Standing out from the
crowd is your key to
success, but it can
be difficult on the
crowded internet. The
following entrepreneurs
use a variety of ways to
rise above the noise.
1.
Packaging: ScrapYourTrip.com,
an Orlando, Florida,
scrapbooking supplier,
uses customized Priority
Mail boxes from the U.S.
Postal Service that are
specially branded with
the company logo.
Founder Julie Swatek,
40, says the
boxes--which she helped
create and are free of
charge--have really
helped her company make
a name for itself.
"The box is
completely flat and is
16 by 16 inches," says
Swatek, describing how
it's a perfect fit for
the scrapbooking paper
she uses. "Before, I had
to manually cut the
flaps of a shirt box and
tape it." This newfound
efficiency has helped
push the company's
projected 2007 sales to
$2 million.
The USPS won't do
custom packaging for all
businesses; shippers
usually must purchase
$250,000 or more per
year in expedited
services and have the
capacity to accept and
store large shipments of
packing supplies. But as
Swatek says, "If you
meet those requirements,
it's a great
opportunity."
2.
Education:
Education is important
to WhiteFlash.com,
a Houston e-tailer that
sells diamonds. The
company offers a
comprehensive diamond
library with commentary
from gemologists,
appraisers, former
diamond graders and
professional educators.
Visitors can educate
themselves about
diamonds in the site's
"About Diamonds"
section. Unique videos
help visitors understand
and clearly see the
diamonds.
"Our most informed
customer is our best
customer," says Debi
Wexler, 49-year-old CEO
and co-founder with
executive vice president Brian
Gavin, 50. "Our clients
gain the confidence to
buy when they can
leisurely view diamonds
and our video tutorials.
With confidence comes
trust and repeat
business." Wexler says
the company spends about
5 percent of its $10
million in sales on
educational materials
for customers.
3.
Social networking: NaturallyCurly.com in
Austin, Texas, targets women with
curly hair. The "CurlTalk"
section of its website
is a social network
where more than 25,000
curlyheads discuss
everything from hair and
fitness to guys and
astrology. Visitors can
also review products in
the site's "CurlMart"
and "CurlProducts"
sections. "Reviews from
our community have
helped make or break
products and stylists,"
says Michelle Breyer,
44, who co-founded the
company with Gretchen
Heber, 43.
The cost is right as
well. "It would be very
difficult to put a
number to the cost of
running CurlTalk," says
Heber, whose company
expects sales of $1.4
million this year. "It's
certainly minimal, as
bandwidth is pretty
cheap and our moderators
are all volunteers.
There were, of course,
programming and
development costs, but
they weren't
extravagant."
|
Bronwyn
Ritchie's
