Alchemy Crafts Digital Marketing Strategy Plan

INTRODUCTION

The small start-up business, Alchemy Crafts, has unique creative products mainly consisting of succulents, gifts, plants, and plant-based goods. All the succulents and plants are home-grown and propagated, using the best soil mediums and rooting hormones.

“Alchemy Crafts strives to be an all organic, earth friendly and sustainable business – while sharing gardening advice, knowledge and information, as well as selling beautifully created garden designs, unique plants and garden arts and crafts to our customers.”

Currently the only form of marketing and advertising for Alchemy Crafts is as follows:

• Facebook group page called Alchemy Crafts
• Local Market in Somerset West – every 2nd Saturday
• Google MyBusiness page – Alchemy Crafts

ALCHEMY CRAFTS GOALS

Short-term Goals 0-6 months:

• Purchase “Alchemy Crafts (PTY) Ltd” name
• Purchase www.alchemycrafts.co.za url
• Create website for Alchemy Crafts
• Create GoogleMyBusiness for Alchemy Crafts
• Increase reach: email list, leads
• Identify Shipping needs & costs
• Create Blogs
• Source Email addresses for newsletters

Short-term Goals explained:

Website: Site123

• Create content for website
• Add Products & information
• Pricing
• Shipping
• Bios for each category

GoogleMyBusiness: Explore costs involved for advertising

• Create Alchemy Crafts Google page
• Link Website & add photos
• Start advertising

LinkedIn: Explore Business opportunities

• Create Alchemy Crafts Business Profile
• Explore advertising pricing
• Create engaging content and graphics

Increase Reach: 

• Email lists – create from website & automate
• Lead Generation: GoogleMyBusiness

Shipping Research: 

• WoW Couriers
• The Courier Guy
• Research other courier methods for nationwide shipping

Blogs:

• Create blog for each product
• Youtube videos for “How to create…”

Email Newsletters:

• Create content with weekly or monthly updates for new arrivals, how to’s, information 

Long-term Goals 6 months+:

• Add more products to the business like kokedamas, bromeliads, unusual plants, plant stands, bottled goods, landscaping services and workshops, Crafts, etc.
• Ensure to increase sales by 25% by creating new products and implementing new ideas
• Focus on increasing email list and leads by 50% by reaching out to every possible channel available
• Create loyalty program to keep readers and customers engaged while also selling more products
• Increase the Market from local to nationwide as soon as possible

ALCHEMY CRAFTS TARGET MARKET

• Succulents lovers – 18+
• Plant Lovers – 18+
• Nature Lovers – 18+

Where to find the target market?

• Gardening Group on whatsup
• Friends
• Alchemy Crafts facebook group
• Research other groups on Google, facebook
• Research competitors and what they offer

Size of Market?

• Start off in Helderberg area
• Develop to whole of South Africa

Where They Spend their time?

• Nurseries
• Gardening Groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter, Pinterest

What do they buy?

• Succulents
• Plants
• New & unusual garden art

How to get them to visit Alchemy Crafts Website?

• Facebook posts
• Google adverts
• Create competition to get more “likes”

WHAT IS UNIQUE OR DIFFERENT ABOUT ALCHEMY CRAFTS

• Unique succulent bowls/gardens – no-one else seems to be selling these products
• Unusual plants: scillas, snail vines, crinums, spring bulbs (national shortage)
• Succulent collecting is addictive – showcase new, rare & unusual succulents
• Gardening tips: organic fertilizers, composting, succulent care
• Excellent pricing compared to competitors
• Same day/next day/free delivery – depending on order size

COMPETITORS

• Red Door Nurseries – brick & mortar
• The Greenhouse Shop – Online
• Farm Nursery – Online
• Succulent Shop – Online
• Succi – Online
• Rusty Rose Nursery – Online
• YoloSucculiciously Stoned – Whatsup Order – (Succulent Kokedamas) 
• SucculentsDirect – Online
• WorldofSucculents – Online
• Plantfanatics – Online 
• CapeGardenOnline – Online
• Continue to do keyword searches
• Check competitors reviews
• Check how many followers each website has 
• Figure out why people follow them
• How many posts competitors create weekly / monthly

ALCHEMY CRAFTS KPI’s

• New Visitors per week on GoogleMyBusiness
• New Visitors per week on Website
• New Email addresses
• Qualified Leads
• Conversion rates from visitors to sales
• Cost per conversion
• Click through rate on Google & website
• Return on Investment (ROI)

IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL MARKETING FOR ALCHEMY CRAFTS

Alchemy Crafts needs to create engaging content to keep customers and potential customers engaged and interested.

• BRING VALUE – Eye-catching graphics, engaging content, imparting knowledge and information about the plants or tips 
• STAY CONSISTENT – Start with a weekly informational & branding post to create awareness of the brand and Post on GoogleMyAds and Facebook – linking both to the website. Expand to Linkedin within 6 months of opening.
• BE ACTIVE: Reply to all comments ASAP, especially any negative comments, also “like” and comment on Gardening Groups to become engaged and create leads with links to website.
• SOCIAL MEDIA: Google, Facebook, LinkedIn. Create every possible hashtag for Alchemy Crafts while adding emotions to content with a story behind the post or blog, also add graphics and show genuine passion & excitement for the content and topic.
• SEO: Ensure Alchemy Crafts is on the first page of Google by blogging, keyword search and SEO optimization, plus, also ensure the website is optimized for cell phones. Optimize URL’s – keep links short.
• STRATEGIC ANALYSIS: Ensure weekly analysis is conducted to see what social media pages & posts are working or not working so well and change or correct as soon as possible. Do testing on the website as well as links on social media and Conduct A/B Split testing to compare what adverts, posts or blogs work best.
• ADDITIONAL TIPS: Create video tutorials via YouTube, and update New Arrivals at least once a month. Create engaging competitions or contests to get more “likes” as well as email addresses to add to automated Newsletter lists.

CREATED BY: Rosemarie Jones, Owner of Alchemy Crafts (PTY) Ltd on 25 March 2022.

INTRODUCTION The small start-up business, Alchemy Crafts, has unique creative products mainly consisting of succulents, gifts, plants, and plant-based goods. All the succulents and plants are home-grown and propagated, using the best soil mediums and rooting hormones. “Alchemy Crafts strives to be an all organic, earth friendly and sustainable business – while sharing gardening advice,…

INTRODUCTION The small start-up business, Alchemy Crafts, has unique creative products mainly consisting of succulents, gifts, plants, and plant-based goods. All the succulents and plants are home-grown and propagated, using the best soil mediums and rooting hormones. “Alchemy Crafts strives to be an all organic, earth friendly and sustainable business – while sharing gardening advice,…