#733 Boutique Website & Facebook Ads Strategies That Drive Sales

Have you ever been on someone's website and felt like, wow, they nailed it. Their brand is beautiful. I know exactly who their ideal customers are. They have executed things seemingly flawlessly. Well, I don't say that often, you guys, honestly. And I was so impressed by today's guest, Morgan Lancaster, as we talked about her transition of going from a thriving brick and mortar to adding e commerce and selling online into her business model, and how in just one year, she grew from her online business being maybe 5 to 10% of her total revenue to now being 50% of her total revenue. So you're going to learn all about it today with Morgan Lancaster, the founder of Ivy House Boutique. And we're going to dig into all the things that brick and mortar businesses need to know to transition online, including your marketing, your Facebook ads. Yes, she's a part of Boutique Hub Black, but also your photography and how critical it is for photography to be a main staple in your business if you're going to move from brick and mortar to. To online. So get ready to take a ton of notes. Honestly, this was a great interview. Morgan did such a great job. You guys are going to love this. You're going to learn a lot, and you're definitely going to be inspired on how you can do the same. So get ready to meet Morgan Lancaster. Let's get started.

Hey, guys.

Welcome back to the podcast this week. I am excited about this conversation. Morgan, I was snooping all over your website before we got on the podcast today, and so we have a lot to talk about. Thanks for jumping on with me.

Yeah, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Oh, the Boutique of Black team. When I asked them, I was like, okay, I have a couple people that I'm looking at, Boutique of Black, that I really want to invite to the podcast. They're like, Morgan, like, for sure, Morgan. She's got great things happening. So we're going to dig into your story today. Before we get into all of it, though, just give me the background. Like, how did you get into retail? Where did this all come from? I know there's some cows in your background, so I. I need to know all the things.

Yes. So I opened ivy House in 2018. Previously, I had been working for a marketing agency, so that is what my background is in. I worked there for several years. Absolutely loved it. But my husband and I had just moved cities, so I was working remote. I didn't know a soul. I was traveling a lot, and I got a little burnt out with all of that. And just really lonely. So I wanted to just kind of plug into this community, put down roots here and just kind of make this home. So I knew that I always wanted to own a business. I have a very entrepreneurial mindset. But I thought that was going to be way down the line when I was like 50 and had all the time and the money and all the things. But no, it was at 25. So my husband and I were like, well, what have we got to lose? Let's just do it. So we went for it and then the clothing just came really naturally. So I obviously love to shop. I love to play around with style, but I also really love to just build relationships and make people feel like they belong. I was really good at doing that when I work for the agency, which, yes, we were agriculture focused, so lots of dairy cows. And I'm a girl from the city or suburb or whatever you want to call it. So being able to relate to everyone has always just been one of my strengths. So that is kind of how we started. And we've been a brick and mortar from the beginning. So that was always on my list is I wanted a shop. So.

Yes. And you're in Tuscaloosa, is that right?

Yes, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Love it. And how. What year did you get started with the brick and mortar?

2018.

Okay, got it. So you had a little time. Now, one thing I noticed, like, when I go to your website and I kind of know your brand from following you, I feel like you have nailed your customer. Like, you know who you are speaking to and you do it really, really well. What was that evolution like for you? Like, did you from the start have a pretty good sense of who that customer was going to be or did that evolve over time?

A little bit of both. So being in a college town, everything here, all of the boutiques were very college focused, but I have always been a little bit more of an old soul. So I was dressing like a four year old when I was 20, so I really felt like that market was kind of missing here. We had it in some very high end boutiques which are fabulous, but out of my price range as when, you know, when I would be my 20s. So there was really a gap in the marketplace here in Tuscaloosa. So I knew that even, you know, my demographic was going to be a little bit older than me. That has always kind of been the goal is to serve moms and grandmas who have kids living in the house typically. And we also serve our high school and Middle school students too, who want to shop at the same place that their mom wants to shop at. So it's really fun to see, you know, three generations of moms or three generations of women all shopping together.

And you can see like you do that so well. And it's honestly an underserved demographic. Like when I think about all the boutiques that I know inside of the boutique hub, you know, everyone has their niche, but this niche, I don't see as many people really doing well. So, I mean, kudos to you for nailing that demographic and clearly your background in marketing is aiding in all of the process because I feel like the photography, even like everything you do seems to be very clean, clear, consistent, concise. How has that evolved? Just consistency in your branding and photography over time?

Yeah. So marketing was always important to me from the start. I wanted it to look really polished, really branded, but also relational. You know, we're not a huge corporation, we're a small business. We wanted our customers to see the real people behind it too, but also, you know, just have a really like chic and sophisticated branding with that too. So. I've always loved photography. I think I've dabbled in it forever, but, you know, that came naturally. But then just marketing, I was always working on these other brands. And yes, we worked in agriculture, but we also worked with healthcare and small businesses and some really high end industries too. So I kind of got to see it all and decide like, what I wanted for my business. Yeah.

So what advice would you give to somebody thinking about just photography and how to make it? As you say, you've dabbled for a long time. If someone's newer to that game and they're like, wow, Morgan's photos are really beautiful and they all look and feel the same. They're crisp, they're clear. What advice would you give to somebody who's wanting to achieve that in their business?

Buy a camera. I know everybody's listening. My iPhone's fine and it probably is fine, but if you want to take it to the next level, buy a camera. And we started out with a Canon Rebel, which is not a very expensive camera, but you can still get a really good look with it. And then we've upgraded over the years of course too. So I'm trying to think of the name of what we have. Canon EOS R6. It's a little bit more top of the line. It's very much an investment, but I think it took our photography to the next level too. Yeah.

The photos are so clear. What about the background. Like, the background's beautiful. You're, like, posing, like, what background advice do you have? And then posing advice as well.

It has all come down to a strategy. There is a science behind everything we do, every pose that we do, but also efficiency too. So we are a small team trying to get a lot done in a small amount of time. So our poses are, again, very strategized. Our background, we move our permanent jewelry station in our store and do it right there in front of the window. But we also. We use the natural light. But then we've got a blocker to, like, even it out. We've got, you know, some things that surround us to just kind of even out that lighting. But it's really a lot in the editing too. So using Lightroom to get the colors correct, brighten it up. That is honestly a hard part, especially when you're selling clothes to get the color correct. The dust doesn't always pick up correctly on camera. Yeah.

How about, like, process wise, I'm sure you have a constant flow of new arrivals. I know both the brick and mortar and the online side of your business have been growing and scaling. So what's the system of getting everything photographed in time?

Yeah, so I feel like we're running behind 90% of the time, but we shop really early for everything. So we're already shopping spring. We started shopping spring in June, and so we're actually getting those arrivals in December and January, but we're not putting them out until March. So we have a backstock of just things that we're just sitting on, and that's just kind of become the flow. It kind of. It started during COVID on accident and then ended up working out really well because we're able to get everything in piece together. Our collections, what we want to show all together versus getting in a box, throwing it up on the website, throwing it out on the floor. Everything's very curated. So we have a wall of one offs in the back is what we call them. Just one of everything that we have in a box. We'll pull that down for our next collection. Shoot it while we're shooting and I'm editing. We've got a girl doing our descriptions. We've got a girl who is measuring everything and putting that into a graphic to put on the website. So it's a lot of processes that just come together and make it whole.

Well, it's come together and it's made your website beautiful and I'm sure been a huge piece of just driving traffic. So I know when you started the brick and mortar, wasn't the website and the online sales yet, and now what would you say the split between your brick and mortar and online sales are?

So it's. Before last year, before we started with Boutique Black, it was like 5, maybe 10% on a good month, and now it's minimum 50%, sometimes more. And our brick and mortar is just as strong. So it's. It's been insane to really see that growth and just experience those growing pains of how do we transition to this? That's a massive thing. Store customer.

Well, yeah, that's a massive change on a lot of fronts. So let me just read 5 to 10% online, and now it's 50%. That's huge. So what, like, first of all, what do you attribute that to? You said Boutique of Black, but I mean, sure, photography, I'm sure your website, but then just understanding how much traffic you need in order to generate those sales. What really started it for you a.

Year ago, honestly, it was the Facebook ads. So we. I'm very thankful that we had those years of perfecting our website and our. Our processes and all that, but we would. We were kind of working backwards, so we would put it out on the floor and then say, oh, we need to get pictures and that and put it on the website. And we were working backwards. And so by the time we got on the website, we might have one or two left and it wasn't even worth it. So now everything goes on the website first. We run an ad to it first, and then it hits the floor. And sometimes it never does hit the floor because we just don't have the space for it. But yeah, I mean, the Facebook ads for sure, but having that foundation of being a website that people think looks legit and want to buy from, I think really served us well, too.

One of the most commonly asked questions I get when people are ready to scale their business is, am I ready for Facebook ads? Meta ads, Instagram ads, Pinterest ads, you name it. And the question I also get from those who have already scaled their business is, how do I further optimize my ads to make sure I'm making the most money possible? Well, after reviewing this question with literally thousands of you, my team and I came up with something we wanted to share. Over a year ago, we started building out a program called Boutique Hub Black, our highest level, most stealth, most intense program for those of you who are really ready to scale and achieve maximum traffic. Inside of Boutique Hub Black, we have an opportunity to optimize your platform for conversions to really make sure your organization, Organic Traffic is working and then teach you how to run your very own paid traffic. We want to put you in the driver's seat to control all the traffic that is driving to wherever your conversion is happening. So if you've wanted to learn how to run ads, this is your opportunity. Inside of Boutique Black. You will have your very own personalized one on one coach that is going to help you analyze what's working and what's not in your business right now. You'll have access to one on one coaching opportunities to two live group calls, a week with your fellow Boutique Black students and an opportunity to have some security placed inside of your meta account. A ghost admin cyber security opportunity to help you just in case you ever get hacked. There is this and so much more inside of Boutique Hub Black and we're ready to start pouring the traffic on your business. If this sounds like you, let me know. I'm going to drop the link to Boutique Hub Black. An opportunity to sign up for a free discovery call just to analyze if your business is ready for the program. I hope to see you inside. Let's grow your business. Yeah, that's I again, I'm going to reiterate, reiterate what you just said because I think it's so critical and it's a big misconception. I think a lot of brick and mortar stores feel like, oh, if I, if I build a website, they will come. If I build a website and I just throw these random photos up there, people will buy it. Or if I, you know, put it on the floor first because it's instant cash and they want that instant gratification, then it'll sell on the website. But to your point, it's actually opposite. Do you feel like having the website be successful, you have to have someone literally put the key in the lock, open the door, turn on the lights and operate it every single day? What does that look like?

Yeah, so I think it was a podcast. It might have been a Boutique Hub podcast where Josh Orr was on and he yeah, our brick and mortar is super successful. So we, I kind of felt like we had hit a point where I don't know how we're going to grow because I just feel like we've kind of stalled out. We've got to either get online and make that work or we're just going to be stuck. And the reason that our we, you know, we're kind of dabbling in ads. Our SEO is really where a lot of our sales were coming from just for that 5 to 10%. But he made the point that why do people buy from you in store? You have to bring that same experience online. And so we did. And that was. That's hard to do, but it's so necessary to. To make those online sales. You have to really relate to your customer just like you do in store.

Yeah, it's gotta be the same experience. And it's funny. I hope everyone checks out your website after this. Sorry we're gonna mess with your pixel, but we want people to see. I mean, I get the sense of what your storefront would be just by experiencing that online site. So I think you've done a really good job with that. Tell me about starting ads. What was that process like for you? Was it overwhelming at first or how did you feel like that grew for your company?

It was very overwhelming because, yes, I did some Facebook ads when I worked at the agency that was obviously pre2018. So much has changed. I mean, it looks like a totally different platform. I didn't know what I was doing. I felt like I was starting at zero ads wise. And so just the guidance from the coaches. I think at the time it was Jeff and maybe Zoe was hopping on some of the calls at that point and then joining the group calls and the Q&As. It was just kind of like, all right, well, let's start it at this amount and hope we see some traction. And we did. So.

Oh, my gosh. So what did you notice first started to work? Like, what types of ads were you running? What were you testing? Where did you start to go, oh, there's legs here. We're going to run with this.

Honestly, it was our catalog ad, so that was the first ad that we really put a lot of space money into and just had it constantly updating with our new arrivals. And it's still running. I think it's still where most of our sales come from, but then it's supplemented with, you know, graphics and videos and other types of content too. But I think it's our top of funnel catalog ad that just continues to. To work.

Yeah. And again, reiterating. It works because of the content that you have and that process that you built from the start for sure. What about brick and mortar ads? Are you running ads to get traffic to the brick and mortar as well?

Yeah, we have a Google traffic ad running, so that is bringing in a lot of people there. We have. I think one of our Facebook ads is targeting just local people because it's a game day ad. And so that is bringing in a lot of people from that. But yeah, I think our Google Ad is. I think we spend like $5 a day or something. And so, yeah, like I said, our traffic is picked up in store and I think just in general, people are, are remembering that we're there.

Yeah. Just staying top of mind when they're ready to purchase, right? Yeah.

And we've seen a lot of people come back that maybe live a little bit farther out and kind of forgot about us. And they're like, oh, I keep seeing your ads. And so they're driving 30 minutes to come to our part of town.

How has that, I mean, like, just staying top of mind, having ads, being more visible. How has that changed the rest of your business? Like daily systems, processes, maybe how you plan and buy inventory now that you have this new traffic source. How has that changed everything else?

It has changed every bit of it. It has been honestly, the biggest obstacle has been that growing pain. First staffing, making sure that our in store customers are still being served well. So making sure that our customers are still being served well in store. What we kept see happening, my manager would text me and be like, well, so and so came in and they would have bought more, but we didn't have their size because we had already sold it online. And so we got to a point where our. I was like, we're not going to have any Easter dresses left for our in store customer. I don't want to be the boutique in town that doesn't have any Easter dresses the week before Easter. So we were going really wide at this time and we had to figure out how to go deeper, but not so deep that, you know, we were over buying. And so that was a really hard strategy to figure out. And we're still trying to figure that out of just where do we go deep? How wide do we continue to buy? How much, you know, yeah. Can we really afford to take on and still grow without.

You know, being overwhelmed? Because it's going to happen at some point. I feel like of we realize, like, oh my goodness, we've overbought right now. We're just trying to get enough, you know. So that has been a really hard growing pain to figure out.

Cash flow is a big growing pain. When you, when you find something that's hot, you have to be able to figure out the cash flow to run with it and go a little bit deeper. And to your point, you don't want to get stuck with what's left. Do you have someone helping you manage inventory or are there reports or apps or tools that you're using that you're like, ah, this is helpful in, in me figuring all of this out.

So I don't let anybody else do something that I haven't figured out how to do myself. So. And I know that I probably should. I do need help like that inquiry. But I'm trying to dig so deep into it, to figure it out on my own so that I just understand all the ins and outs of it. Because at the end of the day, like I'm making the buying decisions and I love it. I love this strategy. I love digging into my numbers. I love the whole just business aspect of buy. So that is honestly something that I'm working through right now and I hope to get a handle on this fall.

Oh, man. Well, one piece at a time, right? Yes. What advice would you give to someone who's listening that is a brick and mortar and they're really wanting to grow online. What are maybe one or two things where you're like, you need to start here and perfect this in order for the online to catch up to the brick and mortar?

Yeah, I think getting the photography down because I've, you know, there are some people out there who are just going to buy because it's a small business and they like and they want to support or whatever, but the majority of people are really skeptical about where they input their debit card number online. And so it does need to look really polished. It needs to look like the cert, you know, look like a corporation, but get the service that you would of a small business. So you've got to look trustworthy. I think that's number one for sure. And then just do it, Just make it happen. I know I have a great team, but we're still very short staff, we're very small and we can all get it done. So you just make it happen.

Yeah. One piece at a time. When everyone checks out your website, what theme is your website on and what platform are you using?

So I'm on Shopify and the theme is Impulse.

Okay. Because it's beautiful. When I go through a lot of times in retail bootcamp, I do a lot of website audits, like front end website audits. Boutique of Black does a lot of backend website audits. And if anyone could notice this about your website, I would say understanding the clear sections you have, like the beauty of how you connect to who your customer is and your hero and then how your new arrivals fall, I think is Just so well done. And the feature of collections on your website as well, sometimes I think it gets a little messy or lost and we forget like, those are really the three most important sections we have. And then another piece that a lot of brick and mortars miss is making sure the brick and mortar is featured on the website. And you do a good job of featuring that as well.

Yeah, and I'll speak to that too. Just the new arrivals alone. Sometimes I go to websites and it's three pages of jeans and jewelry before I can even see. I'm not here for jeans and jewelry to find what I'm looking for. Yeah, even our new arrivals collection is curated just like we would in store, you know, in our own, our rack. We've got a top, a bottom, another top you'd wear with that bottom that complements this. Maybe a jacket to put over it. You know, everything is very curated in store. We do that online too.

Yeah. So to double down on that, because that's key. You've uploaded them like the order that they've been loaded in terms of new arrivals is in the outfit.

Yes.

So you're right. So many websites don't do that. You just see like, oh, today they loaded jewelry, today they loaded. It's all new, but yours is very specific. So from one photo to the next, I can see, oh, I would wear this with that. Or I was noticing recently you had like, I'm say two tank tops, like black and white, and then like two or three different skirts that would go with them. And so all of that was loaded in order. So I'm thinking average order value wise. I'm going to order multiple pieces because I can see how they all work together. And that's got to be a huge lift in your online sales. And. And your aov.

Yeah, it's really fun to see the orders come through and they added that handbag and I'm like, oh, that's gonna look so cute together because we put it right there next to it. That's exactly right.

I love it.

We just make it easy, make it.

Easy, solve their problems for sure. All right, Morgan, I've got a couple of lightning round questions for you. Are you ready for this?

Ready.

Okay, good. All right, first things first, I give you two hours back in your day to focus on income generating activity. What do you focus on first?

Oh, that is a really hard question. So honestly, I would probably go work the sales floor.

I. I do so much on the back end that sometimes I see my customers and they're like, well, you're never here. And I'm like, I am. I'm in the back.

And our girls on the store on the floor are so great. But nobody can make a sale. Like the owner can make a sale, you know, or just build that relationship like the owner or even my store manager can. So I would go work the sales floor, take a break.

I love it. So gratifying. So good.

All right.

What is the unsexiest but most impactful process in your business?

Probably it's going to be digging into the numbers and looking at how ads are performing and deciding, you know, what needs to. What needs to come down and what needs to be re merchandised and just digging into all of that and also writing down the strategies. So like I said, we have a process for everything, and that is all written down. So that is, you know, not sexy at all.

But it has to be done is key. The SOP is key. Have you found, out of curiosity, you've been in Boutique of Black probably a year. Somewhere in there, do you find, like, now it takes you less time? Like you started working with Jeff and Zoe and doing the one on ones now do you find, like, your one on ones take such less time because you're like, oh, I have a process for that or a better understanding of that.

So typically when I get on a call, I'm there to ask a specific question. You know, something's not working right or I need help with something or I'm ready to try the next thing that we haven't tried yet. So, yeah, it's taking a lot less time than it did in the beginning.

Yeah.

And even just running the ads, I mean, we know it's all set up. We just have to plug in the creative.

Yeah. So good. What's been the best advice that you've received that always sticks with you?

Probably just to make it happen. I think that it was an old boss who was just encouraging. I don't even think she probably remembers saying it, but set a goal, make it happen. Have a dream. Make it happen. Is it going to be scary? Yes. Is it going to be a risk?

Yes.

But you can't take your business to the next level. And I would argue you can't survive in this business if you are not willing to take those risks.

For sure. For sure. Well, on that note, what's been the hardest lesson you've had to learn in business?

So I think the hardest lesson is not to worry about what anybody else is doing or what anybody else is saying. So I love to follow other Stores, of course, because I love to shop at other places, too. But I can't get focused on what they're doing, who they're serving, that they're bigger or better or whatever. I am only focused on being better ourselves and doing better than we did last year or last month.

And you can see that. Like, again, you can see that when I go and look at your content, because so many boutiques look like one another. They're just a repeat of, I think this person's doing this to be successful. I'm gonna do the same thing or buy the same thing or carry the same brand. And I don't see that at all. When I look at your content, it looks like this is your brand, which is very unique. So well done. You're doing great.

Thanks.

Yeah. Very good. All right, well, last question I have, and it's really kind of the big question, and it's. You know, the whole reason that we're here is not just to sell products, right? Not just to sell widgets or sling clothes, but there's a bigger, bigger mission in life. So as you kind of look at your life, business journey, all of it, and you fast forward 30 years from now, and you're on the front porch with your family and your friends, and you're kind of talking about old days and reliving the business. I'm just curious.

It's all right.

I'm just curious. What's the thing that you want them to remember most about you and the way that you lived in, the way that you ran the business?

You know, I think I most want people to just remember that this was a place of belonging. Like, no matter who you are, where you've been, you will always be in my circle. I'll always treat you like my friend. That's really just the core of our business. Like you said, we're not just here to sell clothes. I'm here to build relationships first, serve people first. And I just want them to leave full of joy and full of the spirit and just create that atmosphere of. Of just joy.

Awesome, man. Well, Morgan, this has been so good. Thanks for taking us behind the scenes. I love watching you continue to grow and thrive and do all the things. So keep up the awesome work, and I'll link up all the information in the show notes for you guys today as well.

Yes, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me, Ashley.

You bet.

Thanks for listening, guys. I hope you took away all kinds of nuggets and new ideas from this week's episode. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating and review. We love to hear your feedback and give you a chance to be featured on the show each and every week. For more information on our spirit of community over competition and to access guest downloads and bonuses and all the resources we talked about on the show, head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community. We'll see you next week.