Getting Started
At first, Cecilia Davoren made soaps because she loved the feel compared to store-bought products. Then, she discovered soapmaking was a way to raise money to support a cause she cared about, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the 13th Judicial District.
After people began requesting more of the handmade soaps from the fundraisers, Elizabeth “Liz” Davoren, Cecilia’s daughter-in-law, encouraged Cecilia to start a business.
Together, they launched Artesana Soaps in August 2015. In 2019, Artesana opened a storefront in historic downtown Camden, Ark., after being home-based for four years.
The distinct personalities of the owners and their employee, Alyssa Avant, come through in their soaps’ colors and fragrances.
Alyssa is young and daring, creating soaps full of color and happy designs. Liz uses bright colors with an energetic vibe but also has a romantic side, reflected by soft pastels and a lot of pink. Cecilia favors natural colors scented by essential oils.
The variety means Artesana provide a product to suit just about everyone!
Online Marketing Success
To promote its brand and products, Artesana relies heavily on online marketing.
The business is a long-time client of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at Southern Arkansas University. Kristen Cribb, business consultant at the SAU center, recently asked Cecilia to share some of the keys to their success attracting and engaging customer online.
How does Artesana bring its brand to life online?
Cecilia would describe Artesana’s brand as fresh, light, and rejuvenating. While not “in-your-face,” the brand comes across as full of life, and the owners are always open to new ideas.
They have built their online presence through a website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more recently, TikTok. Their audience’s favorite content is videos, though sometimes a picture will surprise them with the amount of reactions.
Speaking of videos, Avant convinced the owners that having a TikTok would bring the brand followers. Although Liz had some reservations about the platform after a personal experience, they allowed Alyssa to create the TikTok and manage the new medium.
Within a week of being on the platform, they started receiving orders.
As of March 2021, one year after joining TikTok, they had 526,000 followers and reached 10.6 million likes, thanks to Alyssa’s eye for putting together the marketing materials and creating and editing the videos.
View the Artesana TikTok video that first hit one million views here.
View their most popular TikTok video (7.3 million views) here.
How much time and effort goes into maintaining the different online platforms?
The website is the easiest, Cecilia says, as they have chosen a very user-friendly e-commerce platform, Shopify.
When they update the site to include new products, they might be looking at two to three hours for pictures, editing, and uploading. If they are just doing a restock, it might take five to ten minutes.
What takes the most time is social media.
For example, the TikTok platform only allows videos of up to one minute, which means editing takes longer. Investing time in choosing the best shots ensures that their audience will love it.
Is all the effort worth it?
In short, YES! Even through the pandemic and closing their store temporarily in 2020, Artesana Soaps saw a 15% growth in overall sales from 2019 to 2020.
Comparing January and February 2021 to the same time last year, they more than doubled their sales.
Cecilia says that about 80% of their sales are from e-commerce.
Artesana does not currently ship to international customers — though they have had fans ask for shipments to Ireland, Indonesia, Australia, Dubai, and more.
They have shipped some products to family living in France and Mexico, and if they can find more affordable shipping overseas, they would definitely consider it since so many of their fans keep asking.
Until then, they will continue shipping within the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii!
What words of advice do you have for small business owners considering e-commerce?
Cecilia says to “find a niche.” Identifying a target audience and building social media platforms with them in mind is what is going to lead to e-commerce success.
If photography and video skills are not great, Cecilia advises to hire someone or take classes. Spending time or resources to have high-quality videos and photos will pay off in the end.
Above all, she says to be authentic and original. Let the customers know who the business is.
To learn more about Artesana Soaps, visit its website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok.