Rookie Entrepreneur Here.. Looking for constructive feedback..

[thealphamind]

Hi guys,

Been a long-time lurker of the Fastlane Forum. I'm infinitely grateful for coming across the incredibly well-written book and allowing it to manifest my mindset with one shift...

As a result of the book, I took the plunge and started my first eCommerce brain-supplement business optimumstacks a few months ago, and for marketing I have been pretty much leveraging friends, word-of -mouth, and Instagram which has grown to 8k followers. Instagram here!.

However, I am struggling with sales from Instagram... I'm not really sure what I might be doing wrong but since I have been bootstrapping the whole business so far, I have had to wear every hat in the company. I've sourced the first product, built the website, designed logo, designed packaging, managed the instagram page, took the product photos all myself, handled inventory, shipping, etc...

I'm pretty sure I need to readjust a few things... Below are 8 things I jotted down that I think could potentially improve the state of the business, but any help & first steps I should concentrate on would be great...

Operations
1) Renovate website
2) Release more products (Perhaps this would be the website look more credible?)
3) Remodify target market(target athletes & fitness enthusiasts?)
4) Optimize instagram bio
5) Maybe create a landing page giving value with an optin to a free e-book on 10 tips to boost brain power or something of that nature
5) Rebrand? Logo Redesign? Product Packaging Redesign?

Marketing
1) Reach out to instagram micro influencers
2) Create an affiliate program, referral program, or find brand ambassadors to sponsor?
3) Sell on Amazon? (This wouldn't follow the Control commandent of the Mill Fast Lane however)
4) Use other social media channels? Facebook Ads?

Thanks guys

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

FYI to readers, the mods are OK with this. (Usually, links in first posts are red-flags.)

It's clear you're looking for feedback.

Thanks for the intro and welcome to the forum.

 

[jon.a]

Does your shit work?

 

[G-Man]

Does your shit work?

Only question that matters right there.

 

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[thealphamind]

Does your shit work?

Yea Jon, from the free sample bottles I gave away and the few sales I've made, everyone has loved it so far.

 

[jon.a]

Yea Jon, from the free sample bottles I gave away and the few sales I've made, everyone has loved it so far.

Well, I'm not buying it. Excuse the pun.
You're in the snake oil space.
No amount of color, shape or verbiage changing is going to help that.
I'd be building a tribe. Affiliates or even MLMers.

You've given out samples to some common people to test acceptance.
Try giving out some samples to some uncommon people to build some credibility.

 

[thealphamind]

Well, I'm not buying it. Excuse the pun.
You're in the snake oil space.
No amount of color, shape or verbiage changing is going to help that.
I'd be building a tribe. Affiliates or even MLMers.

You've given out samples to some common people to test acceptance.
Try giving out some samples to some uncommon people to build some credibility.

i appreciate your feedback Jon. Will take your advice into consideration and set out to find unbiased feedback on the product as well look into an affiliate program.. not a big fan of MLM

 

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[jon.a]

i appreciate your feedback Jon. Will take your advice into consideration and set out to find unbiased feedback on the product as well look into an affiliate program.. not a big fan of MLM

MlM is different if you're the owner

 

[jon.a]

Oh BTW, I tried to enlarge the back label pic on your website, it didn't work.

Consider the baby boomer market. We're getting older and there are a lot of us. And those of us that still have parents, well they're really old.

 

[c_morris]

I tried to access the reviews of your product but wasn't able to. Is that because they are just star ratings and there are no written reviews, or are customers unable to provide testimonials?

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

 

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[thealphamind]

MlM is different if you're the owner

Right, but it also requires a complex business model, &

Oh BTW, I tried to enlarge the back label pic on your website, it didn't work.

Consider the baby boomer market. We're getting older and there are a lot of us. And those of us that still have parents, well they're really old.

Oh snap, okay. Will fix it asap.. & I was thinking about that the other day.. Older people generally experience decreased blood flow to the brain, which can affect memory and cognitive skills.. with Dementia & Alzheimers on the rise as well, this might be something to look into... & yea MLM is not for me.. I am not the type of guy haha

 

[c_morris]

I actually see them now. They are available once you click the buy now button. It might be helpful to put the reviews right on the product page so people are more enticed to actually click the buy now button.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

 

[thealphamind]

I tried to access the reviews of your product but wasn't able to. Is that because they are just star ratings and there are no written reviews, or are customers unable to provide testimonials?

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

There are reviews but you have to go to the checkout page to view them..will have to fix that & make those ratings clickable on the landing page.. the website definitely needs some modification..

 

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[DVU]

From what I can think of right now Is you need some social proof. That is one of the most important things you can have on your website.

The website is nice, but I had to "struggle" a bit to find my way around. And what I mean by that is, when someone comes to a page it should be a "road". A clearly defined path to what they need to see, and what actions to take. Right now there is a lot of small text on the website that is a bit hard to read due to the pictures in the background.

"THINK FASTER. FOCUS BETTER. REMEMBER MORE." shouldn't be on the far left as it is now. Human eye automatically falls to the left side but not that much left. In your case, it would be in line with the logo. Make that text bigger, maybe add another button "what our customers say" or something in those lines to convince them to take action aka buy. Make it a bit "in your face".

The product says that there are 24 reviews, but I can't find a way to see those reviews(red light here)

The price seems to be discounted but the original is not crossed off. Just a tiny detail.

And now as I scroll the website more I just can't shake the feel that the text is too skinny/small and hard to read. I would suggest either increasing font size or increasing font weight.

I might be going too far with this one, but hear me out. The website should represent your company as a brand and have a maybe distinct design and feel to it. Right now I can see that you got a bunch of stock photos and put them up.

If you want I can help you get the website in order, just shoot me a PM.

Good luck in the future!

 

[thealphamind]

From what I can think of right now Is you need some social proof. That is one of the most important things you can have on your website.

The website is nice, but I had to "struggle" a bit to find my way around. And what I mean by that is, when someone comes to a page it should be a "road". A clearly defined path to what they need to see, and what actions to take. Right now there is a lot of small text on the website that is a bit hard to read due to the pictures in the background.

"THINK FASTER. FOCUS BETTER. REMEMBER MORE." shouldn't be on the far left as it is now. Human eye automatically falls to the left side but not that much left. In your case, it would be in line with the logo. Make that text bigger, maybe add another button "what our customers say" or something in those lines to convince them to take action aka buy. Make it a bit "in your face".

The product says that there are 24 reviews, but I can't find a way to see those reviews(red light here)

The price seems to be discounted but the original is not crossed off. Just a tiny detail.

And now as I scroll the website more I just can't shake the feel that the text is too skinny/small and hard to read. I would suggest either increasing font size or increasing font weight.

I might be going too far with this one, but hear me out. The website should represent your company as a brand and have a maybe distinct design and feel to it. Right now I can see that you got a bunch of stock photos and put them up.

If you want I can help you get the website in order, just shoot me a PM.

Good luck in the future!

Thanks for your thoughtful critique.. I have had a few customers submit selfies with the product on instagram for social proof but yea I definitely need to add some testimonials on the home page as well as the product page.. I'm currently using shopify so while they do have a great platform, they have many constraints.. but will try to incorporate your advice and structure the site in more professional manner as well as clean up the design ... and yea if you don't mind I will shoot you a message in the near future for more assistance & feedback..

 

[Destined]

Hi guys,

Been a long-time lurker of the Fastlane Forum. I'm infinitely grateful for coming across the incredibly well-written book and allowing it to manifest my mindset with one shift...

As a result of the book, I took the plunge and started my first eCommerce brain-supplement business optimumstacks a few months ago, and for marketing I have been pretty much leveraging friends, word-of -mouth, and Instagram which has grown to 8k followers. Instagram here!.

However, I am struggling with sales from Instagram... I'm not really sure what I might be doing wrong but since I have been bootstrapping the whole business so far, I have had to wear every hat in the company. I've sourced the first product, built the website, designed logo, designed packaging, managed the instagram page, took the product photos all myself, handled inventory, shipping, etc...

I'm pretty sure I need to readjust a few things... Below are 8 things I jotted down that I think could potentially improve the state of the business, but any help & first steps I should concentrate on would be great...

Operations
1) Renovate website
2) Release more products (Perhaps this would be the website look more credible?)
3) Remodify target market(target athletes & fitness enthusiasts?)
4) Optimize instagram bio
5) Maybe create a landing page giving value with an optin to a free e-book on 10 tips to boost brain power or something of that nature
5) Rebrand? Logo Redesign? Product Packaging Redesign?

Marketing
1) Reach out to instagram micro influencers
2) Create an affiliate program, referral program, or find brand ambassadors to sponsor?
3) Sell on Amazon? (This wouldn't follow the Control commandent of the Mill Fast Lane however)
4) Use other social media channels? Facebook Ads?

Thanks guys

If i was you, i'd study the competition. Go to their websites, see how they look. try to see their marketing angles and what they use. You are entering a shark infested pool with lots of strong players. Why work so hard, when they have done it for you. Yes, you still have to hustle but checking out the competition is the way to go.

 

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[liljmoneyswag]

Take your pill and use your supercharged brain to figure it out...profittt??

 

[Waspy]

1) Renovate website
2) Release more products (Perhaps this would be the website look more credible?)
3) Remodify target market(target athletes & fitness enthusiasts?)
4) Optimize instagram bio
5) Maybe create a landing page giving value with an optin to a free e-book on 10 tips to boost brain power or something of that nature
5) Rebrand? Logo Redesign? Product Packaging Redesign?

1) You could certainly do with making the website more sale oriented. I had to actually search for a way to buy your product. You hid the buy button in amongst a load of crap. I'm on mobile btw.

2) No. You are struggling with 1 product, why would you start looking for more?

3) I don't know who your target market is in the first place. So I can't answer that.

4) Is this even a point? What do you mean?

5) Sure, could work, but since you are bootstrapping that mean you will be writing the ebook. Is your copywriting okay? It's not as simple as just writing ten steps, those steps have to subtlety lead you reader to buy.

6) No. Concentrate on selling.

As for your marketing points, yes to all of them. What are your margins like? How much could you offer affiliate?

As mentioned above, social proof is vital, scientific proof is even better. See if you can find real studies around the ingredients you have in the product and their relation to brain function.

 

[d0m]

1) Renovate website
2) Release more products (Perhaps this would be the website look more credible?)
3) Remodify target market(target athletes & fitness enthusiasts?)
4) Optimize instagram bio
5) Maybe create a landing page giving value with an optin to a free e-book on 10 tips to boost brain power or something of that nature
5) Rebrand? Logo Redesign? Product Packaging Redesign?

1) Site looks nice, but the purchasing process is a bit too long/complex. I had to go through 3 different pages after clicking the "buy" button next to the only product you have.
2) Maybe you should release more products later. If your sales aren't doing well right now, I would focus on selling as much of that one product as possible, for now.
3) I thought the products you're selling help you study/memorize stuff? Make you sharper for a few hours and help the knowledge pour into your head? Maybe target college students off of popular (college related) Instagram/Twitter accounts for that.
4) You have to elaborate on this one.
5) Could work. You just have to make sure that you're good at writing and (you have to) display the book in the front as "100% free tips" so people see it and (potential buyers) can read it before purchasing. Of course, as @Waspy said, you have to make sure you're subtly making the customers purchase your products.
6) No. It already looks good, just try to improve your sales and advertising.

Once again, quoting @Waspy on this one, provide social and scientific proof.

 

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[mrarcher]

I checked out your site from my mobile. What i noticed is on the front page it doesnt say what youre selling. On the sales page i have to scroll past all the who its for to find out the important questions. What is it? And whats in it? Then at the very bottom of the page after the ingredients i have to scroll all the way back to the top to buy. Maybe layout needs reworking a bit.
Good luck! Welcome to the fastlane

 

[Sadik]

The problem with your website is that it doesn't have a single purpose of existence.

You should rethink your branding strategy. If I was doing this, I would sell the products around a personal brand versus just trying to setup another ecommerce store. For example look at this site Summer Tomato (I am not affiliated in any way). The messaging is clear, it's organized around a person and uses content / email marketing very effectively.

 

[Xavier X]

Yeah, but if I take it, do I get to see the world like this?

 

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[Fotis]

My 2 cents.

Write stories of people who have used and benefited from your supplement. The way
its presented right now is generic. People don't buy supplements, they buy solutions to
problems. We don't wake up and think "Oh gee, wish I could supercharge mah brainz."
We wake up and have mental fog, need 2+ hours for our brains to get started or we
tap out too soon.

You definitely have competitors. Find a way to position yourself that will make you stand
out. Make sure this way is not B.S. You said that did everything yourself and I see lots of
"we" in your site copy. Why not say "Hey, I am X and the first thing you should know about
me is that I run a one man show. I don't have a VA. I also don't outsource your questions to
India. In fact, the only grand thing about me is my vision...."

It's a generic example but hopefully, it gives you some food for thought.

Don't lose the customers you already have. People many times get lost in this "must
get new clients" frenzy while ignoring past buyers. If they are delighted with your
product, you can reach out to them and offer a 6 or 12 months plan. Wealth is an
income stream, and supplement companies are great for creating it.

Finally, pm me if you want any help with copywriting/marketing. I can't promise miracles but
having someone outside of your business give you feedback, might give you some nice "aha"
momenths.

 

[JAMES-L67]

G'day mate,

Congrats on making some big steps forward! Gone a lot further than most people have, so props to you.

I like the website and the products premise. I think we're definitely moving into an age where products like these will be more and more popular. The main issue I have with it is that there isn't a very clear path to the ultimate action, which in this case is to buy.

When I open your site it's all very pretty and looks great, but it takes far too long to discover what is actually in the product, and I feel that the longer it takes to make a decision on whether to buy or not ultimately reduces your chances of a conversion.

Perhaps a breakdown of ingredients or a nutritional label on the landing page, or move your "Star Ingredients" section higher up on your product page?

EDIT: Also, not a huge fan of proprietary blends (although I understand why you wish to use one), having worked with bodybuilding supplements for a long time, they frustrate me!

Other than that, keep killing the game and pushing forward! The hardest part of your journey is over

James

 

[rpeck90]

Instagram

1. Full of bullshit quotes
2. No hint of results
3. Needs social proof (posted above)

Website

1. Go study some of the nutrient sites on Clickbank.com and re-do the site around what you find (big bottle at top with power images etc):

2. You need a CTA - why should people spend their time with you - center stage of the website you need to say "1 BOTTLE FREE - IMPROVE MEMORY AND COGNITION" or something. The entire website should be a single focus on this. Get rid of the shopping cart and have a single page checkout flow (even better do it through Amazon so people think it's legit).

3. What does the product actually do, why do you actually offer it over other stuff? Someone else alluded to this - when dealing with supplements, the best promoters are people who actively use them (bodybuilders etc). Why are you promoting this? How did it help you? What results do you have for it?

Brand

There is quite a lot to write, so I'll just explain it.

Firstly, what you're doing on instagram is brand building (the kind of thing McDonalds would do)... except you're trying to get sales from it. This is why you're receiving mixed results. If you're serious about the product, you need to use instagram as a way to showcase the product and nothing else -- no bullshit quotes and no photos of you / random people with the bottle. Frankly, no one cares.

Secondly - and most importantly - you don't have any sizzle. This is VERY important, and probably the secret you're missing.

At its core, every product has something it does better than any competition. Discovering / creating this is difficult, but if you stick with it, something will appear. The gentleman above posted about this -- a good example could be boomers. If you went in with boomers, you'd be looking at making something more akin to a memory supplement or something. If you watch the sizzle steak video above, you'll find Elmer Wheeler explains there are certain trigger words people look for when choosing a product. Changing these words can be the difference between success and failure. At the moment, your name is "optimization snacks". I associate it with Huel, although it's different. I would strongly recommend you try and create a real purpose for the product beyond it just being a bottle of pills.

Thirdly, you haven't discovered your sales channels yet. Instagram is not a reliable sales channel; should only be treated as a way to enhance the sales experience. Real sales involves going out and getting people interested in the product. Every successful business has direct access to specific sales channels. Once it has control of its cash flow, it can then try ads etc to enhance. A good example of a sales channel would be a market stall, or perhaps a partnership with local trainers. Either way, you need direct access to the market you're trying to reach.

Fourthly, it has to work. What does it actually do?

 

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[Coalission]

Presell people with a video or short article that provides some value or enters the conversation they may already be having in their head, don't make the page fancy, just a headline and a video or headline and short article, and then shoot them to this page:
Neuro Spark - Optimum Stacks

not this page:
Optimum Stacks | Fit Brain, Fit Life. ™