The Baby Sitter - Execution not working as planned

[IGP]

Here is what I would do:

1. Hire a copywriter/web designer - your headline, product description and copy layout sux. Your site layout sux.
2. Hire some to make some funny videos using your product with the intention of them going viral
3. Pay popular baby pages on FB to promote your videos
4. Hire a team of outsourcers to register at all of the baby forums/sites, expecting mother forums/sites. Find at least 50.
5. Have them post a few times acting like expecting mothers, ask real genuine questions that other mothers would ask - do this for a few weeks
6. After your 3 weeks is up, ask: "Has anyone heard of <your product here>? I was think of getting one for my child. Thoughts?"
7. Either rake in the sales or take their feedback and improve your product.

Good luck!

 

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[tafy]

1. My other marketing company was doing great and it was grossing 12k-15k a month and was supporting the cost of manufacturing our products. However, as of recent I've stopped putting in as much time and the business revenue reflects it I made only 5k last month. Which is scary cause I haven't made that little in over 6months.

You ignored a scalable business that you could have pushed into 6 figure area for an overpriced baby foam ring product that people don't understand?

 

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[Michael Raphael]

I dont get the video or the product? It's just a foam ring?

I got a 2 year old and didnt need any foam rings... One day he started sitting and he fell a few times but didnt imagine i would need a ring for it?

I think the video is weird as hell, are the kids the age that the product is targeted for?

Sorry about the bluntness!

I don't mind bluntness, its business emotions are taken out of it.

I was working way to hard for that business to maintain 6 figure salary. I needed salesman and couldn't find any and kept wasting time and money to do it. Not that it's done. I still do the same job and still hiring salesman to work for me.

As per this product, like I said made good money right off launch, there's a lot more I made that I didn't disclose. My issue is lack of content which we are changing. The video is terrible, absolutely terrible. I want to remove it and upload one that actually benefits the product. That video was created originally just to build buzz and it worked but failed because it didn't do what we asked.

When we finalize content w/ new video I am sure the issue of "message coming across" will no longer be an issue. Bringing people to the site is simple, I am very good at getting people. My issue is limited to delivering the appropriate message. Which again as I've said a bunch of times, I already solved, I am just creating the content and making it go live soon.

Once that happens, I will resume my campaign and tweak as necessary. It's a luxury item that we have in multiple locations, we just need more sales. Goal is 5/day to start and then scale to 30/day.

Thanks for updates and comments Again appreciate all I don't care for feelings.

 

[MitchC]

I haven't looked at your website but this sounds like the perfect MLM product from Mums to make extra money from home with, considering you say everyone shown it in person buys it. Only issue would be the margins. Also you could try doing payment plans, like 4 payments of $40 or something, or a we send it to you, if you don't like it send it back deal to remove buyers resistance to the price.

 

[DaRK9]

I haven't looked at your website but this sounds like the perfect MMO product from Mums to make extra money from home with, considering you say everyone shown it in person buys it. Only issue would be the margins. Also you could try doing payment plans, like 4 payments of $40 or something, or a we send it to you, if you don't like it send it back deal to remove buyers resistance to the price.

Add a few more products and create an MLM.

 

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[Contrarian]

My view, on the copy, is that it's too logical and not emotional enough. Further, it doesn't really have a specific point to make.

So I click on to the website, "hmm, I wonder what this is all about then...", scroll down to the wall of text telling me what it's about, and...

A long, confusing, semi-technical explanation on what the product is. I think you would see much more success by engaging them, drawing them in, building up a pain point (so they're nodding in agreement as they read through)...and then promising to fix it. Identify with them and then tell them what result you can get them. You can give them the techy-speak when they click through to "Learn more", but you need to engage them and get them excited about the concept and benefit first. Facts and figures-seeking is what you do when you're already curious - so make them curious first.

At the moment, it reads more like an INTJ explaining an engineering concept to another INTJ.

 

[eliquid]

Maybe the demo you are hitting is way too broad.

My mom and my wife have used something similar to this and it cost them no money at all. It wasn't a new idea to them, so I am sure other moms have been doing this for generations....

It was several pillows and blankets stacked up in a circle.

Yes, I know it's not the same thing and I know its a bit crude, but functionally it serves 80% of the same purpose ( in their minds ) with no money out of pocket.

If you are throwing the Walmart and Target crowd into your demo at Adwords and Facebook, that is probably why you haven't had many sales as they prob. realize that they can get almost the same thing and save $85-110 dollars.

You might have to target a more upscale demo.

 

[throttleforward]

Almost all of them. The issue im having is lack of conveying message. I believe I will change that soon (hopefully) when I change my home page content to a better landing page.

I still get sales just not what I expecting.

As a parent of a recent baby (now 2 year old) here are a few thoughts:
-the top banner roatating ads are great, but the first static image makes me think "wait, I have to buy two of these?"
-the headline about therapists make me pause and go "wait, there is nothing wrong with my kid, is this product not for me?"
-a lot of text, few bullets so hard to scan the site (which most people do-make your site highly scanable)
-nothing screams at me "safe place for my baby where they can play but won't Escape if I turn my head for 2 seconds" which seems to be the main benefit according to what you've written here

Hope this helps-I tried and failed to launch a baby product only to watch someone else invent something very similar and crush it, so I know how hard it can be to get something going in this space

 

[Michael Raphael]

How many of those parents who have seen it in person have pulled out a credit card and purchased?

Almost all of them. The issue im having is lack of conveying message. I believe I will change that soon (hopefully) when I change my home page content to a better landing page.

I still get sales just not what I expecting.

 

[hughjasle]

and parents see they immediately are like... YUP I need this.

Can you make a new video that addresses the above? Vids are HOT on FB right now - your current vid didn't tell me what the product did or was really.

I bet if you could do a 60s or less video of the product to let all the "parents see" whatever you are showing them in person, then you will do well.

I run FB video ads on my product right now and it's doing great. It's just a video of someone using the product - only sped up really fast so they see the the product in action and the results of it.

So put up a vid of a mom putting her baby in and the speed up the time so the views can see 5 minutes of baby time go by in 30sec or something or whatever you are showing them in person.

 

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[hughjasle]

Not mine, or any product really - I just searched for sped up product demonstrations and found this.

But really, time lapse works, real time works, speed up videos work. It doesn't matter really, just need to make sure it's short enough for attention span reasons but conveys your product properly. Just by the sounds of it, whatever you are doing in person sounds like it's a 5-10minute deal - which seems too long.

FWIW - I have had success with long videos as well, but the point I was trying to convey was always given up front, the video just showed the proof that what I said would happen, did. (ie: THIS will change your hair color a deeper black than other hair dyes - then the vid would go on for 20 minutes and show it being done)

 

[GMJimmy]

Hi,

I've got five kids and one more on the way, but TBH I don't really know what this product is and why would I need one, especially at this price. Maybe you need to make an animation or video that launches automatically on the top of the page and very clearly describes both baby and parents benefits (especially for the info contained in the 'about' section, the muscle development etc)? Maybe add the science behind? (Sorry if you did, I was watching the video with no sound because it's bedtime here and my children just fell asleep besides me).

Also, just an idea, that maybe a very professionally designed and developed website would help in explaining the price, to show the innovation.

 

[Michael Raphael]

We are starting to sell on Amazon, but I am having issues promoting it there. Only thing I can think of is direct ads to Amazon but otherwise I am lost.

Video currently is terrible, we are very disappointed in the company that made it. So we're working on another one. We're trying to have something done by the end of week internally and then a professional one done once more. Really disappointed please don't remind me lmao

 

[biophase]

Is the video hurting us more than helping, i.e. remove or keep?

I think hurting. But I don't have kids, only watched it because of this thread. But did not understand the product any more after watching it.

It needs some talking, it's too dark and has a bunch of nonsense in it. You don't need a professional video. Just one with your wife explaining what it does with a nice background. And a couple shots of a baby in it.

Also, I think you need to rename the product to something more memorable and different.

 

[tafy]

I dont get the video or the product? It's just a foam ring?

I got a 2 year old and didnt need any foam rings... One day he started sitting and he fell a few times but didnt imagine i would need a ring for it?

I think the video is weird as hell, are the kids the age that the product is targeted for?

Sorry about the bluntness!

 

[3things]

OP - FYI, the text link to your product site in your forum sig is wrong [text is right, link is wrong] - you're actually sending ppl like me who clicked on it to www.thebabysitter.com [which is for sale], not the .co like it should be Hopefully you didn't typo anywhere more important!

I had a very quick skim of your site, I have two small boys and we had one of the donut sitting pillow things and tried to use it both times round [doubles as a nursing support pillow and a sitting pillow for the baby]. Neither of them ever actually sat still and use it. Right from day one we got a whole lot of use out of a simple metal framed bouncy chair though when they needed to be confined/have a nap. That was probably the most useful baby accessory for us. You kinda learn fairly quick that you don't need most stuff lol.

 

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[HAL]

The whole business kind of scares me from a liability stand point. I get the double meaning of the your name, but a baby sitter also says, 'sit my baby in here so I can get a break for a few minutes'. Reading all the warnings would make me think again about sitting a baby in there (no sleeping, no curling inside, not propped up too high, keep your babies airways open at all times...) .

 

[100k]

Have you consider going to other baby product retailers (online and offline) and asking them to sell your product for you - you keep the stock and ship the products out, they just list them on their website (you can provide them with the copy & unique HD pictures) or you can give them a few different models for them to display as floor demos in their brick and mortar (and but again, you keep the stock, they just sell and then place the order through you and you handle the shipping).

 

[3things]

I apologize, but I don't understand fully what you mean here.

Here's a grab of what i mean, sorry if i didn't explain very well was on my phone. In this example its a supplement product being compared to others, using ingredients as the comparing factor - you'd use other features or benefits of your product, where yours is better - for example you offer free shipping your competitors don't, your items have detachable washable cover, others don't - you get the idea?

You simply illustrate why/how your product is superior to the competition, without resorting to mentioning price. Can be highly effective, and can be applied to pretty well all products/services.

 

[3things]

Okay the design isn't final just wanted to make a quick thing. But how does this compare? Does it provide value? Is it something that emphasizes our product's features? Are the categories I choose correct, in your opinion?

I appreciate the help and support, I truly do!

You got it, perfect it's just to try and illustrate visually and simply why ppl. Should buy your product instead of competing one. What you did looks great

 

[Aaron W]

Sorry if this is irrelevant but I didn't have any time to read through this/explore your site.

When entering your site it strikes me that you only sell to expected male babies. Not sure if you target all sexes or not.

 

[Crissco]

All the credit the in world for this bro. I am a web developer if you want I can create some site mock-ups for you. Just let me know.

By the way I "borrowed this" from you...."The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was 3 shy of a million a week, the good news is I am only 22, so I still got 4 years to make this quote a reality."

Ill give it back when im 32 in 4 years

 

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[AgainstAllOdds]

If possible, change the video from an Asian baby to a white baby.

I just got back from China. All of their ads are of white people. They're used to seeing white families. White families are used to white families. Give the people what they're familiar with.

 

[Crissco]

Yea would love some mock ups. Thank you for the credit, but why did you give me credit? What did I do haha

You're taking an idea and sticking with it until it succeeds. A lot of people give up.

 

[Michael Raphael]

As some of you may know me or have seen an occasional post of mine, you may know that I own a few businesses and was in the process of launching a new company (www.thebabysitter.co). Prior to us launching our company we had lots of promise, potential sales, etc... (need a bit of backstory).

1. My other marketing company was doing great and it was grossing 12k-15k a month and was supporting the cost of manufacturing our products. However, as of recent I've stopped putting in as much time and the business revenue reflects it I made only 5k last month. Which is scary cause I haven't made that little in over 6months.

2. I've been focusing on my Baby Company and we made an initial sale of $1000 right off the bat, secured a purchase order with groupon for $6,000. Everything is going well. So we thought.

The issue is as follows:

1a. We cannot determine a good price for this gift set (a product bundle we offer), I'd like it to be $110 and offer free shipping, but I am scared this is over priced. Consequentially, we had studies and what not done that determined best price point would be $85-$90 so we originally planned to sell for $85 then $95.

1b. Our shipping is $20 due to size, but we feel this would deter our customers, so we decided to increase to $110 and offer Free shipping, or at least $95 and offer $8.99 store-wide (all products).

Point is, price is wrecking my head.

2a. Message. I feel we are not delivering the message of the benefits of the product correctly, we don't have a solid landing page, and overall people are not conveying the solution this provides mothers. In person people love this, but otherwise online I feel we are losing this.

So my solution is to create a better landing page, but I don't have photos or a video. We are in the process of making one (costs me $2000 give or take).

3. Marketing??

3a. Facebook: I figured my marketing was good. I brought my CPC down to pennies on the dime, and had a CTR of over 3.5% which is in my opinion very good for a startup. We were getting 100's of conversions to the site, but still no purchases were made.

3.b I want to run an adwords campaign, and I am ready to do so but again I am not sure what messages we should be conveying or if I am ready to invest because website is lacking.

I know that I will get conversions, I actually get 35x my average the first day I started running a FB campaign for under $20. Sadly, only 1 sale.

4. Shipping

4a. What value should I offer free Shipping. My goal was to convince people to spend $85 originally to encourage at least a base cushion sale ($60) and a fabric ($25) or at least a gift set ($85) but the fact of the matter it would cost us a lot. So that's when I thought $95 or $110 (gift at $85 + fabric $25 = $110 or base $60 Fabric x2 ($25 x2) $50 = $110

Can I have some assistance in the following manner.

1. What should I price Gift Set
2. What value should I offer Free Shipping $85, $95, $110,
3. Is my message defined on website?
4. Is my website good?

 

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[Nicko]

Can I have some assistance in the following manner.

1. What should I price Gift Set
2. What value should I offer Free Shipping $85, $95, $110,
3. Is my message defined on website?
4. Is my website good?

Just having a quick look online, there appear to be a couple of other much cheaper options to yours (E.g. the Jolly Jumper Baby Sitter Nursing Cushion @ $29.99). Obviously not an identical product, but similar and considerably less expensive by comparison.

So if yours is a superior product with at 2-3 times the price you really need to make it clear why. What are new parents getting that makes your product worth the additional cost.

The site also states that "Therapist’s call this product a must have!" but it doesn't clearly explain "why". The first two sentences under that banner don't address the "why" at all, and then the sentence that does is very brief and adhoc. Why therapists call this product a must have should be the one of the most important statements in your copy. List the benefits to baby and parents in detail and make it one of the first things people visiting your site see. Would also be beneficial to be able to back it up with information about which therapists (who, what, when) otherwise it doesn't really ring true.

 

[Michael Raphael]

Thank you for the response.

1. We are definitely different. But yes, as imagined our issues is content. We are trying to create a video to show the message and value as well as images that portray each benefit. Below are all the features/benefits to show why we are better than competitor products that are "similar" as truly there isn't. We are actually in the process of creating an industry (code) with the leading source in this market (JPMA)

With that said, I have copied and pasted our benefits/features, but I still am unsure as to how I can effectively portray this on the site without it being to much content.

The Baby Sitter has no buckles or straps and thus allows your baby to move freely so they can experiment and learn naturally in a safe environment. Most baby products restrict your baby’s motion keeping them stuck in one position; The Baby Sitter gives your child the freedom to move and explore the movement their body is capable of while still keeping them contained in a safe place.


Babies will be able to sit up unsupported when inside the cushion. The design of the cushion is the perfect shape and density to help them sit up before their muscles are fully developed. Placing your child in the correct position can stimulate mental and physical growth by educating your child on the use of specific muscles as well as how to work those muscles naturally. The child can be placed on his or her back, sitting up, tummy, and other variations to stimulate particular muscle regions.

By developing three center-well inserts, a parent can adjust the amount needed for his or her child(s) use. By placing one or two inside the cushion, children of different sizes can rest comfortably on the edge of the product whilst utilizing the functionality purposes of the cushion. Additionally, by placing all three inserts The Baby Sitter cushion doubles as a diapers changing table; thus creating a safe and clean location for changes on the go.


This product required no set up and can easily be moved from room to room. Perfect for the mom that needs to do laundry in one room, use the computer in another, and make dinner in the kitchen all while keeping a close eye on her child. Furthermore, The Baby Sitter Cushion comes in a PVC carrying case that can be transported easily in any scenario.


Purchasing a Classic Edition Fabric, parents can easily take on and off the fabric cover when needed. This allows for the ability to wash the fabric when a child spills or makes a mess. The variety of patterns and colors allow for moms to match the cushion with the décor of her home and nursery. Additionally, future covers will have “brainstorm” themes that develop a child’s mental development through use of numbers, letters, colors, shapes, and so forth.


The Baby Sitter Cushion creates a space that is unique to any other product. A parent can feel confident and comfortable knowing that their child has a space where they can learn, grow, and relax. Furthermore, the child can create a bond [of ownership] with the cushion as they would with a blanking or teddy and keep it for years.


Our manufacturing facility located in Miami, Florida has the capabilities to produce thousands of units per week. As such our products are 100% manufactured in the United States and are regulated by the CPSC and California Child Product laws.

Our products utilize a soy-based foam to create a more organic product. By incorporating soy we are able to create a safer product by using more than 33% less chemicals in the process.



Update: You actually gave me a brilliant idea, I need to change those photos (A) and have some of these feats/benefits under those columns and then the rest under the paragraph about Therapist call a must have.

You are a saint and a genius. Let me know if you think of anything else! ahha If you have a kid send me an address I'll ship you one (if you want, just take photos and share on IG/FB for me haha)

 

[Nicko]

No kids, just a dog and he already has a pillow

Happy to help - Good luck with everything and keep us updated on your progress

 

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[Michael Raphael]

Exactly. The issue is babies roll over and fall outside, or if parents look away for one second child is in a different spot. Why in person, when we talk about it and parents see they immediately are like... YUP I need this.

Now the (double) added value is the density of (soy) foam because it acts as a resisting band and strengthens core muscles.

 

[throttleforward]

Exactly. The issue is babies roll over and fall outside, or if parents look away for one second child is in a different spot. Why in person, when we talk about it and parents see they immediately are like... YUP I need this.

Now the (double) added value is the density of (soy) foam because it acts as a resisting band and strengthens core muscles.

How many of those parents who have seen it in person have pulled out a credit card and purchased?

 

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