friend.” “Tap the [shopping bag icon] to get yours!” 

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to sell your products on Instagram. Happy prospering! And as always, hit us up anytime with questions at creatorhelp@spri.ng.