Can you believe September is now half over?! It still feels like August to me. Perhaps because I know the Holiday Shopping Season is just around the corner! It will sneak up on us fast, so we have to make sure our shops are ready now! Halloween is, of course, my favorite holiday and I have been getting ready for it since the of the summer. I'm sure it will pass by in a blur when it actually arrives - it usually does. After the ghouls have left us for another year, Christmas will be the main focus of many - I even saw Canadian Tire setting up for it last weekend!
In the past week at the Marketing Department of Handmade News, we continued to help you get organized with our time-management series, and we interviewed some of the top sellers at Etsy to find out what their marketing strategies are. Why not learn from those who have already had great success with their handmade business?
Here's a recap of the articles posted last week:
Making your Fan Page Work for You
In this article, Libby shares with us how she's made her Facebook Fan Page so successful! There's lots of helpful hints and how-to's that you wont want to miss! Make sure you're getting the most of your fan page by check out this article.
Marketing Strategies Interview with Jeanette of Umecrafts
Jeanette of Umecrafts has had a great response on Etsy with almost 4200 sales since 2007! In this article she shares the marketing strategies she uses to get the word out about her super cute shop.
Marketing Strategies Interview with Jessica of Mia Joie
Even though Jesscia's Etsy shop, Mia Joie, has only been around since March 15, 2008, she has no shortage of sales! With over 790 sales, her part-time business is quickly becoming a full-time adventure! In this article she shares her marketing strategies with us. Anyone who can make such a huge impact on Etsy, in such a short period of time, can surely help other handmade sellers.
Marketing Strategies Interview with Lisa of Savor
Savor on Etsy is run by Mike and Lisa, a husband and wife team of soap-makers. Since opening in their Etsy shop in fall of 2007, this tag team duo has had over 15,110 sales! When you visit their shop you'll be drawn in by all the yummy sounding soaps, body butter, mists, and more! You may think that a shop like this would market itself, but there's always lots of things going on in the background. In this article, Lisa joins us for an interview to discuss how Savor is marketed.
Make Every Listing a Landing Page
A landing page is meant to catch your viewer's attention, make them want your product or service, and make a purchase. Why can't your listings be landing pages! Kristin thinks you can turn each and every listing into a marketing tool, and after reading this, you will think so too!
Marketing Strategies Interview with Christina and Courtney of White Owl
White Owl is a shop on Etsy owned by two sisters, Christina and Courtney. These sisters have a big heart for handmade and often "rescue" their materials at estate sales, flea markets and even their own grandmother! Since opening their shop in 2008, they have had over 530 sales! There is some really tough competition in the handmade jewelry category. In this article, the sisters of White Owl share how they are able to thrive with such competition.
Stop Feeling Guilty for Not Marketing Enough
If you're feeling overwhelmed with all the marketing tasks on your to do list, and feel like you're just keeping your head above water, it's time to read this article. This article is a continuation of the time-management series from last week and is not to be missed! Unless, of course, you don't mind feeling stressed out and are THISCLOSE to burning out ;)
September is in full swing and I know I'm not the only shop owner who's "to do list" keeps growing with preparations for the upcoming holidays - Halloween and Christmas being the big ones, but I haven't forgotten about Talk Like a Pirate Day either (Arrr!).
Last week in the Marketing Department of Handmade News, we focus not only on the latest marketing strategies, but we also showed you how to get it all done! The week was all about being productive and efficient! This week we will continue to bring you the latest news that you need to know about to get the word out about your online shop!
In case you missed last week's articles, here's a recap for you:
Artfire Launches Coupon Codes For Verified Sellers
The moment we've all been waiting for! Artfire shop owners can now set up coupon codes for their online shop! This feature is exactly what Artfire shops need for the upcoming holiday season! If you want to know more about coupon codes, including helpful tips and tricks, check out this article by Libby!
Twiteeps - Jump start your Twitter account!
We all know we should be using Twitter but is your Twitter account up to par? In this article, Susan helps us ensure our Twitter accounts make the grade and are set up to help bring customers to our shops. This is a must read for all Twitter users! Even advanced Twitter users will find at least a few helpful hints in this article.
How To Have A Sale For Your Craft Business Online
Have you had a sale lately? With the state of the economy, more and more people are looking for a deal and many handmade shops are suffering. Many buyers of handmade goods want to continue to support small, handmade businesses, but it can be hard. Help give your potential customers a reason to take a second look at your shop. Running a sale can be easy and bring in those extra sales we all need. Check out this article by Kristin to find out how to pull off a sale without going broke!
Promote Your Artfire or Etsy Shop More in Less Time
We all have more tasks than time. This is just a fact of life, especially for shop owners who have other full or part time commitments. In this article, I share one of the ways I'm able to complete a large number of marketing tasks while still having time to be creative in the studio. I have received great feedback about this article (a few of my online friends have even printed it!), so go check it out for yourself. Trust me, if there is one thing you should make time for, it's learning new ways to be productive in less time.
Expose Yourself and Give it Away!
We're serious! Expose yourself and give it away! This article has everything you would ever want to know about hosting a giveaway! Many shops have found a good source of sales from giveaways and you can too! Susan takes us through the process from start to finish, and sprinkles in helpful hints along the way.
A System for Organizing Marketing Tasks to Help You Accomplish More
A continuation from my last article, this article covers another extremely effective strategy for staying on top of your marketing and business tasks. This strategy can be applied to both online and offline tasks so you don't want to miss out on this one! Several of my online friends have already started implementing this simple, yet effective strategy. If you've been feeling overwhelmed and stressed out that you're not accomplishing everything you want to, make time to read this article.
Marketing Strategies Interview with Astrid of SweetHeartSinner DIY Creations
One of the top sellers on Etsy took the time to talk to me about her marketing strategies. She has had over 11,120 sales since September of 2006. Anyone who has that many sales knows what they are doing, and are doing it right! Learn from someone who has already found great success selling her handmade creations online by reading this article.
Can you believe it's September already?! The weather outside feels like November but I think we only had a week of "real" summer weather around here so it feels like it couldn't possibly be September! Some days I still think it's June and that summer hasn't really started at all. I guess that's the Canadian in me! I wait for summer all year long just to have it flash by in a couple hot days and then back to the cold! brr! Thankfully the cold weather hasn't stopped the Marketing Department at Handmade News from coming up with the latest and greatest articles to help handmade artisans promote their Etsy and Artfire shops!
Here's what the team came out with last week.....
1.SpringWidgets, RSS Feeds And You
Have you heard of SpringWidgets yet? If you haven't you're going to be thankful that you have after reading this article! If you're already using SpringWidgets you can still benefit from this article because Libby shares some insider tricks! SpringWidgets are something that are really taking off around the web because of how simply, yet useful they are. They are not only easy to set up but even easier to maintain (they actually maintain themselves)! Check out this article to help get your products out to more people in a visually pleasing and effective way.
2. Advertising Your Craft Business on the Radio
As online business owners, we sometimes forget about all the traditional methods of advertising. Radio ads can be extremely effective and can reach a wide audience. If you're not ready to hit up your local radio station, maybe you would be more comfortable with an online radio station? In this article, Kristin helps us understand why radio ads can be a great way to advertise AND be a ton of fun! You can't beat that right?
3.Tweetips - Double Your Message, Double Your Tweets
Have you ever wanted to get more out of each of your tweets? Some times 140 characters just doesn't seem like enough right? Well, never fear! Sue is here with a quick and simple way to get more out of each tweet! This is a must see article for all of you who have embraced twitter! If you've ever wanted to get double the message from one little tweet, you need to see this article!
4. What's Trust Got to do with it?
No, we're not asking what Tina Turner has been asking for years, "What's love got to do with?!"... oh no, we know what love has to do with being a handmade artists. But we want to know what does TRUST have to do with it?! Kristin explains why trust is a key component that no handmade business can be without!
5. The Artfire Kiosk for Facebook
The best thing to hit the internet since the "Can I haz cheezburger" cats - and a lot more useful! Artfire kick starts our marketing efforts on Facebook for FREE with their brand new application! No profile or fan page should be without this application and Libby breaks down the "how to" for us! She also shares a few valuable tricks that you wont want to miss! If you're using Facebook to promote your online business, you need to read Libby's article to make sure you're maximizing your marketing efforts!
6. Deciding What is Better for Your Business on Facebook - a Group or a Fan Page?
With more and more businesses jumping on the Facebook band wagon sometimes it's hard to know what's right for your business. When a business owner decides to start using Facebook to get the word out about their products they are faced with one huge question - group or fan page? The answer may not be as cut and dry as you would think! Thankfully, Sue helps us break down the pros and cons for each so we can make a more educated decision about how to use Facebook effectively.
7.Why Your Craft Business Should Be Having A Sale
Do you think that you're business isn't "booming" enough to have a sale? Do you think you can't afford to have a sale right now? If "sale" is a scary "4 letter word" to you, it's time you read Kristin's article! She shows us that sales don't have to be scary, and we certainly don't have to lose money by having one! Actually, Kristin shows exactly why a sale (and what kind of sale) will kick your business into high gear! After you've read this article and applied Kristin's suggestions you'll wonder why you didn't have a sale before!
I can't believe another week has gone by already! Time sure does fly when you're bring people the latest and greatest news in handmade marketing!
This week the Marketing Department saw more articles from our new columnists and we even GAINED another new columnist, Sue! Watch for Sue's first HMN articles soon!
I wanted to share with you all the awesome articles that got published last week in the Marketing Department. Here they are:
It's usually not polite to brag but in this article Jill shares why bragging can be a good thing! She also highlights some of the key points in Peggy Klaus new hit book "BRAG".
Some times the best strategy is to just give your handmade goods away! Sounds a bit crazy doesn't? Well, don't think we've lost our minds! Kristin fills us in on why donating your items can work as a successful marketing strategy! Reader be warned - you might end up giving all your currently made products away after reading this article :)
We all get burnt out from time to time but the cycle doesn't have to continue! Jill helps us break the cycle and get out of a rut! You make not feel burnt out now, but this article is definitely worth reading because you never know when you're going to need to know how to get out of that rut!
Do you long to have your works featured in a gallery? Many of us done and Jill help us make that dream a reality! If you've been wondering how to get your works out of your studio and into a gallery, this article is for you!
Libby's article will have you fired up and screaming from the roof tops about how great handmade products are! If you've embraced the handmade lifestyle you'll want to read this article! If you want your friends and family to enjoy the high quality and care that handmade goods provide, this article will help you learn how to spread the word!
Kristin shares the latest promotional tool to hit the handmade scene! This article is a must read if you want to keep your marketing fresh, fun and effective! Not only does Kristin let you know where you can get this latest promotional tool but she also fills you in on why it's so effective! This article is not to be missed.
Kelli has taken our department by storm with the first part of her guerilla marketing series! Guerilla marketing may not be new but it's certainly stood the test of time! Check out what guerilla marketing is and what you should be doing to make it work for your business.
Stay tuned to the Marketing Department of Handmade News to make sure you don't miss a single article! Your business depends on a few vital things and marketing is certainly one of them. We know you'll find something helpful every week from our team and can't wait to hear your feed back. If there is anything you would like to suggest we cover please drop me a line at jamies@handmadenew.org.
