How to Leverage Amazon to Grow Your Interior Design Business - Episode 262

10 years ago, Robyn was a youth minister who couldn’t make ends meet. So she took $100 and started buying things at garage sales and reselling them on Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon. 

In three years, she turned that $100 into a million-dollar business: Marketplace Blueprint. Robyn started an agency six years ago to help businesses—everything from companies that are pre-launch to publicly-traded companies—be successful on Amazon.

Robyn is now one of the foremost leaders on the topic of selling products on Amazon. Her business specializes in listing optimization and advertising on Amazon. Robyn Johnson is nothing short of brilliant. In this episode of Wingnut Social, She shares some of her top tips and tricks to get visibility on Amazon. 

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

• [1:38] Wingnut Academy is launching SOON!
• [3:06] Mini News Sesh: Instagram’s “link in bio” tool
• [7:05] Learn more about Robyn Johnson
• [9:52] How an Amazon storefront benefits interior designers
• [12:38] What should an interior designer publish?
• [19:20] How to become a #1 Best-Seller on Amazon
• [25:46] The basics of SEO on Amazon
• [26:54] When you should launch an Amazon shop
• [33:14] Create a store or be an affiliate marketer?
• [34:26] How to set up an Amazon storefront
• [37:36] The What Up Wingnut Round!
• [39:21] How to connect with Robyn Johnson
• [43:39] Blooper Reel!

Connect with Robyn Johnson

• Marketplace Blueprint
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on Twitter
• Robyn’s Podcast

Resources & People Mentioned

• Get FREE shipping on your first order from Article 
• Sign up for Wingnut Academy updates!
• Check out Episode #258 with Julianne Hendrickson
• Sign up for the next Wingnut Webinar
• Writers Access
• How to Become an Amazon Seller
• Amazon Seller University
• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing
• The 14 Guiding Principles of Amazon
• Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination
• Get Robyn’s 20 page listing optimization guide for Amazon
• Get a FREE mini-audit of your listing

How an Amazon storefront benefits interior designers

The first thing you can do is self-publish a book on Amazon. Why does it matter? Because writing a book can catapult your career forward. Being a published author can help you get speaking engagements. It lends you credibility and brings in warm leads. 

Robyn says you can’t short-change the power of Kindle. When Robyn published her first book, she printed books to give to people at a conference because they may throw away a business card but they won’t throw away a book. It was memorable and helped solidify her as an authority figure in the space.

Secondly, you can create and sell your own branded products in an Amazon store. If you use the same piece repeatedly in your designs, you can contact the brand and see if they’ll let you sell a white-label version as part of your personal brand. Many companies are open to this. 

If you’re looking for a brand that’s trying to find influencers, look for those that are active on Amazon. Many are embarrassed and afraid to seek out influencers. The worst they can say is no—but they’ll often say yes.

When should you launch an Amazon shop?

You can list as little as one item on Amazon. But Robyn notes that you need to aim to sell 40 items per month to break even on the $40 monthly fee it costs to be a professional seller. Amazon takes anywhere from 8–20% of the total cost of the product. If Amazon ships the item for you, you’ll pay storage fees as well as shipping fees based on the size and weight of the product (but likely still cheaper than shipping the product yourself). It can help you lower overall costs and increase your margins. 

Any product you buy legitimately can be sold on Amazon. As long as the good is authentic, you’re welcome to sell it at any price you want. But take note—if Amazon feels the price is too high, they’ll make it more difficult for customers to buy. 

Robyn points out that you will get better margins selling on your own website. However, if you have a high-demand product that people are looking for, keep in mind that some people will only shop on Amazon. Amazon has a ready-made base of buyers. It can help you grow your brand because users have already built a level of trust with Amazon. 

What could you sell that differentiates you or is irreplaceable? How do you become a seller on Amazon? Robyn shares the secret to becoming a #1 best-seller on Amazon listen to find out what it is!

Connect With Darla & Wingnut Social

• www.WingnutSocial.com
• On Facebook
• On Twitter: @WingnutSocial
• On Instagram: @WingnutSocial
• Darla’s Interior Design Website
• Check out the Wingnut Social Media Lab Facebook Group!
• 786-206-4331 (connect with us for your social media marketing needs)

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