My tattoo site sells Baybayin translation so that people can get inked. Summer is the hottest season for tattoos for obvious reasons. Right now, I’m feeling the impact. I estimate translation orders are down about 40% (alsodue to the economy). Traffic is still strong but conversion is lower. Some of my ideas jumpstart the site:
Education – Getting a fresh tattoo in the summer/spring is bad for your skin and tattoo. Sun is the worst enemy for tattoos. I’ll educate my visitors and urge them to get inked in the winter so that the will be fully healed and the ink has settled in the skin by beach time. This is a similar tactic of gyms and diet companies. Work hard during the off-season and relax in the summer.
Create a non seasonal product – The most obvious one. I have a few that I’m developing. It should hit with a bang. More on my strategy later.
This caught my eye today at the store. As you can see they are $3.99 and Mint Chocolate. It reminded me about a lot of online business models of having a low-cost or free version of their product and have a “premium” version.
I experimented with this Free and Premium business model on PinoyTattoos.com where I offered free Baybayin translations for names and charged for non-names. I think it was pretty successful as I was able to do away with the free product. With the only free product being the blog, I think I need another free product to give back to the community.
Over the weekend (8/9 – 8/10), I took my online businesses (Baybayin translation/art & clothing) into the real world at the Pistahan Filipino Festival. I had no delusions that I would make a killing. I knew going into the event that my stuff was pretty niche. With that self admission, I was able to make realistic goals. Those were:
- Education of the Baybayin script
- Awareness of my brands and services
- Have meaningful conversations
- Network with similar vendors for my upcoming fashion project
It’s been a while since I sold anything in public. I think the last time was when I was in high school selling baseball cards at hotels. While I like getting out and meeting people, online is much easier.