Author Archive
Where to sell your crafts
Posted by: | CommentsDo you need a marketing strategy? I provide craft business support. If you are using the below services and would like to position your crafts higher in the market, please contact me.
Online Venues for Selling Crafts and Handmade Goods
Etsy is probably the largest and most popular of the virtual markets.
Silk Fair opened in February 2008.
Artfire is a newer site
Made It Myself is another new site strictly for handmade only
DaWanda is based in Europe and has a more European focus
Lov.li is based in the US, but also has users worldwide.
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For your consideration…selling your crafts
Posted by: | CommentsDo you need craft business support? I help crafters develop a marketing strategy for promoting their crafts. The information below is a concise checklist. These are the most popular sites for you to consider when using the Internet to sell crafts online.
How to Sell Crafts Online
By Kristy Pruitt
User-Submitted Article
Open a PayPal account
setting up shop at Etsy.com
Sell on eBay
Set up your own website
Promote your offerings
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How to determine if you should sell your crafts
Posted by: | CommentsThis checklist is written for entrepreneurs. It is useful guideline for a crafter to determine if you should sell your crafts.
The 2-Minute Opportunity Checklist for Entrepreneurs
Does your business idea soothe someone’s pain, discomfort, frustration, or dissatisfaction?
Are there lots of those people out there?
Do these people (or companies, or governments) have money to pay for it?
Will they be able to decide quickly to buy your product or service?
Does your idea exploit something about you that is outstanding or unique?
Are there important assets you have that no one else has? (money, access to customers, technology, leadership skills, execution, location, salesmanship, etc.)
Is there something about the idea or its implementation, that compels you to really devote yourself to it?
Can you start up without huge gobs of money?
Can you keep your fixed costs low during launch?
Does your idea lend itself to small incremental steps that can inexpensively generate valuable information as well as at least a little cash?
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Customers Bring You Customers
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Social Media to Support your Marketing Strategy
Customers will drive other customers, so use social networking as a platform to allow them to communicate with each other as well as with the company. Give your customers a voice, let them tell the world why they love your product or your service, and
The world will arrive at your door.
Link Face Space Tweet
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Social Media to Support your Marketing Strategy
After you have established traffic to your website and a following for the blog, enter into the social sites. Create a fan page on Facebook, tweet your company’s happenings or about blog updates, put a complete company profile on MySpace, network with other professionals on Linkdin. No matter how you do it, getting the word out there is crucial. Even so, keep in mind that social media is not all about talking, it is about listening too. Use this platform to hear why your customers are your customers.
They will thank you in sales.
Bring On The Blog
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Social Media to Support your Marketing Strategy
Next, get a blog. There are a ton of blogging platforms out there, and different ones offer different features. At the very basic level you will want your blog to reflect relevant content to your readers. Post information about your company a logo, and to post pictures of what is happening at your company. This is the second main tool that should be used to reach potential and current customers. Your customers are not doing business with your company, they are doing business with the people at your company; the ones answering the phones, reading emails, or packing boxes. Let your customers know who those people are and what they do for you. Even if you are a solopreneur, share, let your customers know about you and how you do business. Let your customers know where you are heading next, and how the company is evolving to help them better. Granted, this is a lot of work but well worth it;
The information that you share about your products and company can drive customers to you in droves.
Every Business Needs a Website
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Social Media to Support your Marketing Strategy
If you do not have a website, get one. Buy a domain name, find a host, and get your name and image out there. A business may survive without a website today, but it certainly is not going to dominate its market. More and more people are becoming web savvy, and
Your business needs to be there to be noticed.
Remember, even though social networks serve a valuable service most do not charge a fee to use them. Buyer beware. Your account and your content are under the discretion of the social network. If you rely solely on, for example Facebook, to build your customer base and “run” your business then Facebook decides to shut down your account, you are “SOL = So Outta Luck.” Social networks should be just that networks you use as a media outlet to focus attention on your website.
Again, you should buy a domain name and pay for web hosting.
Do You Have a Website?
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Social Media to Support your Marketing Strategy
The hardest part of being in business is marketing, especially today with websites, blogs, social sites, tweets, and posts.
Where do you start to use these tools to support the traditional marketing strategies you may already be using?
1. Do you have a website?
2. Do you have a blog?
3. Do you have a Facebook Fan Page?
4. Do you have a profile on Linked In?
5. Do you have a Twitter account?
Time To Team Up
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Social Networking for Market Research
By listening to what customers are saying about your company, a golden nugget of information is out there. Find out what they are saying by using social networking. Then tailor your marketing plan to meet their needs, their wants, and their desires. Doing so will only increase your business and customer loyalty.
Do you find “listening” via social media networks overwhelming?
Team up with me, The Data Digger! I will help you wade through the ocean of conversations out there in the cyberverse.
Create Strong Customer Bonds
Posted by: | CommentsUsing Social Networking for Market Research
Using social media has another advantage over traditional marketing research: new ideas. While your development department or team may be top notch, they cannot think of everything. By listening to your customer base, you just might find the next hot item. You can create more loyalty with the customers you already have. You can draw in new customers that may have never looked at your business before. Customers use your products and services for a reason.
