Herbworld….a blog for herb businesses

It’s difficult being an herb business. For those of us who were into herbs before the Internet (yes, Virginia, there was a before not that long ago), what used to work for promoting the business doesn’t cut it anymore.

If you’re don’t have a company profile on Facebook and aren’t twittering away about herbs, people quickly forget you exist. I have mentors who insist that they stay away from most social media. What most of them fail to say is that someone in their company is on it all the time.

I often wonder if my “herbal heros” from the past would be on Facebook and Twitter today, and I think the marketers of the group would be. Adelma Simmons and Bertha Reppert would have been right there on Facebook posting tidbits to get people into their shop (or site). Before Bertha passed she had totally embraced the Internet and was emailing everyone.

Those that have faded from view the past few years are doing it for two reasons: 1) ageing 2) sales have died off. When I talk to people they say that the age of people interested in herbs has passed. When I mention that people believe in using herbs more now, they whine about the downturn in sales.

What they fail to mention is that they haven’t kept up with the times. People don’t have the time to take leisurely trips to herb farms, but they have time to shop at night online. It’s not the way it once was, but it’s better in so many others. Classes can be had online. Webinars take the place of traveling across the country. Online shopping can offer a better experience than driving from place to place and not finding what you want.

Not only embrace the changes, but be one of the first to use the internet to build a following and your business will grow.

One of the best promotional methods most herb businesses are suited for is building a tribe. Most people that are into herbs feel that they are already a part of one, so why not make it a little more real for them.

And it doesn’t matter what kind of herb business you have.

Don’t look at this as a sales message where you plug the special of the week. Or as an opportunity to gush about the kids (or grandkids). This as an opportunity to educate your visitors and turn them into fans.

Try giving your blog over to an herb one day each week. And don’t just pull the stuff off the net. Pick herbs at first you’re familiar with and talk about them. I’ll never forget Susun Weed raving about chickweed. Made me want to get home and try it.

But a tribe is more than feeding than feeding your audience information. It’s getting them involved. It’s running a special for readers of your blog….or holding a free class for readers (or a webinar if you’re totally online). ..or encouraging comments or questions….and that gives you more to say.
And things to say that are meaningful are worth the time….keep your cutesy stuff for the personal Facebook page.

I love herb folk. They do something they love. They love it so much, they often forget that most people don’t, and they forget they often need to convert the non-herbie to an herbie. They get so used to talking to their friends (usually other herb folk) that they ignore the non-herbie….often to their financial loss.

Their websites and blogs are filled with personal trivia. Filled to overflowing. In fact, the blog is often an extension of their Facebook page, the personal one. And they can’t figure out why no one but their friends stops by to comment.

You need to look at your blog and your website as a disinterested visitor does. You have only about 5 seconds to take that searching visitor and make them an interested one. It could be a home page that stresses the knowledge you have. Or you could be showing how you’ve been able to “recommend” an herbal protocol through the use of testimonials. Or you could show that you’d really be interested in showing a visitor what herbs can do. (Be careful doing this on your website unless you’re familiar with FDA regs.)

Get away from the “how much fun” you’re having to the “how can I help you” mindset. And make that home page more than a sales page. You can always have a “Know what you want? Go right to the cart” section that can be easily bookmarked. But if I’m new to things, have a little breathing room….like a Q&A area, who is the person/group that’s running this site, how long you’ve been doing this, etc. Visitors should leave (or buy) thinking you 1) know what you’re doing; 2) you can help them or at least point them in the right direction.

Not every visitor turns into an immediate buyer. But you want every visitor surfing away thinking you’re a great business even if they don’t buy a thing….for now.

I’ve spent the past few weeks finishing Herbalpedia 2010. It was a little nuts at the end as I waited for the amazing person who does the cover for me every year (for free) to send it. I wanted to say “hurry, hurry” but all I could do was “nudge”. And it taught me patience.

Now I resume other projects like The Herbal Green Pages which is another “child.” And it always amazes me how people respond. The Herbal Green Pages started long ago in print. It was a way to find all types of herb businesses when there was no google, let alone an internet that was accessible.

I sent companies a simple form that allowed them to explain a little about themselves and herbie folk loved it. And as times changed, we made the switch and brought it online and that’s when I realized why few small businesses made it successfully (means you buy your toilet paper and pay your mortgage). They don’t take advantage of the free marketing that’s offered.

Now I understand the pitfalls of spam filters. I get more junk than most. And I deal with it. But whenever anyone gives me free press, I take them up on it. The procedure goes like this: I find a new (to me) herb business and tell them I’m adding them to THP. Would they please check that I have the correct information on them and take advantage of the free 10 word description so that people know what they’re about.

The result? In 75% of the cases, nada. In another 15% I get “you can find information on our website” (like I’m going to go through that) or they obviously can’t read and send me a long paragraph. And then 10% send me exactly what I ask for and I thank them profusely.

If you have a business, and people want to list you, grab the chance. The herb businesses that took the time required to send in forms in the past, are the ones that are successful now. It’s easy to grow quickly past the competition when you take those little steps to promote yourself.

from “other” businesses. They deal with Nature, one hopes, but they also have to deal with the intricacies of creating a functional business the same as all other businesses.

And this could be their biggest downfall at times. When you’re passionate about something, and those that have an herbal business are passionate, you often spend so much of your time and energy on the passion that you often leave those pesky little other non-passionate items go. We’ll catch up with them later. Things like regulations, or taxes, or other insignificant items.

And those “little” inconveniences can snowball into an avalanche that causes many herb businesses to bite the dust. Suddenly, you’re facing the threat of the FDA because you thought you were too small to matter. Or the IRS has decided you can’t take those strange deductions as business related.

So start today putting at least an hour aside to attend to those details. And you won’t be blindsided later. You can hit them headon.

Since coming back from Joel Bauer’s intensive on ProfitPoint Mastery, I’ve done……very little. I wish I could tell you I’ve taken these steps, done such and such differently, and all sorts of really good things.

Joel hasn’t let us down. We get motivating videos every day. Some classmates have invited us to their seminars (for free). Then what’s the problem?

The same problem we face with weekly marketing tasks…..they don’t get done. We get caught up in the daily “chores” of running a business. Add that often to the other demands on our time, be it family, caregiver, education, you name it. And no wonder small (according to the US government small is under $10 million a year) businesses fold all the time.

We have to make time to pursue the dream. You aren’t going to suddenly be discovered. Buying one of those “get-rich on the internet” systems isn’t going to change your bottom line. I’m the same as most of you.

This week, make a plan. And do something to make your business more profitable. And get your face out there. If you haven’t got a website yet, do so.