So, you decided to jump on the bandwagon and sell your products online! Why not? You’ve spent a few years in the classroom and have accumulated some great lessons. Why not share them with others in your profession? Starting your own online store is exciting! What fun to see your own creations posted in your own store!
HERE ARE 10 TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED ON THE RIGHT PATH:
1. Create more Products. The more products in your store, the more likely they are to be seen, which results in more sales. However, be careful throwing lessons together and posting too quickly. In the long run, quality will win over quantity. The first few months I had my store, I raced to get my first 50 products. Then, as I was going back to look at a few of them, I discovered errors. Text boxes missing, titles not centered correctly, missing links. There were not a lot of errors, but I discovered that one error is too many. You’re building a reputation, and you want your followers (repeat business) to trust that you are careful and thorough in your work. I now go back repeatedly to check my products and make sure they work well. (And those customer ratings can make a difference in how others see your work.)
2. Make sure your clip art and fonts are for commercial use. You can get into trouble and have your products removed if you are not using clip art and fonts that are meant for commercial use. Teachers Pay Teachers has both fonts and clip art that you can purchase. (Yes, you do have to spend some money in the beginning to get started.)
3. Pin your products on Pinterest. Most teachers have browsed through Pinterest for ideas. Open your own business page, and show your products to the world! Pinterest is a great way to get your products seen by other teachers. Video pins are really popular right now. (See number 4.)
4. Make videos on how to use your products and add them to your product descriptions on TPT. Sound daunting? Add an extension like Screencastify and learn to make simple videos explaining your products and how to use them. Customers are more likely to purchase your lessons if they understand how they work.
5. Join a Facebook Teacher Group. This is a great way to connect with other teachers and find out what they need. You can get some great ideas on how to teach a lesson better or more conceptually, and ask questions for immediate answers on all things related to education. There are groups specifically for your subject and your grade level. Just search for Facebook Groups on your Facebook page. You will often see teachers asking where to find a particular lesson. If you have one ready, just add the link to your product.
6. Practice your products on your own students. I have often changed my products after assigning them in my classes. I learned what students struggled with, what they needed more clarification on, and what could have enhanced the lesson.
7. Holidays are big on Teachers Pay Teachers! Take your lessons and theme them for a particular holiday by adding clip art for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, etc. Not only does it add to your list of products, but teachers are frequently looking for lessons that can be linked to an upcoming holiday. My Integer Slide Game has a Monster Version, as well as versions for 7 different school Holidays. That equals 8 products created from one idea!
8. Watch Youtube Tutorials and Take Online Courses to Enhance your Skills. Although I’m not a music teacher, I follow a Teachers Pay Teachers author on Youtube who offers all kinds of tips on how to be successful selling your online products. Her store is called Becca’s Music Room. You can find tutorials on how to make Pixel Art, how to create a Bitmoji classroom, and lots of technology tips and tricks. One of my best investments so far is an online course with Kayse Morris. She’s a successful Teachers Pay Teachers author who walks you through the steps, in great detail, on how to create, sell, and market your products. Or, become a Google Certified teacher and learn all of the features of Google docs, slides, sheets, and more with a Shake Up Learning course by Kasey Bell. (Two great K.C.’s)
9. Learn SEO- Search Engine Optimization. After all, there are thousands of products on Teachers Pay Teachers. You need to know how to get your product seen by potential customers. Learn how to title and describe your products with key words, so they rise to the top of the stream in both Google Searches and Teachers Pay Teachers searches. Try a site like Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest to find out how this works. (FYI, there is another teacher product store with far less competition than Teachers Pay Teachers! Check out Amped Up Learning started by two great teachers out of Texas.)
10. Overwhelmed? I’m often overwhelmed at the number of things I still need to learn! But remember, it takes time to build a business. You don’t need to learn everything today. Just do what you can, in the time that you have. One step at a time. There are teachers who eventually match their teacher salaries and more by selling their lessons online. Remember, this is your area of expertise! Most people don’t have the skills that you possess in educating children. You can do this!
