Grow your business: Marketing your jewelry online

February 19, 2009

The most important part of growing your business is marketing. We’ll take a look at some pointers for getting the word out about the craft jewelry you make. Today let’s start with marketing online.

dollar_bill1

The more people that know about your jewelry, the more you can sell. Get noticed.

That’s marketing. Now with that out of the way, let’s move on: How do you make people aware of the stuff you’re selling? You could have a yard sale, but since you’re reading my advice through the Internet, let’s go right to the most sensible idea…

Be easily found. Online.

This means two related things. Have an online store. (If you don’t, how are people going to give you money?) And make sure people go there. (If they don’t, how are you going to have a business at all?) Luckily, both are simple to do nowadays. Read on.

Where to sell online

Here’s a short list of suggestions, but hang out on any crafts or jewelry discussion site and you’ll hear other valuable recommendations!

  • Etsy: The best-known shopping site for handmade stuff. Etsy offers you a ton of help, it doesn’t cost very much, it’s not hard to create a beautiful-looking store of your own, and there’s an existing community of fiercely loyal Etsians.
  • ArtFire: “Sell without fees. Create without limits.”
  • 1000 Markets: A newer site that works like Etsy: their home page features an ever-rotating selection of members’ stores and products. There’s lots of good buzz about this site.
  • Crafty Nation: Even newer, and full of enthusiasm and original ideas. (They had a “site-warming party”. You can submit your items to be reviewed. You can find people to collaborate with.) Worth checking out!

How to get noticed

Hang out where the people are. Yes, here too it’s all about community. And the more you hang out, the more you’ll hear of other places people like. Very serious advice: it may surprise you, but the single best way to attract eyeballs ‘n’ wallets online is to be a valued part of people’s lives. Better not stand around shouting, “Ooh ooh, I’ve got this for sale! And this! C’mon and buy something from me!!” Don’t lose your cool–connect with people. If you’ll take the time to show interest in what others are saying, naturally they’re going to spend more time paying attention to you. And to your wares!

Again there’s a very short list of obvious places to be:

Twitter: The fastest-growing, liveliest place to network with people whose interests relate to yours. It’s fun, too–you have to put your thoughts into 140 characters (letters) or less. A neat way to learn to express yourself clearly and reach many, many hearts and minds. You can include links to your store, or to any web pages you think are worth sharing. (Be sure to follow Rings_Things there, that’s us!)

Facebook or MySpace: These two are the biggest, best-known sites for reaching out to folks who might want to hear you. An advantage that both have over Twitter: you can personalize your page with pictures, music, or just about anything you want. Drawback: those hefty pages can take a long time to load on your visitors’ screens, and they may annoy people over 30.

Jewelry / craft blogs: Start one of your own. Use WordPress, or Live Journal, or Xanga, or whatever. (Google “how to start a blog” for all the guidance you’ll need.) And hang out reading & making comments at other people’s blogs of related interest. They’re likely to start conversations with you, quote you, and link to your blog or your store. Again, have something to say that’s useful, interesting and to the point. And in blog world, you need to be a regular…if people enjoy what you say, they’ll come back looking for you. Don’t be a stranger!

Discussion forums: Similar to blog land, you can join a few favorite discussion boards about jewelry making, beads, etc. They’re everywhere. (For an example, see Rings & Things’ Forum.) Usually when you join, you can set up your profile to link to your online store, blog, or both. Here too, be helpful and friendly, and attract good attention.

There are tons more of advice to share about particular ways of using the Internet for your business. But what you just read is the bare basics that’ll get you up and going. There’s time to learn more after you take those first steps.

Have some hard-won advice on what’s worked or not worked for you in selling jewelry? Share it in a comment below!

Exciting news: every month, we’re going to hold a lottery right here on the Rings & Things blog. Here’s how it will work:
*At the beginning of each month, I’ll announce a new lottery.
*You enter by leaving Replies, also known as blog comments. Comment on any post(s) this month.

*At the end of the month, I’ll randomly draw 2 names to receive surprise goodie packs!

*Dollar-bill image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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8 Comments

  • Reply magnetlady28 February 19, 2009 at 3:16 pm

    Good advise. That is also lots of fun to do. I love blogging.
    http://www.bevsjewelry.blogspot.com

  • Reply Dawno February 19, 2009 at 3:16 pm

    I’d add to the blogging bit, ‘be sure to use tags!” Blogger, with it’s connection to Google seems to bring in hits on my site based on the tags I use with each post. I’d also say link frequently to your sources, other sites that inspire you. You get noticed, searched and appreciated for doing that.

  • Reply justatish February 19, 2009 at 3:42 pm

    Thank you for sharing this advice!
    If I may, I would also love to add –
    http://www.stumbleupon.com – add their toolbar to your browser. This is a great way to put your blog or webpage into the ever churning line up of suggested site out there.
    http://www.digg.com – here is another site that you can use to push your information to the top. If you have a great informational blog that you want to share with someone, Digg it!
    look for directory submission sites. There are alot of free ones out there. Add your site to their roster.
    some free examples –
    http://www.dmoz.org/
    http://www.yahoo.com (google.com and msn.com)
    craigslist.com now has an arts/crafts section
    get involved in charities looking for donations – offer to donate for their auctions – that is free advertising on their site, and also at the event – make sure you send your business cards with the donated item!
    Good Luck!!!

  • Reply Swati February 20, 2009 at 12:36 am

    I didn’t know that Rings & Things has a forum too! I’ll be sure to visit it soon. 🙂
    Swati

  • Reply fireseed February 20, 2009 at 2:52 am

    Oh I thought you were giving away money!! ;o)
    For anyone who’s got online stores it’s easy to check with Google Analytics where people are coming from to see your listings. Using some kind of statistic checker can really help you see which of your marketing techniques is drawing the most attention.
    I know the glass forums I belong to have show and tells, so guessing that jewellery and other art form forums do the same. The trick is to make sure you have the item in your online store before you post it in the show and tell. That way if someone falls in love with it, it’s really easy for them to make the purchase.
    Great blog post Rings & Things!

  • Reply Dave February 20, 2009 at 7:27 am

    Wow, excellent feedback already. This post really got people talking!
    It’s great to hear testimony from “real live” people like magnetlady28 and Dawno that blogging works and is fun.
    Justatish brings up some more great social-media sites, and I’d only add that some of them are bookmarking sites. I sang the praises of these in another recent “Grow your business” post.
    Swati and fireseed give an idea how well people love discussion forums — it’s only a matter of finding the one(s) that really speak to you, and work for you.
    Google Analytics is a really superb, and free, tool that I’ll have to write about soon. It can help you tailor your online store and/or blog to perform wonderfully! Like fireseed, I recommend it once you’ve done the work of setting up your pages.

  • Reply Dan M March 2, 2009 at 10:08 am

    We love etsy. There are so many cool ideas that polymer clay artists come up with.

  • Reply Dave March 13, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    By the way, Rings & Things has just put up a page of tips for growing your craft/jewelry business! You can click from a link there to submit your own biz tips, and we might use them on that page!

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