Hi, I’m Kate Wilber “The Marketing Momma” and I am visiting here at the work at home success blog this week as part of my month long Blog Tour and I am really excited to be here.  My goal for this week is to give you some great tips on building a business while working from home.

I am a mom of 4 children under the age of 8 and a serial entrepreneur. (It is somewhat of a circus at my house on a daily basis if you can imagine—but I wouldn’t have it any other way) I love to be able to help other mom’s follow their dreams of staying home with their kids and still building a thriving business.  Who ever said that you can’t change diapers and build an online empire at the same time?  It is possible and I am living proof.

So all that being said the theme for this week is

“5 Tips To Starting An Online Store.”

Why you might ask did I choose this topic?  Well that’s easy—I own an online store myself called Barefoot Bella.  I have been in business for 3 years now and I have learned a lot over those 3 years that I want to now share with you.  I have met so many other moms that had the same aspirations as me when I first started out—and the same challenges I faced.  It is so frustrating to hear the same story over and over from people that start an online store, get their store all set up, launch it out into the internet, and then wait, and wait, and wait, for those customers to show up.  There is so much misconception out there when people are first starting out online and sometimes it is hard to find the right direction to get their online store to success.

So this week I wanted to touch on some of the basics that I have learned over the past few years to building a successful online store.  Hopefully some of these tips will be helpful to you if you are just starting out online.  If you want more in depth teaching –go check out my report “Top 10 Things to know about Starting An Online Store” and that will give you some information on a course I am offering that gives you step by step guidance on starting an online store and building it into an online empire. (all while changing diapers if you need to)

There is a lot to learn when starting an online store and so much information and advice out there on what you should and shouldn’t do that sometimes it is hard not to get swallowed up by information overload.  That’s why I love the WorkAtHomeSuccess blog so much.  Leslie has combined everything you could ever need to get headed in the right direction with your work at home goals.

I can really appreciate this because I have spent hours upon hours researching and learning and would have loved to have someone say to me …..WAIT…… I can show you the direct path to success online—saving you money and time….  I would have jumped at that chance.(But then again I have always loved to do things the hard way)

So that’s why it is my great privilege to share a little about what I have learned over the past few years with you this week.  Thanks Leslie for the opportunity to share in your space!!

Today is Tip #1 (Check back all week for all 5 tips!!)

Tip #1 Build a Relationship

How many times have you visited an online store and you couldn’t find out any information about who owned the store or even have a way to contact the business if there was a problem or concern.  How did that make you feel about that store—did you buy from them?  Probably not—at least I hope not !!  It’s a scary thing to put your credit card information in on a website and never know who you are giving your money to—or even if they are a legitimate business.

That’s why it is so important to let your customers get to know you and what your business stands for.

Credibility is important in any business but it is a key element in an online business’s success. Customers want to know that the company they are doing business with is legit and has their best interests in mind. Credibility online is extremely important because you aren’t meeting your customer face to face so your credibility is all they have to go by.

One way to let your customer get to know you is by having an “About Us” page. This allows your customers to come to the page and see exactly what your company is all about.  One great tip is to have photos that show you and anyone who works with you. Photos establish trust and put a face to a name.  Take a look at my About Us page at my online store –I have a picture of me and my kids –this is a great way for my customers to get to know a little bit about me and feel more comfortable doing business with me because they can relate to me in a personal way.

Another great way of establishing credibility with customers is to write a blog. Blogs are extremely popular and are great ways to not only show your customers what you offer, but to get new customers as well. You can highlight sales, new products and special offers to users throughout your blog, I update my customers with current sales and new products by using my blog at Barefoot Bella.

Another great way to build a relationship with your customer is to follow up with them after they have purchased something from you.   You can make customers feel appreciated by simply sending them an e-mail asking how they have liked a product and whether or not there were any problems. You can also show your appreciation to them as a customer by periodically sending them discount coupons through email this is a great way to get repeat customers.  I use This service to follow up with my customers.

It’s all about building a relationship of trust with your customers.  If they feel like they know you and can trust you they are 10 times more likely to buy from you and even become a loyal customer.

If you know anyone who is thinking of starting an online store please forward the link to this post to them.  See you tomorrow for Tip #2.

To Your Success!!

Kate Wilber

The Marketing Momma

P.S. At the end of the week I will be giving out a prize.  I will be choosing the winner from everyone who posts a comment.  So remember you have to comment to win.

Start Your Own Online Store—-Learn How to Here