Does your handmade jewelry business need a niche?

We all know the handmade jewelry market is quite crowded these days. When you attend a craft show, it seems that jewelers often make up the majority of exhibitors. This makes it all the more important that you give yourself every advantage available to you.

How can you differentiate your business from the masses of handmade jewelry businesses out there? The answer may lie in finding a niche for your handmade items. Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, you would concentrate on developing a jewelry line designed for a narrow group of people.

You may wonder why you would want to limit your audience to a smaller group of people when there's a whole universe of customers out there? The answer lies in the fact that you can TARGET your audience better if you are selling to a well defined group of people. You will waste less time, energy, and money trying to reach them than you would a general audience. PLUS, customers in your niche audience are MORE likely to buy as you have exactly what they want.

Now, finding the perfect niche for your handmade jewelry business may not be as easy as it sounds. You need to think in terms of how your product might benefit a particular group of people such as animal lovers, brides, teachers, runners etc. You can also target even more narrowly defined groups such as vegans, poodle dog owners, wine lovers, those who practice yoga, aerobics instructors and more.

At one time I was doing a booming business selling aviation themed jewelry to stewardesses. I did almost no advertising of my handmade jewelry since word of mouth was so effective. It reached the point where I could no longer produce enough to supply the demand and I didn't want to hire workers to help. This is the power of niche marketing.

I have a friend who does an excellent business targeting brides-to-be and their bridesmaids. The advantage to this market is that she often gets orders to custom make jewelry for the entire wedding party. She is completely focused on this niche market and all of her marketing materials are designed to reflect this focus. This makes the task of marketing so much simpler for her.

I'm going to discuss various niche markets in more depth in the future. In the meantime, here are some niche markets to consider:

1. Jewelry for the New Age Market.
2. Christian Themed Jewelry
3. Handmade Jewelry Personalized with Names & Sentiments
4. Jewelry Focused on Your Particular City or Area
5. Gothic Jewelry
6. Jewelry for the Plus Size Market
7. Jewelry for Petite Women
8. Jewelry for Specific Dog Breeds
9. Baby Bracelets
10. Fashionable Medical I.D. Bracelets
11. Jewelry for Left Handed People

Hopefully, some of thse niches will help you to think of ways to adapt your own jewelry line to a particular niche market.

We'll go into this topic in more depth in 2007. Happy New Year to all!

Kristie

How to Quickly Increase the Value of Your Handmade Jewelry

One way to sell more jewelry and to sell at higher price points is to use simple techniques to increase the perceived value of your handmade jewelry. I've used many of the techniques I've outlined below and have found that they do increase sell through rates. Here are some suggestions that work:

1. Attach a unique hang tag that tells the story of your jewelry line. On the hang tag you can discuss how the pieces are made, the uniqueness of the materials used, your motivation for the jewelry line etc. If your jewelry represents a particular cause or has a particular meaning, tell your customer! Customers love to know that the pieces they choose to buy have a special story to tell. Plus, you can include your contact information on the hang tag which may result in future sales for you.

2. If possible, sign and date your pieces to make them one-of-a-kind works of art. On your hang tag, emphasize that your jewelry is not mass produced and due to its uniqueness, each piece is collectible. This can greatly increase perceived value in the customer's eyes.

3. Coin a unique term for your pieces to give them an interesting personality. For example, your might call your jewelry pieces "artables" and have the slogan "where art and fashion meet" or something along that line. These kinds of names stick in a customer's mind and make for repeat sales.

4. Playing on the above, consider using a catchy slogan to describe your jewelry that you include on all of your signage and contact information. "Where art and fashion meet" would be one example. This reinforces your concept and brand as well as increases perceived value of your handmade jewelry line.

5. Make sure each piece is elegantly displayed with lots of open space between pieces. When pieces are crowded together they can look mass produced and common.

6. Pay particular attention to how each piece is wrapped after it's sold. If you're charging higher prices for your items, you can justify investing in some beautiful boxes and tissue paper to include with each handmade jewelry piece sold. Also include your business card in each bag so the customer can purchase from you again after they receive all of those compliments when wearing your jewelry!

7. At shows always make sure you're elegantly dressed and wearing a piece of your own jewelry. I think a simple solid colored outfit (black always looks elegant) shows off handmade jewelry the best. Your jewelry should be the focal point of the outfit. When customers see how classy you look wearing your own creations, they will feel compelled to buy.

Give some of the above suggestions a try and you'll be rewarded with a nice increase in sales and profits.

Do you have any ideas for selling handmade jewelry that have worked for you? If so, please share them with the group so others can benefit. Thanks for all of your help. See you tomorrow. :-)

Kristie

How to Display Your Handmade Jewelry at a Craft Show

I'm convinced that display and setting play a big role in the selling of handmade jewelry. I'm going to give you a few tips as well as recommend an additional resource for you to find some other fantastic display ideas.

When I initially started selling at craft shows, I didn't spend alot of time on display. I presumed that if people liked my jewelry they would buy it. Oh, how wrong I was! When my jewelry wasn't selling as well as I thought it should, I spent some time on my display. To my delight, sales exploded! Don't ever underestimate the power of a good display.

Here are some guidelines and tips that helped me sell my own handmade jewelry:

1. Never lay your handmade jewelry flat on a table. This is a big no-no! If you don't want to go to the expense to build levels or purchase premade platforms, you can use different size boxes covered with an elegant fabric to elevate your jewelry. I like to have several different levels to provide more interest and give more space.

2. Make good use of color. I tend to favor subtle colors particularly if you sell more elegant jewelry. I've tried various color combinations and, believe it or not, black and white works the best for me. If you sell jewelry in natural tones, you might consider a combination of earthtones and cream. I've also seen nice displays centered around hunter greens and burgundies. The point is to highlight your jewelry, not detract from it. Don't go overboard with loud, vibrant colors.

3. Make sure each item is clearly marked with a price tag. There are some customers who won't bother to ask you for a price even if they're interested in the jewelry. Make it easy for them to purchase by having all prices clearly marked.

4. Don't crowd your pieces too close together. Handmade jewelry looks more precious and special when it's spaced a respectable distance from other pieces. You don't want to look like an overcrowded department store.

5. Consider using appropriate settings. For example if you sell natural jewelry you might spread some beautiful leaves, pinecones or natural material around your pieces. I have displayed pastel colored glass beads and sea glass jewelry interspersed between seashells using glass mirrors as a base. By the way, small glass squares make nice display pieces for sterling silver jewelry. You can lay the jewelry right on top of the mirror to get a very elegant look.

6. Always have at least one mirror for your customer to use to see how your handmade jewelry looks against their skin. I usually have two or three mirrors. Not having an available mirror can result in lost sales.

7. Be sure to take a photograph of your booth. This will help you to get a more objective picture of how your booth appears and how it evolves over time. It's also nice to add to your jewelry portfolio or can be added as an image to your website.

8. A few strategically placed signs can do wonders for your sales. I found that adding a sign with illustrations on how I made my jewelry increased sales by 10%. You can also talk about the materials used and any special messages or meaning your jewelry is meant to convey. Customers love this type of information!


For more ideas on how to make more money at craft shows, try the resource below. It comes with a great bonus book on how to sell your crafts in catalogs. This is pretty hard to find information. Here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/yfe7gf


Let me know if there are any topoics in particular you'd like to read about! I really appreciate all of you. :-)

Kristie

How to Write a Press Release for Your Jewelry Marketing Business

Ok, we've talked about how to get free publicity for your handmade jewelry business. Now, let's discuss how to write a press release.

1. Always write your press release on your official company letterhead which includes your contact information including address, phone number, email address, and web site.

2. The words "For Immediate Release" should be typed at the top of the page in the left hand corner. This should be in all capital letters for additional emphasis.

3. In the upper right hand corner, you should type "Contact" in all caps. Skip a space and then type the contact person's name, address, and phone number. Here's an example:

CONTACT:

John Doe
John Doe Company
1111 Any Street
City, State 11111
#xxx-xxx-xxxx

4. Write your headline in bold type and center it just above the press release body. Make your headlight intriguing as is MUST grab the reader's attention.

5. Your dateline will come next. This will include the city where the release was written along with the date.

Example: St. Louis, Missouri - January 1, 2002

6. The next portion should be a strong opening statement that includes the why, when, what, and where of your news release.

7. You should follow this statement with a more detailed description of what makes this item newsworthy. Similarly to constructing a sales letter, you want to think in terms of how your item might benefit the reader. Consider using a bulleted list of benefits that your product and service provides. Make your words compelling It's critical to keep the readers full attention!

8. The last few lines should inform the reader on how to get more information about your product or service. This should be brief and might include the address of your website.

9. You'll now want to include the media's universal code for the end of a press release. To do this, you would center -30- at the bottom of the page.

10. Congratulations, you've just completed your first press release!


A few other tips:

1. A press release should only be one page in length.

2. Since you're promoting your jewelry, it's a good idea to send photos with your release. Photos should be 5" x 7".

3. Keep your press release short and simple. A press release is meant to briefly inform the reader of your product or service and how it might benefit them. It's not meant to be an exhaustive summary.

4. Ideally, a press release will be in the 350 - 550 word range. Longer is not better.


Hopefully, this will take some of the fear out of writing a press release. Why not start writing one today?

Krisite

How to Get Free Publicity for Your Handmade Jewelry Business. An Excellent Marketing Tool!

There's no doubt about it! The cheapest and most effective form of advertising is free publicity. The problem is that it's not always easy to get. BUT, when it does happen, the results can be explosive.

Sometimes you're lucky enough to have free publicity seek you out. This is usually when you have a new product or concept that's newsworthy. When we opened the first bead store in our area several years ago, we received several news stories including one in our local newspaper. This brought in a ton of traffic and sales. Had we not brought a new concept to our area, the opportunity for easy, free publicity probably would not have been available to us.

So, just what options are available to get free publicity for your handmade jewelry?

1. Consider designing a piece of handmade jewelry relating to the unique aspects of your hometown or area. For example, could you design a bracelet with charms depicting different landmarks in your area? Add a heart charm with your hometown name engraved on it. You could then send out a press release describing your new creation and its availability. We'll discuss how to do a press release in future posts.

2. Do something charitable. Donate your handmade jewelry to an organization that helps homeless women find jobs. They can wear your jewelry when they go on job interviews. The press would love to do a story on the local jeweler designer who is giving back to the community. Plus your donated jewelry will get lots of exposure as the women go on their job interviews wearing your handmade creation.

3. If you have an interesting story to tell on how you became a jewelry designer, write it down and submit it to various local publications. Did you go through any unusual hardships to achieve your goal of designing handmade jewelry? People love a rags to riches story! If this applies to you, let it be known.

4. Tie your business in with a holiday. For example, you could write an article about how your handmade jewelry makes a perfect Valentine's gift. In the article, talk about how to choose the perfect piece of handmade jewelry for that special person. This makes an excellent article for the style section of your local newspaper.

5. Expand your list of important media contacts and have their numbers available when you think of a newsworthy story that relates to your business.

6. Check with your local newspaper to see if you can write a weekly, column on fashion and jewelry trends. This would be of great interest to people and would establish you as somewhat of an expert.

7. Read, read, read. Keep learning new ways to get your handmade jewelry business into the limelight. Here's an excellent reference:http://tinyurl.com/yn662u You'll discover TONS of different ways to generate publicity that will really put your handmade jewelry business on the map. Always be on the alert for new ways to market your business.

That's all for today, folks! Stay tuned because we're going to try to make 2007 the best year yet for your handmade jewelry business. There are lots more marketing tips to come!

Kristie

How to Find Local Craft Shows

Merry Christmas! I'll make my posting brief. Afterall, it is Christmas Day. :-) Also, my husband and I will be out of town for a few days starting tomorrow so don't expect another post until Friday.

Today I want to give you some ways to find local craft shows for selling yourhandmade jewelry.

Here are some ideas:

1. Call your local Chamber of Commerce. Better yet become a member. It's a great way to network.

2. Network with other handmade jewelry makers and crafters in your area. This has the added advantage of allowing you to find out if a particular show is worth your time and effort. Why not get the email addresses of crafters and jewelry exhibitors at shows and start a craft show email list to share information about craft shows?

3. Call your local churches and other nonprofit organizations and ask if they have any upcoming shows planned. Be careful with these shows as many of them draw more lookers than buyers. This may not be a good market for high end jewelry. Although,one of my best shows is held at a church in an upscale neighborhood.

4. Subscribe to publications such as Sunshine ArtistMagazine that lists craft shows by region.

5. Call your local craft and bead stores to see if they know of any upcoming shows. We have a large bead store in Roanoke, Virginia and we occasionally sponsor shows for jewelry
artisans http://www.netbead.com

6. Call your local shopping malls to inquire about any special sales they might be sponsoring.Malls will often sponsor shows for temporary vendors who sell arts, crafts, and antiques.Jewelers can often do well at these shows.

7. Check local bulletin boards at schools, churches,libraries, etc for announcements of craft shows.

8. Ask, ask, ask! Ask people that you might encounter in craft stores and supply houses if they know of any upcoming shows.

9. Finally, search the web regularly for the announcement of shows. I usually do a search with the name of my city and state + craft shows. When I searched Roanoke Virginia Craft Shows just now, I found a long list of upcoming craft shows.That's all for today! I'll talk to you again when I return from my trip. :-)

Kristie

Secrets to Selling More Jewelry at a Craft Show

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about how to sell more handmade jewelry at craft shows. Heavens knows we pay good money to enter these shows so it's important to maximize sales as much as possible. Here are some marketing tips and techniques that can help to increase your handmade jewelry sales:

1. Always wear a piece of your own handcrafted jewelry when in your craft booth. Preferably you should be wearing it with a black, white, or neutral shade of top. This will help to showcase your piece better without detracting from its beauty.

2. Greet customers with a smile and pleasant "hello", but avoid being too pushy or overbearing as customers don't like to feel pressured which they often do at craft shows since the spaces are so small.

3. Have a bowl of candy at the entrance to your booth.This is a nice touch that is appreciated by prospective customers and gives them a positive impression of your approach to doing business. Plus, it's a marketing tool that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

4. Always have a book beside your candy dish for customers to write down their contact information including their mailing address and email address. Politely, ask them if they'd like to be on your mailing list.

5. Consider running a contest for a free piece of jewelry. To enter the contest, your prospective customer simply leaves her email address. This is avery effective way to build up your email list for future marketing campaigns.

6. If at all possible, accept credit cards at your booth. This has been shown to increase sales by up to 30%. Plus, you won't have to worry about bad checks.

7. Consider doing a demonstration of your craft. This will attract attention and admiration from your audience which can be an impetus for sales.

8. Ask for your customer's opinion. For example,"What's your favorite semiprecious stone?". Customers love to feel that their opinion is important. Plus, you can also learn alot about what customers are looking for using this technique.

9. Consider using a showstopper piece to attract attention to your booth. This was covered in the blog posting yesterday. Here's a link:

http://tinyurl.com/y7jwsd

10. Lastly, smile and be positive! An upbeat attitude inspires confidence in your product.

That's all for today, folks. Hope everyone has a nice Christmas. :-)

Kristie

Hi everyone!Today I want to talk about how to sell more handmade jewelry at craft shows. Heavens knows we pay good money to enter these shows so it's important to maximize sales as much as possible. Here are some marketing tips and techniques that can help to increase your handmade jewelry sales:

1. Always wear a piece of your own handcrafted jewelry when in your craft booth. Preferably you should be wearing it with a black, white, or neutral shade of top. This will help to showcase your piece better without detracting from its beauty.

2. Greet customers with a smile and pleasant "hello", but avoid being too pushy or overbearing as customers don't like to feel pressured which they often do at craft shows since the spaces are so small.

3. Have a bowl of candy at the entrance to your booth. This is a nice touch that is appreciated by prospective customers and gives them a positive impression of your approach to doing business. Plus, it's a marketing tool that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

4. Always have a book beside your candy dish for customers to write down their contact information including their mailing address and email address. Politely, ask them if they'd like to be on your mailing list.

5. Consider running a contest for a free piece of jewelry. To enter the contest, your prospective customer simply leaves her email address. This is a very effective way to build up your email list for future marketing campaigns.

6. If at all possible, accept credit cards at your booth. This has been shown to increase sales by up to 30%. Plus, you won't have to worry about bad checks.

7. Consider doing a demonstration of your craft. This will attract attention and admiration from your audience which can be an impetus for sales.

8. Ask for your customer's opinion. For example, "What's your favorite semiprecious stone?". Customers love to feel that their opinion is important. Plus, you can also learn alot about what customers are looking for using this technique. 7.

9. Consider using a showstopper piece to attract attention to your booth. This was covered in the blog posting yesterday. Here's a link:

http://tinyurl.com/y7jwsd

10. Lastly, smile and be positive! An upbeat attitude inspires confidence in your product.
That's all for today, folks. Hope everyone has a nice Christmas. :-)

Kristie

Let's talk about the importance of the "showstopper" and what it can mean for your handmade jewelry business. You might ask, "Just what is a showstopper?" Excellent question.

A showstopper is an attention grabbing, knock your socks off piece of jewelry that stops potential customers dead in their tracks. A showstopper piece of handmade jewelry prominently displayed at a craft show or booth can be the ULTIMATE traffic generator.

Potential customers are always intrigued by the outlandish and unusual and will visit your booth to have a closer look. This gives you the perfect opportunity to greet them with a smile and tell them about your special showstopping piece.

Although your customer may not buy the showstopper, he or she will probably stick around to look at the rest of your handmade jewelry. And guess what! They're also much more likely to make a purchase from you once you have them in your booth.

Just what characteristics does a handmade jewelry piece need to qualify as a showstopper?

Ideally, it should be big, bold, unforgettable. This is your opportunity to showcase your most creative design, the one you may not be able to sell for a decent price because you put too much time and work into it.

My showstopper is a b old and colorful necklace composed of 16 mm. handmade, lampwork beads. The centerpiece is a dynamic lampwork pendant with an unusual, abstract fish design. This beauty draws traffic like a sponge and so can yours!

Be sure to display your piece prominently in the front of your booth so people can't miss it when they walk by. Be prepared to tell the interesting story of how this necklace came into being. Bring it's story to life and you will surely reap the benefit of increased sales.

By the way, I've had to replace my showstopper necklaces four times because they sold to customers who couldn't live without them after hearing their story. At $750 per necklace, I wasn't going to argue. So, don't rule out ultimatley selling your showstopper. Just make sure you get a price appropriate for all of the time and effort you put into it.

That's all for today folks! Happy Holidays. :-)

Kristie

The Handmade Jewelry Showstopper! A Great Marketing Tool!

Let's talk about the importance of the "showstopper" and what it can mean for your jewelry business.

You might ask, "Just what is a showstopper?" Excellent questions.

A showstopper is an attention grabbing, knock your socks off piece of jewelry that stops potential customers dead in their tracks.

A showstopper piece of handmade jewelry prominently displayed at a craft show or booth can be the ultimate traffic generator.

Potential customers are always intrigued by the outlandish and unusual and will visit your booth to have a closer look.

You now have the perfect opportunity to greet them with a smile and tell them about your special showstopping piece.

Although your customer may not buy the showstopper, he or she may stick around to look at the rest of your handmade jewelry. And guess what! They're also much more likely to make a purchase from you once you have them in your booth.

Just what characteristics does a handmade jewelry piece need to qualify as a showstopper?

Ideally, it should be big, bold, unforgettable. This is your opportunity to showcase your most creative design, the one you may not be able to sell for a decent price because you put too much time and work into it.

My showstopper

Yesterday we discussed the importance and unimportance of trends. Today, I'm going to show you the resources I use to follow trends in the jewelry and fashion world.

The opportunity to follow trends is everywhere including popular television shows, fashion and celebrity magazines, local retail stores, and internet stores.

My favorite magazine for following jewelry trends is In Style magazine which can easily be found at Barnes and Noble as well as other bookstores. As previously mentioned, I never miss an issue of Bead Style magazine which has a monthly analysis of upcoming jewelry trends.

http://tinyurl.com/yytmfw

Other magazines commonly found on the newstands that can give you a good idea of upcoming jewelry and fashion trends include People magazine which often has short excerpts about what kind of jewelry the celebrities are wearing.

Also, try to find a copy of W Magazine which stands for Women's Wear Daily. This magazine is usually on the forefront of upcoming trends.

I also follow jewelry sales on Ebay very closely to see what seems to be selling. When I find an seller who seems to have a good sell through rate, I will bookmark his or her auctions to follow over time to see if a trend emerges. In the future, I'll be sharing some of these auctions with you on my blog.

Another helpful Ebay resource to track trends is located here

http://tinyurl.com/yyvglu

It gives you listings of the most searched for items in all categories. If you click at the link at the bottom of the page entitled, "See More Ebay Pulse Categories", you can do a search under "jewelry & watches" to find the most popular searches. This can be further refined by choosing more specific categories. This is an invaluable resource! A good one to bookmark under your favorite sites.

I also follow certain online retail stores including Anthropolgie.com,NeimanMarcus.com as well as a variety of other sites I'll share with you in the future. Gosh, there's so much to cover in this area!

Finally, it's important to become an avid "people watcher". Why not spend a day at your local mall observing people and what they're wearing?

First browse the jewelry counters of your larger department stores and boutiques. See what's new and what' in the clearance rank. Do you see any trends? Now, head over to your favorite coffee store and get a extra large, steaming latte. Have a seat in the middle of the mall and just watch the people who pass you. How are they dressed and, most importantly, what jewelry are they wearing? You may want to record your observations in a notebook for future reference.

P.S. This can be lots of fun! Especially the latte part!

Anyway, I'll be covering this topic in more depth periodically throughout my blog. So stay tuned!

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to have so many new readers! I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions on what you'd like to see discussed in the future. Also, feel free to add your own comments as well links to your jewelry designs. Let the world see what you do!

Today, I want to talk about trends and countertrends.

I know that most jewelry designers consider it important to keep abreast of fashion and jewelry trends. It IS important to keep track of trends and styles in the world of fashion, BUT it doesn't necessarily mean you need to jump on board every trend and fad that comes around.

I have a friend who is quite successful selling her handmade jewelry. She follows trends closely, but she uses the trends to determine what NOT to do. If color is a hot item for the season, she designs her jewelry in neutral shades. If long necklaces are the rage, she makes sure to have the best selection of short necklaces. She is essentially choosing to go with the countertrend and it works exceedingly well for her.

Just why does this strategy work? When the eye sees too much of any one thing over a period of time, it can effectively become desensitized to that particular item. When stores overstock their shelves with redundant jewelry that all looks alike, the eye seeks out something different and unique.

That's were the countertrend designer comes in. She has that unique item that eyes weary of the same old look are seeking out. Her items are a refreshing change from the ordinary and there are quite a few people who seek out this particular look and buy it.

So where does this leave you? Regardless of which way you choose to go with your designs and how closely you choose to follow the prevailing look, you need to know what the trends are.

IIn the near future, I'll be publishing an article on what sources to use to find out the latest trends. Until then, I'll refer you to an excellent magazine that has a monthly trend report with color photos of what's going to be popular in jewelry, beads and fashion. Here'a link: http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-2227394-10289946

I'll also refer you to an article I wrote several weeks ago on my website on the current jewelry and fashion trends for fall and winter 2006. Here it is: http://www.beadsindeed.com/wst_page8.html

i hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season! Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate every one of you. :-)

Kristie

Happy Holidays to everyone! I know we're all busy preparing for the upcoming festivities so I'll make this post short.

Have you ever stopped to consider how powerful the two little words, "Thank You" can be to your customers?

Customers want to know that their purchase was appreciated. Are you saying those two magic words when your customer buys a piece from you?

Well, let's take it one step further and use that magical phrase to do a little branding.

Let's say your jewelry line is called, "Rare Earth Creations". You might say to your customer as you hand her bag with her jewelry:

"Thank you for purchasing a "Rare Earth Creation. You're going to get many years of enjoyment from this beautiful piece. Your purchase is very much appreciated"

What has this accomplished?

You've:

1. Shown your customer that you truly appreciate her business. This means alot to people
2. Reinforced the name of your business by repeating it to your customer. (You'd be surprised at how many people won't remember the name of your business unless you repeat it to them.)
3. Let the customer know that she's purchased a high quality piece that will LAST.

After I started using this approach, I had a customer email to let me know how much she valued the customer service and how nice it was to know her purchase was truly appreciated.

Do you think she became a repeat customer? Absolutely!

Lastly, make sure to drop a business card into her bag. This will further reinforce your brand and will provide your customer with contact information should she want to order more after she returns home. Make sure your email and website address are printed on your card.

Give this technique a try! It's a quick and easy way to show customer appreciation while reinforcing your brand.

Happy Holidays to all!

Kristie

Let's talk about a powerful concept that can significantly increase your handmade jewelry profits. This is a technique I've used time and time again with much success in my own marketing efforts!


This secret is not only powerful it's EASY to implement! It's the power of the UPSELL.


Let's say you walk into a store to purchase a camera. A very pleasant and well informed salesperson goes through the process of telling you the pros and cons of each model. After a bit of consideration, you make your selection.


As you pull out your credit card to pay for your purchase, the sales person turns to you with a smile on his face and casually asks "Would you like to some extra film to go with that camera?".


Well, unless you just purchased a digital camera, you're going to eventually NEED some extra film for your brand new camera. You're standing there with your credit card in hand. It makes perfect sense to you to purchase the additional film now since it's been offered to you.


You purchase the extra film and may even feel a little grateful that the sales person helped you out my mentioning it.


You just got happily upsold.


Now, let's apply the same principle to your handmade jewelry booth at a craft show.


You've just helped Mrs. A pick out a perfectly gorgeous handmade, carnelian necklace that you proudly made several weeks ago. She's quite excited at having found the perfect piece of jewelry and is a positive and receptive frame of mind.

As you carefully package her purchase, you casually ask if she'd like to see a pair of Carnelian earrings that would go beautifully with her new necklace. As you show her the two pieces paired together, she's delighted! She subsequently leaves with both the Carnelian necklace AND the earrings.


You just turned a $45.00 sale into a $60.00 sale in just a few short minutes.


That's the art of the upsell. Your customer has her credit card out and is in a buying frame of mind. You don't even have to SELL to her. She's already been sold. You're just make a subtle and helpful suggestion and your customer is grateful to you for doing so.


McDonald's caught onto this marketing technique may years ago when they started asking each customer if they'd like some fries to go with their hamburger. Now, you can harness the same marketing power as the big corporations of the world by using the upsell technique to market your handmade jewelry.


Try doing this with 20 different customers at a craft show. Assume that 60% accept your upsale at an average additional purchase of $15.00. That's an easy extra $90.00 for the day!


Give this technique a try! I think you'll be pleased with the results.


Happy jewelry making to all. :-)

Let's talk about that "little something extra" that turns your handmade jewelry into truly special pieces that are sure to attract a buyer.

Here's a good example from a recent craft show I attended.

Two different vendors were both offering similar pairs of earrings at roughly comparable prices. The earrings were sample dangles made of semiprecious beads and sterling silver findings. They were priced in the $12.00 range.

Both vendors had very nice displays that played up their creations. Upon first glance, the two booths appeared somewhat comparable in appearance, BUT one booth was full of prospective buyers AND their was a line to pay!

The other booth looked like a ghost town. No lines, no prospective buyers.

What you ask, was the difference that was having such a dramatic impact on sales?

Well, here's the secret. The designer in empty booth had very nice but very ordinary jewelry cards with the standard information printed on them. Nice, professional, but nothing to write home about.

The owner of the second booth who appeared to be drowning in sales, had jewelry cards with a tiny little dried flower delicately pasted to each one. This gave the jewelry a whole new appearance and value in the buyers mind! I saw many customers commenting on the beauty of the cards as they stepped into the line to pay.

This taught me a valuable lesson. Sometimes it's the little things that count when marketing handmade jewelry. It sure made all the difference in the world here!

Have you taken a good look at your display cards lately?

Now that you have your business card optimized, it's time to turn it into a marketing torpedo for your handmade jewelry! This is the second part of a two posting on business card marketing. If you didn't read the first part, here's a link:http://handmadejewelrymarketingtips.blogspot.com/2006/12/today-i-want-to-concentrate-on.html

First of all, your business card should be in your wallet at all times. NO EXCEPTIONS! Every time you walk out your door wearing your jewelry and carrying your businsess card, you are facing an opportunity to market your business.

Give your business card to anyone you might meet in your daily actitivites. It's a simple process to reach into your billfold and pull out an inexpensive card to hand to a person for the first time. They'll appreciate it because it will make it easier for them to remember your name.

As you go about your daily activities during the day, keep an eye open for bulletin boards where you can post your card. Be sure to carry thumb tacks with you in your pocketbook to make posting your card easy.

I encounter bulletin boards in such places as grocery stores, schools, libraries, health clubs etc. on a daily basis where I eagerly post my business card. And, yes, this has brought in orders, In fact, quite a few. It's a simple easy form of marketing that doesn't require alot of time. Why not take advantage of it?

Another great place to leave a business card is in a restaurant. We eat out quite frequently which gives me lots of opportunities to do this. I've found this to be quite a lucrative form of marketing. There are quite a few waitresses out there who have an interest in handmade jewelry.

In fact, I have a friend who takes his jewelry case with him when he goes to a restaurant. While he's waiting on his food, he pulls out his pliers and makes a few pieces. The waitstaff finds this to be intriguing and a conversation develops which often results in several sales to restaurant workers while he's there for his meal. Clever idea!

Other places to leave your business card is with your hairdresser, masseuse,in every fishbowl at restaurants you encounter, on top of the stack of library books you're returning, at fast food drive throughs, the bank, in the waiting room of doctor's offices and just about any other place people congregate.

If you have any other nifty ideas on where to post business cards, feel free to comment in the comments section of this blog. I'd love to hear from you. :-)

Today I want to concentrate on the considerable marketing power of a good business card. Your business card is one of your very best sources of low cost advertising. Let's find out how to use it to sell TONS of handmade jewelry!

This will probably come in the form of two separate posts over two days since there's so much to cover. The first part will deal with what you should include on your business card, while the second part will show you how to use your business card to increase sales of your handmade jewelry.

Have you taken a good look at your current business card lately? Does it really have impact i.e. does it pack a punch? If not, it's time to take action to get that business card to work harder for you.


Here are some ways to increase the power of business card marketing:

• Always include a photo to give more punch to your card. I have a close up photo of one of my most unusual necklaces on my mine. It's natural for the eye to be drawn to color and the photo can speak volumes about the style of jewelry your design. As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words. Be sure that the photo you use is of high quality and appears professional. A substandard photo could work against you in your marketing efforts.

• What is your USP or unique selling proposition? This should be clearly stated on your card in the form of a slogan or statement. When designing this slogan, think of the benefit to the customer. For example, "Jewelry for the Nature Lover in You" if you design jewelry made of natural materials. This tells me exactly what your company is about in one statement.

• Always make an offer on your business card. This is important to get the customer motivated to act now. For example, show this card for a 10% discount on your first order or present this card for a free gift. This technique can be highly effective in increasing your response rate.

• Make sure that you include all relevant contact information such as name, phone number, location, hours website address email address etc. I've actually seen business cards where this information has been omitted.This is a good way to commit sales suicide. People need to know how to reach you quickly and efficiently.

• Consider investing in magnetic business cards. Magnetized business cards are like having tiny little billboards since people will often stick them on their refrigerator to hold papers, newspaper articles etc. Imagine how that card must work overtime! Every time your customer goes for a midnight snack, she is reminded that you sell unique jewelry. She also has your number handy so she can call you immediately without having to look for your number. You may be able to find them locally. If not, you can find them at http://tinyurl.com/ymlwow. I have found them to be well worth the money.

• Always include a final statement that will help your potential customer to act immediately. For example, I have included at the bottom of my business card the statement, "I'd love to design a special piece for you! Call me today." Sometimes a simple statement like this will give the customer the extra nudge she needs to contact you. Give it a try!

Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow we'll talk about how to use your card to triple your jewelry sales!

This is an effective marketing idea that has worked very well for us in promoting our bead store. It's a simple, inexpensive idea that will work overtime for you.

Get a magnetic car sign or static that you place on the back windshield or side or your car which advertises your store or website. Simply having your web address printed on the sign is enough to arouse someone's curiousity and they'll end up checking out your site when they return home.

You should have a memorable and, preferably, short domain name in the .com family. If it can't be short, at least make sure it's memorable and clever. If you have a physical store, you can promote the name of the store along with the store phone number with a brief slogan describing what you offer.

We've had numerous customers come into our store as a result of our magnetic car sign. I can't tell you how many times I've been approached in a parking lot with someone wanting to know more about my business as a result of seeing the sign.

Plus, everytime you're stopped at a traffic light, you know the person behind you who has nowhere else to look while waiting is wondering about your business and may very well visit your website when they get home. Just make sure that domain name is memorable, so they won't forget!

If you can't find the signs locally, try http://tinyurl.com/y22pga

Hello, fellow beaders and jewelry makers! I'm going to start this session with a rather unusual question.

Have you been to a hair salon lately?

Oh, I'm sure your hair looks fine. BUT, did you know that a hair salon can be a fantastic place to sell your handmade jewelry?

I found this out many months ago when I was brainstorming for new ways to market my jewelry. I picked up the handy, Roanoke yellow pages and turned to the beauty salon section.
There were loads of entries for salons in my area. More possibilities than I had even imagined. A hair salon sounded like a good fit for the bracelets and hairsticks I was making at the time.

Immediately I called the first one on the list and asked them if they would be interested in viewing my collection of handmade jewelry for possible inclusion in their salon. Much to my surprise, the owner was quite enthusiastic and we set up an appointment for viewing the next week. I hurriedly got my collection of beaded bracelets and hairsticks together to present to the owner.

Upon showing my jewelry at the store the next week, I immediately sold two pieces to girls who worked at the salon and we subsequently set up a 60%/40% consignment arrangement to sell my pieces. I was ecstatic!

Guess what? 8 months or so later, that relationship still exists and my jewelry sales in her salon are quite healthy. I've since called other salons and met with the same success. Of course not every salon was interested, but MANY of them were.

Why not consider giving this a try in your area? Almost every city or town has an abundance of salons and these sites are a natural for jewelry impulse purchases.

Earrings seems to sell particularly well in salons as women who have recently cut their hair may have ears that are previously more exposed than before or, possibly, they want some new ear jewels to show off their stylish new cut.

Any way you choose to look at it, this can be a winning relationship!

We'll talk in the future about how to best approach these salons along with what you need to bring with you to your appointment.

Keep making that beautiful handmade jewelry and I'll keep helping you find new ways to sell it!

Hello! Welcome back to your blog for everything you need to know to sell more of your handmade jewelry.

Now, I'm going to ask you to take a minute to glance at yourself in the mirror and see what you're wearing today. I hope you're going to say that you're wearing a piece of your own beautiful handmade jewelry!

Believe it or not, you may be the very best advertisement for your pieces!

Let me tell you about a friend of mine who makes semiprecious stone necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Her pieces are just beautiful with really stunning focal centerpieces. (I'll be adding photos to this site in the near future).

My friend happens to be a pharmaceutical rep which puts her in contact with the public on a daily basis. Now, being the smart marketer that she is, do you think she would miss an opportunity to get free advertising for her jewelry? Definitely not! She leaves the house wearing a necklace and a matching pair of earrings every day.

I can't even begin to tell you how many pieces she has sold to nurses and even doctors just by WEARING her jewelry! This is without doing any selling at all. When she's asked about a piece of jewelry, she simply tells them she makes custom jewelry and gives them a business card. On her next visit, there's usually an order waiting for her.

What could be easier than this? I have one additional suggestion before you leave the house tomorrow morning wearing your carefully selected, handmade jewelry. Wear it with a simple, solid colored top. This will more effectively showcase with beauty of your jewelry without distracting from the piece with too many frills and patterns.

When I go out, I frequently wear a simple pair of black pants and black top coordinated with an appropriate necklace. I'm often asked by total strangers about my jewelry which gives me an opportunity to give them a business card. I've found that around 30 percent of the people I give cards to follow up with an order.

So, this is an easy and FREE way to advertise your handmade jewelry. Give it a try and let me know the results. :-)

Hello and welcome to a new site devoted to helping YOU sell more of your handmade jewelry.

I know how frustrating it can be to try to find the market for your particular style of jewelry, but, trust me, it can be done.

I'll be giving you a variety of tips and techniques designed to help you market your creations and to sell more of your handmade jewelry both in person and on the internet.

What qualifies me to help you? My partner, who happens to be my mother, and I have owned a bead store for the last 3 years. We also have our own line of handmade jewelry. We've experimented with just about every technique you can think of for marketing both our store and our jewelry. We've spent the money to learn our marketing lessons so you don't have to.

I'm going to concentrate on showing you low cost and even free marketing methods that really work for selling handmade jewelry. After all, why spend money getting the word out when you don't have to? I'd love to have comments and posts from readers concerning what's worked for you and what hasn't.

We'll start exploring handmade jewelry marketing tips on the next post. Sound good?