Sell More Online – May/July 2024
Do you want to sell more online and get sales and trade orders for your creative products, commissions or workshops?
Are you frustrated by your social media performance and the lack of visitors to and sales from your website or Etsy shop?
Do you know that your website, branding or photography needs some work and extra love, but you’re not sure where to start?
Do you want to drive more and especially better traffic to your website through keywords, social media, and email marketing, but you’re not sure what to do?
Our 7-week intensive Sell More Online ‘bootcamp’ will show you in 4 Friday morning online workshops EXACTLY what to do to increase traffic and get more online sales. From what improvements to make on your website and brand and how to drive traffic with SEO, creative and personalised email marketing and social media; to how to turn your visitors into actual buyers!
The short BONUS session on how to use artificial intelligence will help you with your marketing and writing PLUS we finish with a Q&A and a special session on how to get more sales on Etsy with a successful Etsy seller.
This is a practical, hands on course: You will write your own product or project pages with the right keywords and a promotional email too. You will get written feedback on both from us in our private hub!
This workshop isn’t just for product-based creative businesses, it’s very useful to help you promote your commissions and craft workshops too.
This is an action-orientated, practical, results-driven course with an accountability group. Full of inspiration and with loads of real-life, affordable ideas – especially created for small creative businesses!
Do you want individual advice & feedback on your website & social media? Then upgrade and get a 121 website review with Anne-Marie Shepherd, our Business Club & Social Media Manager.
If you want to work on your website & online marketing to get ready for the busy Christmas season, then sign up here:
the key facts:
- 7-week online course – Friday 24 May, 7 + 21 June, and 5 + 12 July
- 4 live workshops of 3 hours each + 1 bonus session = 13 hours training in total
- Outcomes: Be proud of your website! Drive more regular creative traffic and get more online sales and orders.
- Especially created for: Creative professionals who are disappointed with their online visitors, sales, orders & commissions
- Tutors: Patricia van den Akker and Anne-Marie Shepherd of The Design Trust
- Time commitment: To get sales results we recommend 4-6 hours per week throughout the course to work on your own website, branding and online marketing.
- Maximum 40 students: to guarantee personal feedback and support
I had to tell you … I’ve just published my 2nd newsletter since embarking on the Sell More Online course and whoo hoo – again more sales within minutes. I am so chuffed – thank you!
surface pattern designer Katie Smith, Tablet + HAAR
Do you want to get more online sales or orders from your website or Etsy shop?
Are you getting frustrated by the lack of visitors or sales to your website?
Do you want to promote and sell your products, your craft workshops or commissions better online?
Of course you do!
In the last 4 years, website and online sales have become even more important for small creative businesses. More people are buying online and are often prepared to spend more online too! With live events and wholesale orders still struggling, it’s crucial that you have a professional website throughout the year to present yourself and your work in the best possible way.
But … is your website as good as it can be? Is your website truly at the heart of your creative business? Are your images and branding attracting the right people? Do you regularly & creatively (!) drive traffic to your website with emails or social media – in a creative and personal way? Do you know how to turn your website visitors into actual buyers & commissioners?
Having a professional online presence is absolutely crucial now to run a successful creative business. Without a website you won’t be taken seriously, plus it is the BEST place to get online sales and orders throughout the year!
Having a website is only the first step.
You also need to reach out regularly and creatively to drive the right traffic to get visitors, and ultimately sales.
Right now in may until early July is the perfect time to work on your website, branding & on driving traffic.
May, June and July are often not-too-busy-months, and are perfect for working towards your rebrand or relaunch just before the summer holidays start. Or why not use these months to get organised early and get ready for the busy autumn and Christmas selling season?
what’s the sell more online course & accountability group?
Our Sell More Online course & accountability group will take you step-by-step through 3 stages:
- To make your website, branding , photography & online offer better! For you and your ideal clients. If you are not proud of your website you won’t want to invite visitors!
- To attract the right + more visitors to your updated website.
- To turn these new visitors into sales, orders & commissions!
Each workshop is full of practical advice, specifically tailored for creative businesses, and we will give you loads of inspiration and ideas too to improve your website and marketing. After each of the 3 core workshops you will create your own action list and DO the work before the next workshop.
It’s a bit like a gentle ‘bootcamp’ … You will be part of a supportive group of like-minded creatives who are all working on their website, branding and marketing. Throughout the 7 weeks you can ask us questions during the live workshops and on our private course hub.
We know from experience how super useful and motivating this extra support and accountability is in getting you to make improvements to your website and marketing!
At the heart of this course are 4 practical, action-orientated workshop sessions plus a final session where you can ask any questions:
- Get ready: you, your products & your website: Friday 24 May 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)
- Get better traffic with SEO, email marketing, social media & traditional marketing: Friday 7 June 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)
- Turn interest into sales and orders – the 4 stages of the buying process: Friday 21 June 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)
- BONUS: How to use artificial intelligence for your marketing & writing: Friday 5 July 9.30am – 10.30am (UK time)
- Final session: Sell More On Etsy + ‘Hot Seats and Q&A’: Friday 12 July 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK time)
Online workshop 1 : Are you and your website ready for more online sales? FRIday 24 MAY 9.30AM – 12.30PM (UK)
This first workshop focuses on what to do to improve your current website or Etsy shop, so that it is as good as possible to start inviting more of the right visitors to it.
- Create your own website & online selling action plan: What do you need to improve? Set your own goals and targets for your website and online marketing and sales. What are the numbers that you want to track? Do you know how many visitors you get, which pages they go to (and leave)? We will share a strategic action plan for you to download to really focus on to create your own plan to improve your website.
- What stops you from selling more online?: Do you know which creative products & services sell well online? How can you make yours more sellable? How can you organise your website so it’s easier for people to find and then to navigate?
- Our marketing mantra at The Design Trust is: “People only buy from people they know, like & trust” … so how can you build your profile, credibility and trust into your website more?
- How can you create a stronger online brand to attract your ideal clients? With better images. We will go in-depth into branding and how to create a better brand online (on a shoestring budget!) You will identify your brand values and what you want to be known for, and find exactly how to improve your branding and images (not just useful for online, but also when you are selling at events!).
- How can you sell higher-end work and commissions online; we give you lots of great creative examples.
- We give you top tips on how to make time for marketing and work on your website in the coming weeks, during the course, and beyond – especially if you are busy with loads of other jobs & responsibilities too!
- Accountability homework: Which 3 – 5 tasks will you work on before the next session? We will show you how to choose the right actions for your business and website, and how to make them specific, juicy and do-able. Share them in our private hub to get feedback and more accountability!
Online workshop 2: The 4 key strategies to drive better and more traffic to your website. friday 7June 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK)
This second workshop takes place two weeks later, focusing on getting more and better visitors to your website or Etsy shop:
- What’s the best way to get more traffic to your website? The answer is SEO (Search Engine Optimatisation) or keywords: Patricia will explain when SEO is especially important, and when it is not. We will give you a handy checklist to identify the best key words for your own work and brand, and how to use these keywords to get found and exactly what to do to increase your ranking on Google and Etsy. We will show you how to write a good product or commissioning page with a key-word rich title and description, and then we’ll invite you to write your own and share it with us in the private hub to get personal feedback. We have some really great examples of great product & creative service pages. Very useful homework!
- Email marketing: Did you know that email marketing is 10x more effective for getting sales than social media? We will explain why along with the most common email marketing mistakes creatives makes, how to get more people to subscribe (very popular!), how to get your emails read, and how to write better emails too. We will share lots of examples that show how creative email marketing can be!
- Social media: Are you frustrated with how low the engagement on social media is these days? We are too! Do you know which social media is best for sales? Do you know what to do and focus on to make your own social media much more effective? We will show you how to create your own social media calendar for the next 3 months with loads of really practical advice and creative examples that you can use too.
- Traditional marketing: What would you do if the internet didn’t exist? We will share some really creative and memorable ways to drive traffic to your website that won’t involve emailing or social media. Really useful for local marketing too.
This session has some very useful and creative homework actions! After this session, we won’t just ask you to identify and share your 5 actions to work on your own website, but we will also invite you to identify your own keywords and write a product or commissioning page, identify 5 specific topics to write about in your blogs or emails, and create your own social media calendar. You’ll be getting the work done in real time!
Online workshop 3: How to turn interest into actual sales. FRIDAY 21 JUNE 9.30AM – 12.30PM (UK)
Two weeks later is our final workshop when we’ll focus on turning those extra new visitors into actual buyers:
- We’ll look at the 6 fundamental online selling techniques to turn interest into sales – from continuing to build your profile & credibility and becoming more memorable, to the 4 stages of the selling process (and what stops people buying from you) and how to get more repeat business from existing clients. How to get people to buy from you NOW?
- Plus Patricia’s 12 expert tips to get more online sales, orders and commissions.
- We will finish this session again with you committing to 5 specific tasks to focus on improving your website and marketing, and getting more online sales.
BONUS 1 HOUR SESSION: HOW TO USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR MARKETING & WRITING . FRIDAY 5 JULY 9.30AM – 10.30AM (uk)
In the last year AI has made a huge difference to marketing and writing. In this bonus session Patricia will show you how you can use ChatGPT to help you write better emails, blog posts, get ideas for Pinterest boards and much more! Especially useful if you are not a great natural writer.
FINAL SESSION: sell more on etsy + ‘hot seats’ and q&a. friday 12 july 9.30am – 12.30pm (UK)
The final session is slightly different, and consists of two parts:
- How to get more sales on Etsy. We have invited paper artist, successful Etsy seller and ex-Etsy Brighton Captain Silvina De Vita to join us and share with us her real life advice on making your Etsy shop successful. She will be sharing advanced techniques on Etsy SEO, looking at stats and what you can learn from them, how to get more repeat business from existing clients, and how Etsy makes it easier to sell to clients in the EU. This will be a one-hour session + Q&A with Silvina who gets a good salary from her Etsy sales!). Not just useful for Etsy sellers, this sessions also helps you learn how to manage a successful online business single-handedly. (Silvina sells a lot to wholesale too.)
- We will finish our course & accountability group with a Q&A and some ‘hot seats‘: Participants can ask questions around how to get more online sales, we can look at websites and Patricia and Anne-Marie will answer as many questions as we can that have not been answered before.
can’t make those days live? No problem!
Although we highly recommend that you try to join us live to make the most of this practical course (and the extra accountability!) we understand that you might not be able to make it due to other responsibilities or living in a different time zone!
This is an online course, so all 5 sessions will be recorded and posted on our private online training platform after each session, and you will have access to this course until 1 November 2024.
To make the most of the perfect timing of this course, the momentum and the accountability group we do recommend that you watch the recordings asap after each session so that you stay in sync with the rest of the group.
If you prefer, you can do this entire course at your own pace, whenever it suits you best throughout the year.
who is the ‘sell more online ‘ course for?
The Design Trust’s Sell More Online course & accountability group is aimed at creative professionals who are serious about wanting to sell more online. It’s a bit like a gentle ‘bootcamp’. You have been selling online for at least one year or more and you have got a website, Etsy shop, and / or are on Not On The High Street, and you want more sales, orders, bookings for your workshops or commissions.
Frankly you are a bit disappointed with the amount of online visitors and sales you get and you know that with a bit of extra work you can do so much better! You want to know what really works to get better online visitors and sales.
You want to work on your website and be really proud of your work and yourself again. (If you aren’t proud of your website you will not want to encourage visitors ….so that’s the first step to work on!) You know your website is not presenting and positioning you in the best possible way to your ideal clients, but you aren’t sure what you need to work on. You want to learn about SEO and keywords and how to write better titles and descriptions. You want to use email marketing and social media more effectively and creatively to attract visitors.
You want to get creative inspiration and motivation to work on your website and marketing step-by-step with clear action plans, and you need a bit of extra support to make it all happen. You want to stop wasting your time on doing a bit of this and that, and get into action with a practical online marketing plan that works.
be warned: this is an actiON-ORIENTATED COURSE … ARE YOU READY & COMMITTED TO IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE?
We created the Sell More Online course especially for creatives who are ready to take action and put in the extra work to improve their website, branding and online marketing. This is a very action-orientated programme with 3 practical workshops, a bonus session on how to use artificial intelligence for marketing & writing, an advanced Etsy session, with a Q&A ‘hot seat’, and an accountability group throughout the 7 weeks. We suggest that you commit to 4 – 6 hours per week of working on your own website and online marketing throughout this programme to really see the results you want.
You are busy already but know that you need to make more time for your website and online sales! This 7-week course will help you to get and stay focused, to set some consolidated time aside to learn, plan and implement your website improvements. Being part of a creative group who are also working on their websites can be very stimulating and inspiring to get the job done!
These online workshops are created especially for creative professionals who sell products such as crafts and handmade objects (jewellery, fashion accessories, glass ceramics), stationery (post cards, note books), art and prints and other home and giftware. We will also talk about how to get more craft commissions, and online sales for craft workshops. This course is also relevant for people who sell the work of other creatives (e.g. event organisers, shops, galleries, popups, agents, curators etc) and businesses who make handmade beauty products or creative food products.
We are sharing advanced website improvement techniques and tools. This course is NOT aimed at creatives who are very new and who do NOT have a website yet.
Please note that we need a min. of 20 participants to run this course and accountability group.
Got any more questions? Then scroll down to the FAQ below.
want to get more individual support?
upgrade to get a private website review & coaching session
Would you like to get more individual & expert advice on your website, photography and how you drive traffic and get online sales?
Now you can!
You can sign up for one of the 8 private one-hour website review & coaching sessions with Anne-Marie Shepherd, The Design Trust’s Business Club & Social Media Manager.
The session will take place online on Zoom.
In advance of your 121 session, Anne-Marie will check out your website and social media. (So you will get more than one-hours worth!) We will ask you to identify the strengths and improvements you want to focus on, and she will give you really practical but also strategic personal advice and action points. These are really supportive and inspiring sessions.
Sounds good? You can upgrade to get your website review with this course below.
Once the course has started, we will get in touch with you and you can book your one-hour session with Anne-Marie at the start of the course. Your website review session must take place between June – mid September.
We only provide these private coaching and website reviews as part of this course, and not separately.
Want to improve your website + branding? get more online sales? drive traffic to your website? BE ready for christmas?
MEET YOUR TUTORS
Patricia van den Akker
Director
Patricia van den Akker is the Director of The Design Trust. She has been a creative business adviser, trainer and coach for more than 25 years.
This Sell More Online course is based on her experience of launching and growing 4 websites as a creative & social entrepreneur in the last 10 years.
Her first website only reached a handful of people … our current The Design Trust website gets over 30K visitors each month! We have close to 90K social media followers, more than 14K email subscribers and our revenue is over £100K.
This action-orientated and result-driven course has evolved over the last 6 years that we have been running it with 100’s of creative clients. Learning and improving each time. Discovering what works and doesn’t work for specific creative businesses.
We know what makes a successful website and what gets you online orders. We will share our own website success secrets. And tell you which mistakes to avoid. So that you can focus on what you do best: creating!
Patricia will be hosting the 3 core workshops + bonus session + Q&A Hot Seat of this Sell More Online course.
Patricia is known for her very practical, inspiring, thought-provoking and action-orientated style of teaching. She has got a very strong creative and ‘can-do’ approach to growing a business, and wants to help other creatives to create businesses that they are proud of too.
Presenting yourself professionally and confidently online is crucial if you want to create a sustainable business. Especially now when it’s a lot harder to get sales, commissions and orders.
We want to give you not just the knowledge to get more online sales, but also the inspiration and creativity to be more unique and professional online, and the confidence and consistency to stay on track.
Anne-Marie Shepherd
Marketing and Social Media Manager
Anne-Marie has worked in the arts industry for over 16 years and understands how important it is for creative businesses to get themselves in front of the right audience – whether that be via editorial, emails, print, online or social media.
Anne-Marie was the Marketing Manager of Made London and Made Brighton, a well-known art and craft events organisation for 12 years, and has experience and knowledge of what it takes to produce and market successful arts selling events.
She works part-time at The Design Trust, as the Business Club & Social Media Manager and works closely with Patricia on marketing, blog and resource creation. Anne-Marie also works as a freelance PR and marketing consultant for other arts organisations.
Anne-Marie Shepherd will support you in our online hub to answer your marketing questions and provide additional feedback and advice there. She will also do the individual website reviews or private coaching sessions for creatives who have upgraded.
Got any further questions?
click the arrow to get your answers
Who is Sell More Online for?
This 7-week Sell More Online course & accountability group is aimed at creatives, designers, and makers who want to get more sales from their website.
If you’ve been struggling to make online sales, get workshop bookings, secure commissions, or you just need help getting the attention of your ideal clients, this course is for you.
Feel like your website doesn’t show your best side? We’ll show you how to improve your branding, images, descriptions, navigation, and marketing channels for better results.
No matter your creative niche, your price point or how long you have been in business for Sell More Online offers you a step-by-step action plan to get more online visitors, sales, and orders.
How does this online course work?
Sell More Online consists of:
- 3 core workshops,
- a one hour bonus session on how to use Artificial Intelligence to help your writing + marketing,
- and a final Sell More On Etsy session with and Etsy expert, and a Hot Seat/Q&A session to get all your questions answered.
The course is spaced out over 7 weeks so that you can do the practical homework of improving your website and online marketing in between those weeks.
In each online workshop, you’ll receive in-depth training on what to focus on to create a successful website and how to get more visitors to your website.
Each workshop is full of practical, creative, and low-cost (but aspiring!) examples to inspire you to improve your website, marketing, and social media. In each session, you’ll be assigned practical and creative homework tasks to work on.
We also invite you to commit to 5 specific actions after each workshop that you will do to improve your website and online sales. We suggest that you make time in your diary to do the work in May till mid July. You’ll need to spend around 30min. planning your tasks after each session, then about 4-8 hours per week on completing the tasks to improve your website performance.
All our workshops take place on Zoom so you can join from anywhere in the world.
During the live session you can ask questions, and you will be working on your own plans and with others too.
Our sessions are very interactive! Each of the 5 sessions will be saved to your private online hub which is very easy to use.
You’ll get access to the course till 1 November 2024, so you can catch up and learn at your own pace! And don’t forget a crucial part of the course experience – our accountability group. Share your 5 key actions with the group after every session. Ask questions, share your successes, and record your progress with like-minded creatives who are working on their website too in our friendly and supportive online private hub. You won’t be doing this alone!
What about the accountability group?
Glad you asked! We are huge fans of accountability at The Design Trust!
No matter how motivated you are, everybody needs a little support to stay on track sometimes.
Luckily, we’re experts in ensuring you have the help you need to make things happen.
After each workshop session, you’ll be invited to share 5 key actions you want to commit to in our private hub. We can then give you personalised written feedback and additional advice and recommendations too.
Sharing your goals and actions helps you to stay focused and take action. If you have a question, want to think through your challenges, or simply want to find a supportive ear, then you can do it in your private accountability community which is monitored daily throughout this 7-week course.
We’ll answer your questions in the private hub till 1 November 2024.
What equipment or knowledge do I need beforehand?
This Sell More Online course is aimed at creatives who have a website or Etsy shop already, with a basic understanding of emails and social media.
For the online live Zoom workshops, you’ll need access to a computer with reliable Wi-Fi or broadband.
You will be able to join us live without having to download the app. The private course hub is very easy to use, and we will show you how to access this during the first session.
Most of the examples and marketing techniques that we share in this course are low-cost and can be implemented by most creatives by themselves.
However, if you want to make more complicated changes to your website design, branding, or structure, then you might need to learn new software technology or work with a developer, photographer, or designer. We are happy to recommend creative experts who you can work with.
How much time will this course take?
The Design Trust courses are very action-orientated.
Taking part in the online workshops is just the start; it’s what you DO with your new knowledge that will make a difference to your online sales!
If you want to get better results and get more visitors and online sales then be prepared to spend between 6 – 8 hours each week during this 7-week course on your website and driving traffic to make the most of this Sell More Online course.
Put in the hours … and you’ll see the results you’re looking for!
What if I am not very tech-savvy?
We use Zoom for our online workshops – an online platform that’s very easy to access.
Our private online course platform is really easy to use, too. You’ll only need basic computer literacy in order to navigate it.
To get the most out of the course, you’ll need to be able to make changes to your website or have somebody make changes for you.
Remember, Sell More Online is an action-oriented course.
Come prepared to do the work. We find that a willingness to learn and finish what you start is more beneficial than knowing the latest technologies!
I can’t make the scheduled dates. Is that a problem?
We recommend that you join the live sessions if at all possible. It’s the best way to connect with your fellow students, to ask questions live during the workshops, to make plans, and to stay on track.
However, if you have other commitments or you live in a different time zone, then remember that all the sessions are recorded.
The sessions will be posted in the private hub, together with your homework within a few hours of the live session finishing. You will have access to the hub till 1 November 2024.
If you can’t make the live sessions, then we highly recommend that you use the private hub or upgrade to get the website review to make the most of the course and to stay on track. That way, you’ll still get the accountability and feedback that you are looking for.
I only want to work on my social media. Can I just buy that class?
Unfortunately not.
Sell More Online is a comprehensive course designed to improve ALL aspects of your online sales process, and to find out and rectify what’s stopping your ideal clients buying from you! We explore everything that could have a negative impact on your online sales.
This multi-pronged strategic and practical approach often works and gets you the results you need.
Social media is an important part of the puzzle but there are other ways to drive traffic. Even if you have great traffic because of social media, that’s no guarantee you’ll get the online sales you want.
Your website might not show your work in the best way or be attractive to your ideal clients.
Or you may need to be more consistent with your marketing efforts or reach out to the right people, in the right way.
That’s why you’ll need to engage with Sell More Online from start to finish.
If you only want to work on your social media skills then check out our Business Club membership, as we have several super practical sessions with social media experts there. (It’s only £38,- per month!)
I have got an Etsy shop. Will this course help me to get more Etsy sales?
Absolutely! This Sell More Online course is very adaptable to any website, software, or online platform. Including Etsy and Not On The High Street.
We’ll show you loads of visual examples from various website types to make the course relevant to you.
PLUS we have invited a successful Etsy seller and expert this year to share with us in the final session exactly what she does to get more online sales and repeat business from her Etsy shop.