Are You Signed up for Our What an awesome resource. Thanks lunametrics...
Note: Be aware that some websites (notably Facebook) change things OFTEN. Here's to hoping they stop being a moving target for awhile...
Best,
P.S. Add P.S. here
You know, Pinterest is useful for more than just collecting ideas and inspiration.
You can use Pinterest for...
Here's a link to my "Pinterest for Business" pin board.
There are lots of useful tips, how-to's, and information that will help you, as a handmade product business,
I'm using Pinterest right now to help me...
If you want to learn how to grow and improve your business too , I recommend joining my Great Jewelry Business Experiment — it’s a monthly membership program where you get a ringside seat as I build a successful jewelry business from scratch.
The goal is to be profitable and to be continually working smarter not harder by design
Each step of the way there is a results oriented focus. Watching, understanding planning, and doing. That's how you create success. Join, learn, share, and do with hundreds of others in the Great Jewelry Business Experiment!
Here’s what you get, for $12/month:
I receive a lot of handmade business questions from my Handmade Business Bites newsletter readers. Here's one of the most common questions.
This question and all its variations is so common that I would be willing to be that 95% of people who send in questions are in a similar boat.
I have what I call a fledgling jewellery business, trying to get from hobby to business. My problem is I am not selling any where near enough. I have three of four online outlets and a facebook page. I am getting great comments but this is not turning into paying customers.
Here was my response:
Your question in particular is very common, and the answer is very complex.
I took a quick look at your business, and I think that the problem you face will become best solved by switching from a "how to sell more" perspective to "what do people want to buy" perspective.
The answer to your question will then become a matter of finding a balance between satisfying your need to find joy and passion in what you make, while also satisfying the very practical need of selling.
The real answer then will ultimately be different for each business. To find the answer for YOU, you'll need to work through a process.If you don't know how to go about the process of balancing passion with business reality, then I recommend joining me in the Great Jewelry Business Experiment.
So that was my answer. Now you are probably wondering what is this Great Jewelry Business Experiment of which I speak?
The GJBE is my personal experiment to create a handmade jewelry business from scratch and make it successful. I'll be sharing my strategy and discuss what I'm doing and how I'm going about it as I go along. The whole experiment will be very candid and open so you can see the process firsthand.
The first part of my experiment will be to create a "foundation". This is where I'll be working through the very process of looking at what people want to buy and what I like to make, and discovering a common ground to build my business upon.
I've been brainstorming the GJB experiment logistics this morning in light of everyone's questions and concerns and it's looking pretty exciting, although my time limitations are going to be a little daunting.
Nonetheless, where there's a will there's a way 
FYI There will be a small cost to joining, and this is for a number of reasons. First of all, I want to keep out the simply curious, and there is also the reality that it costs me money to create, run and maintain a membership site so I can share the experiment process with you.
The bigger reason, the reason that will be most important for you, is something called called "external motivation". This means that when you pay a fee you creative an incentive for yourself to work through the process. People don't try very hard if something is free. You're much more likely to take action if you pay for it, or if you suffer from some externally produced pain by not taking action.
I'm the queen of external motivation. Why do you think I'm running this experiment this way? I need people watching to motivate me to work on it too
Details on when we begin and how to join will be coming up as soon as I can set it up.
Register before Monday, Jan 21st at noon Pacific time to get in on this one-time opportunity.
Best,
P.S. Can you do me a favour? I'd love to get your feedback on what I just said about both the GJBE, and about everything else in the post. Can you comment below please?
Are you wondering how to compete in the "saturated" handmade jewelry marketplace?
I recently asked my email mailing list to send me their biggest handmade business questions. Here's the question I'm tackling today:
I notice all the handcrafted jewelry for sale on the web and at craft and art shows. My concern is the abundance of handcrafted jewelry available. How do I compete in what seems like a saturated market. I love creating jewelry, but I have accumulate so much that it is time to part with some. Have a great day, DeAnna
Competing in a saturated market is always tricky, but then again, it's saturated because people are buying!
The key to competing is to be better at fulfilling your customers needs than other people.
Analyze your competiton and find out what their strengths and weakness are. How can you be better in ways that matter to your target customers? (Note: I said TARGET customers. Read #2 carefully).
Here are some ideas of areas to analyze:
I'm sure you can think of some more...
What is your ideal customer like? What is their age, interests, who are they buying for? Make sure you know them inside and out and make your business attractive in ways that matter to them.
What makes your products stand out?
In a saturated market you absolutely need to be laser targeted as the lady who sells,"xxxxx" or the guy that makes "xxxxx". That way, people remember you, and you're no longer one of many. Instead you are the one that makes "xxxx".
Get each and every customer onto an email mailing list. At a show, keep a guest book and encourage people to join your mailing list. If you have a blog showcasing your jewelry, add a mailing list subscription form to it. Once you have a list, follow up. Eight times a year is a good minimum goal for following up. You want people to keep you in the front of their mind.
Make it easy to buy in person and to buy online, and make it easy for people to contact you. Think of every objection you can, and take it away. (Except for price. If the biggest objection is price, then you need a new set of customers to target).
Best,
The following video explains how to get at those lessons:
Still need help? Contact our help desk by clicking on the orange "support" tab on to email us.
by Guest Author Gary Capps of Bead Manager Pro
Making sure you price your jewelry the right way is probably one of the most discussed topics by jewelry artisans wanting to know “how much should I sell my jewelry for?”
And it’s tough.
You have to work out what parts went into your piece, how much they cost and how long you spent creating it.
So for most people they figure out something like: Read More
If you fear competition and think the handmade market is just too saturated, read on.
When planning to sell your handmade goods online, there are a lot of things to think about, and competition is always one of the considerations. If you've been taking the idea of "nicheing it down" to heart, then you might be making the big mistake that many of us insecure creative types make. Read More
Never ever try to be everything to everybody.
Have you ever seen "generic" handmade jewelry?
Of course you have. It's everywhere. Glass bead earrings. Handmade beaded necklaces.
Dime a dozen styles without distinction. Read More
Internet marketing research is so easy in the age of the internet. Before the internet came along companies had to spend thousands to find out what a market would buy.
Nowadays anyone can find out all sorts of information about people and markets for free so there is no excuse for not doing your due diligence.
In a sec I'll show you one of the many techniques you can use to do market research for possible jewelry markets.
First, let's back up and talk about why you need to market research.
As I've said before -- and I'll say over and over again -- narrowing your market is one of the keys to choosing a target market.
Trying to sell to "everyone" never works.
(By the way... notice I said "choosing" a target market. Most people make what they like then try to figure out who they are selling to. That's backwards. Do your research first and make sure you cater what you make to what the market is already actively searching to buy. That's if you ever want to be successful that is).
Watch the video below to discover how to use eBay search as a market research tool.
Note: This technique is not the only tool you should be using to look at whether a market is viable or not. You should stack up lots of different clues before you make the decision to throw yourself into any niche market.
Steps to the eBay Completed Listings Market Research Technique
Go to eBay and login. If you don't have an account, you'll need to create one.
In the eBay search box, enter in the keyword phrase you are researching.
Click "advanced search"
Check off the "completed listings" box
Click "Search"
You'll now be able to scroll through the listings and see what has sold and what hasn't.
This technique is just one of many you can use to see if a market is viable. You should also do other research and make sure you have all your bases covered before you put in time and energy into any niche market.
Best,
P.S. Handmade Results Weekly will show you exactly what makes up a good niche and shares dozens of techniques so you can evaluate with certainty. There are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled to make a market worth entering, and I'm not going to lie to you... jewelry is tricky. Market choice and product choice is crucial to your success and I would love to see you succeed Try out Handmade Results Weekly for only $1.
Marketing without selling is everyone's favorite way to market, isn't it?
If you hate marketing but love helping people then you'll love forum marketing.
How to Promote Your Webshop in only 30 Minutes a Day
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