Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

My Husband and I just started our own Coffee Roasting business.  We are brand new, and have never owned our own business before.  We just launched our website about a month ago, however we have not had much success yet.  We would LOVE any advice that you could share with us.  Also have to mention that we made the site ourselves, since we are so new our budget is as well.  Thanks so much!  

 

-------------------------

www.searchmarketingsystems.net

Do you use analytics to track keywords, location, etc you know target your market place otherwise you are going to be guessing.  How long have you had the site, you don`t have great listings. On your site I can`t tell if you have a shop or are you just online and do you sell to wholesalers/retailers?.

I am not going to get into your prices are too high, I don`t think its the case but of course it can effect peoples overall buying habits though. You may want to change the description on your coffee to explain why your coffee is different from competitors. The packaging shows a sign you are a beginner business ( the label, which is normal for start ups to use), May want to get better packaging (be careful not to go too fancy, it will not only cost you but add to the cost of the item).

My name is Mike and I work as a web designer/graphic designer/marketing for a small family business in Fort Lauderdale, Florida you can see our site at http://www.loriabeauty.com  We serve and sell coffee to our clients. I am going to keep your coffee in mind. .

MiteyMite`s right, that "advice" means an awful lot of things. For example, my advice would be to continue building your business. :-)

I see that your images tend not to have "alt=" (alternate text) descriptions, which would help get you into Googe Images. There could be some search-engine optimization and stuff like that.

Your top banner area is huge! It ends up pushing your content down the page, below the so-called "fold," or "scroll line." It means the typical viewer stopping by your page will have to scroll right away, rather than see "at a glance" the key points you`re trying to make.

The main thing I wonder, not being a coffee drinker myself, is how you want to stand out from the many other coffee roasting companies on the Web? Do you intend for this business to grow to an enterprise level, or will you choose to keep it more a boutique business?

In other words; what`s your overall plan for the business in terms of size?

Hi,

Definitely work on Search Engine Optimization. The term "coffee beans" comes up with 3.3 million results on Google, so you need to think outside the box and use SEO on terms that aren`t flooded with competition.

I also think if you had more products to offer the consumer, you would be able to attract more sales than if you offered only 1 product.



-------------------------

The Money Run - My Business Blog
Bernard Outdoors - Gear for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Harrar, Yirgacheffe, Kona, Kenyan, Costa Rican shade grown...plain old colombian is too boring for me. Ha ha

You need a niche!

Also, what`s your unique selling point? What do you guarantee about your coffee?

I think a picture of the coffee experience would be better than a picture of the beans. "Sell the sizzle"

I love coffee, I hope you do well.



-------------------------

Merchant Professionals
Payment services with absolute integrity, and respect for merchants.
Merchant Accounts, Ecommerce Payment Processing, electronic check processing, cash advance for business

I love your concept and feel that you only need to do a bit of `sprucing up` on your site. If I were on the site, preparing to buy, I would want to understand who you are, what your mission is, how your beans are roasted (perhaps photos of your roasting facility), larger photos of the packaging, and a bit more convenient ordering process. Also, you have very well-written content, however, it is not presented in a way that is inviting to read. I think more photos and a landing page may help. Also, I really want to congratulate you two on a great start!! Have you started a facebook account?? Get to it!