Hi everyone! I'm still working on the website which
should go up in the next 10 days or so. I was slowed
down a bit by a death in my husband's family, but am
back on track again. If you'd still like to sign up to
receive a free handmade jewelry marketing tip every
5 days, send a blank email to:

marketjewelry@aweber.com

Talk to you soon. :-)

Kristie

New Changes to the Blog

Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know that I'm in the process of building a website so I can provide you with more handmade jewelry marketing information. Eventually, I'd like to add a forum so you can share you thoughts and many more additions to help you with your business. I won't be doing my regular postings while I'm working on the website but will post here to let you know how it's progressing and when it will be available. In the meantime, I'm sending out a handmade jewelry marketing tip via email every 4-5 days. If you'd like to sign up, send a blank email to mailto:marketjewelry@aweber.com and I'll add you to the list. I really appreciate all of you and am looking forward to working with you in the future!

Kristie

Email Your Way to Handmade Jewelry Success

There's no doubt about it! Email is one of the best ways there is to market to your handmade jewelry customers. The key is to offer your customer something of value in every email rather than making your emails an obvious attempt at self promotion.

Hopefully, you have been collecting emails from customers at every craft/jewelry show and home party that you attend or host. The easiest way to do this is to have a large notebook prominently displayed at every event you participate in.

When a customer checks out with you, encourage them to sign up for your free email updates. If you have a website, be sure to have an opt-in form on your site for people to sign up for your emails.

The best way to manage your lists and your messages is through an autoresponder. They are a huge timesaver and will allow you to automate all of your mailings. Here's the one I use: Click here. They have an excellent reputation and can even be reached by phone if you should need technical suppport.

Once you have your email list saved on your auto responder, you can compose a series of messages that will be automatically sent to your customers at predefined time periods of your choosing. I would suggest emailing no more than every 10-14 days. Your messages can include such useful information as:

1. How to care for handmade jewelry, remove tarnish, coordinate jewelry with your clothing etc.

2. The latest jewelry trends

3. Updates on your upcoming jewelry shows.

4. Celebrity jewelry trends

5. Special sales and offers relating to your handmade jewelry

6. Articles on how to wear jewelry to special events such as proms, weddings, parties etc.

7. How to choose jewelry that enhances your complexion, build, face shape etc.

8. How to choose jewelry as a gift for someone else.

The beauty of it all is that you can compose all of your messages at one time and schedule them to be mailed out at regular intervals via your autoresponder. This will free you up to spend less time on your computer and more time designing jewelry.

With a little effort on your part, you'll be surprised at how fast your mailing list will grow.Your customer will appreciate getting useful information from you and will be reminded that you have the handmade jewelry they need for themselves or to give as a special gift to someone else.

Spend a little time building that list and I think you'll be quite pleased with the returns!

For more handmade jewelry marketing ideas like these, send a blank email to marketjewelry@aweber.com. You'll get a unique idea for marketing your handmade jewelry every 5 days. These ideas are available only to subscribers and won't be discussed on the blog. Don't miss out!

Thanks for reading!
Kristie

Handmade Jewelry for the Prom

As prom season rolls around, teenagers focus on picking out the dresses and accessories that will help make their prom night memorable. You can be a part of the fun and sell more handmade jewelry at the same time!

I would suggest locating a boutique in your area that specializes in selling prom dresses. Ask the owner if she'd like to host a special "get ready for the prom" party with you to help promote her dresses and your handmade jewelry.

If she has a storefront, you could host this special event in her store and give you a commission for sales of your jewelry to pay for your portion of the space. She could advertise the event through her store while you could promote the event via flyers placed in high visibility locations, free publicity, as well as direct contact with all of the high schools in your area.

On the evening of the party, you could have light refreshments such as hot tea and a light dessert. I would recruit some girls from the high schools to model prom dresses along with your jewelry. You could even have a mini fashion show on the evening of the event!

The girls would have an opportunity to try on a wide variety of prom dresses and have them coordinated with your handmadejewelry. You and the store owner would circulate around and provide help in selecting the dresses and jewelry. Be sure to take some photos of the girls in the dresses having a great time so you can use it your next "get ready for the prom" promotion.

Not only should this generate sales of both the prom dresses and your jewelry, it will also give your jewelry lots of free publicity. Be sure to give business cards to all the girls as they leave and let them know you do custom orders if they should need a handmade piece of jewelry for a special occasion. Also, encourage them to visit your website for more great handmade jewelry. Encourage sales by offering a 10% discount if they order from your website in the next 7 days.

The fashion show concept is an idea you could potentially carry out any time of the year in conjunction with a boutique in your area. They would provide the clothing and you supply the jewelry. It could be marketed as a fun night out "just for the girls" and a chance to keep abreast of the upcoming clothing and jewelry trends. Add a few refreshments and some upbeat music playing in the background and you have the prescription for a successful jewelry marketing event.

Give this marketing idea a try. Not only is it potentially lucrative, but also lots of fun!

For more handmade jewelry marketing ideas like these, send a blank email to marketjewelry@aweber.com. You'll get a unique idea for marketing your handmade jewelry every 5 days. These ideas are available only subscribers and won't be discussed on the blog. Don't miss out!

Thanks for reading!

Kristie
Jewelry Design Resource Page
Jewelry Selling Resource Page

The Subscription Plan for Handmade Jewelry

Here's an idea that would be a fun and profitable
way to sell more handmade jewelry. How about
starting an earringof the month club? This has
been done successfully by others in the past
which proves that it's a viable business idea.
Plus,it assures that you always have a steady
supply of orders foryour handmade jewelry.

I would choose earrings over necklaces and
bracelets since they're quick and inexpensive
to make. I would give the customer the option
of choosing silver or gold-filled findings as well as
a mixture of the two if they like both. You could
add a page to your website describing the program
and show samples of what you might receive on a
monthly basis.

I would emphasize the gift giving potential of this
program andlet potential customers know that
their purchase will come beautifully wrapped
in a box along with a small gift card each month.
Emphasize how overjoyed their gift recipient will
be when she sees the elegant presentation. Also
let you potential customersknow that this is the
perfect gift to give themselves. It will be like
Christmas every month when they open their box
and find a beautifully handcrafted pair of earrings!

You could market this idea online as well as at craft,
jewelry shows,and home parties. If the volume of
subscribers should become high, you could contract
out some of the earring construction to local high school
or college students so that you continue to develop your
other lines of jewelry.

I don't know about you but I think it would be exciting
to have a different pair of earrings delivered to my door
every month! Even though I'm a jewelry maker myself,
I'd be tempted to subscribe. If you give this idea a try,
please let me know the results.

I wanted to do a quick survey and find out if any of you
wonderful readers would be interested in a blog where I
show you Ebay auctions that feature unusual pieces of jewelry
to inspire you as well as auctionsthat have unusually good deals
on wholesale beads and findings. If so,which would interest you
more? You can either comment here or email me via
this link

Need ideas and new insights into selling handmade jewelry at craft shows? The author of this ebook tested a variety of techniques and documented EXACTLY what worked and didn't work. If you read this book and practice the techniques she describes, you will see results. You get 176 pages of rock solid, hard hitting information and ideas as well as 3 bonuses for a VERY reasonable price. Check out her ebook. CLICK HERE You'll be glad you did!

Thanks again for reading!

Kristie

How to Make a Customer Feel Special (and Sell More Handmade Jewelry at the Same Time)

What do you do to make your customer feel special?

Sometimes in the day to day activities of running a business, we forget about the most important component of the success equation - our customers! Without customers all the beautiful jewelry in the world will just be ornaments and you'll have to find another way to put food on the table. We don't want that to happen!

It's important when we feel tired and frustrated after dealing with a particularly demanding customer that we keep our priorities in perspective. The customer is still number one and we need to find ways to let her know she's special if we want to have a vibrant and successful handmade jewelry business.

What are some simple steps we can take to make your customers feel special?

1. Never underestimate the importance of a smile and a friendly greeting. This simple act can go far towards making your customer feel comfortable and she's likely to stay around and browse much longer than if she's ignore. If she's a repeat customer, greet her by name and let he know you're glad to see her again.

2. Really listen to what your customer says and acknowledge her request or concern. If she has a particular request, show you've listened by repeating back to her what she said. Let he know that you'll do your best to help her. NEVER make a customer feel like she asked a stupid question (although she may have :-) ) . Give her requests and concerns your undivided attention.

3. Ask for your customer's advice. Nothing makes a customer feel more special than to be asked to share their opinion. Why do you think people are so willing to fill out survey forms? It makes them feel good to know someone values what they think. Your customer respects what you do and may even be in awe of the beautiful jewelry you're capable of making. Think how good she'll feel if you sincerely ask her to share thoughts about your business. Plus, you may get some great ideas for new products and services!

4. Make the customer feel good with a sincere thank you at the checkout station. Instead of a rote "thank you" mumbled in an insincere tone, why not jazz up your "thank you" like this?"Ms. X, thank you so much for purchase. We really appreciate having nice customers like you. Enjoy your new necklace!"In this world of half baked, half hearted customer service, this type of response will definitely have an impact.

5. Include a small, inexpensive gift with each purchase. An unexpected gift can go a long ways toward promoting goodwill. How about adding a piece of chocolate wrapped in elegant gold foil to your customer's bag? To make it an even better brand builder, consider having your company name stamped on the foil. Your customer is going to have very positive thoughts about you as she experiences that first sweet bite of chocolate!

6. Speaking of candy, why not have a bowl of inexpensive candy in an elegant, faceted crystal bowl in your booth? We have a supermarket in our area that offers small cups of fresh coffee to shoppers while they shop. Even though their selection is more limited and their prices are higher, I go there just for that coffee!

Little indulgences mean alot to customers and they can cost you very little.The "take home" message is that I want to encourage each of you to focus on your customer and to be aware of how you and your employees interact with them. Go the extra mile! Do the unexpected! This is probably the least expensive and most effective method you can use to distinguish your business from the myriad of handmade jewelry competitors out there.

If you have any suggestions of your own for making a customer feel special, let me know. :-)

Need ideas and new insights into selling handmade jewelry at craft shows? The author of this ebook tested a variety of techniques and documented EXACTLY what worked and didn't work. If you read this book and practice the techniques she describes, you will see results. You get 176 pages of rock solid, hard hitting information and ideas as well as 3 bonuses for a VERY reasonable price. Check out her ebook. CLICK HERE You'll be glad you did!

Thanks for reading,
Kristie

How to Make a Dynamite Display for Your Handmade Jewelry

There's no doubt about it! A great display will help you sell your handmade jewelry. I've seen a number of jewelry designers at shows who have beautiful jewelry but have used little attention to detail in designing their display design. I can just imagine how much more they might be selling if they could be as creative with their display as they are with their jewelry designs.

A great display has the important function of drawing people into your booth and holding their attention once they get there. If your display lacks originality, potential customers will walk by without giving you a second look. After all, there's alot to see at craft and jewelry shows and people have limited time.

Your display is also making a statement about the quality of your jewelry. If jewelry is carelessly displayed, potential customers will assume that it must not be of particular value and will pass you by. This holds true at craft shows, jewelry shows, home jewelry parties, and even when you display your handmade jewelry in galleries and boutiques.

With display being such an important element in marketingyour handmade jewelry, what can you do to make yours the best it can be? Here are some suggestions:

1. Maximize your lighting. Good lighting is absolutely critical to making handmade jewelry look enticing. Without it, those beautiful gemstones aren't going to give off their sparkle and your customer is not going to pull out her wallet to purchase. This is probably the most important element to consider when displaying your jewelry. This really can make or break you! We'll have a more detailed discussion on how to maximize your lighting in a future post.

2. Make sure your jewelry items are displayed at eye level. Studies have shown that customers buy items that are displayed at eye level while ignoring items they have to make an effort to vision. Make it easy for them by displaying your most important pieces in their line of vision. Also, please remember that jewelry should never be displayed on a completely flat surface.

3. Make sure your display compliments your handmade jewelry. If you sell natural stone jewelry, it will create confusion in your customer's mind if your display is glitzy and loud. Make sure you have CONSISTENCY in both your jewelry line and your display.

4. Group similar jewelry pieces together as a group or family. This is a great way to encourage your customer to purchase multiple items from you. If they like one piece in the group, chances are they'll like them all and will end up buying more than one piece.

5. Consider having attractive signs displayed with your jewelry telling your customer a little about your jewelry and why it's special. This can go a long way towards increasing the perceived value of your handmade jewelry.

6. Avoid clutter at all costs! Clutter creates confusion in the mind of your customer which will decrease your chance of making a sale. Keep your display as streamlined as possible without sacrificing interest and originality.

7. Don't forget the mirrors! Customers need to know how your jewelry is going to look on them. I would recommend having multiple mirrors as a customers don't like to wait and will often vacate your booth if they aren't given immediate gratification. How do you feel when you have to wait in line for a dressing room in a clothing store?

8. Make your booth easy to navigate. Make sure customers can easily access your handmade jewelry even if there's a crowd.

9. Consider the "touch" factor when designing your display. This is a sticky situation since many jewelry designers are hesitant to encourage touching due to the potential for shoplifting. Keep in mind that previous studies have shown that customers are 4 times more likely to buy something they have touched or tryed on. You may want to consider having additional help at your booth to keep an eye on people as they handle your jewelry.

10. Regularly assess and reevaluate your display to make sure that it's still effective and consistent with your theme. It may be a good idea to do periodic updates to maintain consistency and to compliment any changes in your jewelry line. Freshness sells! Don't let a poorly designed display keep you from maximizing your jewelry sales.

Give those jewelry displays as much attention as you give your jewelry designs and you have a great recipe for success!

Need ideas and new insights into selling handmade jewelry at craft shows? The author of this ebook tested a variety of techniques and documented EXACTLY what worked and didn't work. If you read this book and practice the techniques she describes, you will see results. You get 176 pages of rock solid, hard hitting information and ideas as well as 3 bonuses for a VERY reasonable price. Check out her ebook. CLICK HERE You'll be glad you did!

Thanks for reading,
Kristie

Supplementing Your Handmade Jewelry Income with Teaching

Let's face it! At times the jewelry business has it's slow periods
which can be stressful for even the most seasoned professional.
Wouldn't it be nice to have another source or two for earning
extra money while still promoting your jewelry business?

Periodically, I'm going to be giving you with some ideas
on how you can enhance your jewelry income while still promoting
your jewelry design business.

The idea we'll focus on today is how to earn money by teaching
your jewelry making skills. Rest assured I have lots of other ideas
that I'll be presenting periodically, so stay tuned!

Probably the best way to get started teaching jewelry making to
others is to offer a class at your local bead store or craft store. We
have an employee, who also designs jewelry, who has set up a series
of wireworking classes for our customers. The classes are extremely
popular and she's making a fantastic additional income. She charges
around $35.00 for each class of which she keeps 80% of the fee.
If she averages 10 students per class, that's a pretty good return for a
few hours work. This kind of return definitely makes it worth your time.

I would suggest visiting your local bead store and discussing the
possibility of a similar arrangement with them. I would write
down descriptions of the classes you want to teach as well as
how much you would charge Emphasize to the bead store owner
how much these classes will help the store in the sale of supplies
for the classes. Plus, it will convert non jewelry makers into long
term, jewelry making enthusiasts who'll be purchasing again and
again!

Another possibility is for you to teach a series of classes at your
local college or university as part of their adult continuing
education program. The best way to do this is to call the college
or university and get the name of the program coordinator. You
would then write up a proposal for a series of classes and mail it
directly to that person. Again, let him or her know the benefits
your classes would offer to the participants and to the
university.

The public schools also are receptive to having classes taught in
the area of beading and jewelry making. We have an employee at
our bead store who stays busy visiting some of the local schools
teaching beading to the students. Most schools have set aside
some funds for outside art education and will probably be quite
receptive to having you teach some classes. This can be a great
way to get publicity for your jewelry design business!

How about offering a bead retreat with a variety of jewelry making
classes? You could locate some jewelry designers at shows who
would be willing to teach classes. You could sponsor a day long
retreat where participants would learn the basics of jewelry making.
You could emphasize the stress relieving aspects as well as fun and
fellowship in your advertising. I'm sure you'd get lots of participants!

If you want to make it even simpler, you can offer to teach jewelry
making in the comfort of your own home or studio. You could take
on several students at a time and give them individualized attention.
It's also an opportunity for them to see your beautiful jewelry designs
and tell all of their friends about you!

If you find from experience that you really enjoy teaching jewelry
design, you can always take your show on the road and teach jewelry
making workshops across the country. You may also want to
consider submiting a proposal to teach a class at a national jewelry
show. One of our glass bead makers did that and has gone on to make
quite a name for himself as a result of the publicity he received from
teaching nationally.

In addition to the reimbursement you receive for teaching classes,
you could derive additional income from your class participants by
selling supplies, kits, and instructions for them to take home. The
possiblities are limitless! Plus, you might just find that you have
alot of fun doing it!

Give it a try! You might just find that teaching is a great second income.

If you need an additional resource on how to get started teaching
and seminars, you might want to look at this. This book will show
you how to set your fees as well as market and promote your
workshops and seminars. You'll also learn how to create marketing
materials for your jewelry seminars that get results.

Have a great weekend. :-)

Kristie