by CraftyCoach - Norm Lanier on November 7, 2008
A lot of the people that follow me on Twitter have shops on www.Etsy.com. I get the question every day asking how they can stand out. It’s a good question. Let me give you an example of the problem, at the time of this writing there are 688,786 items that come up on Etsy for the word jewelry, 104,303 items for the word bracelet and 150,203 items for the word pendant. While not nearly as bad as the 1,803,050 items that come up on eBay for the word jewelry, we’re still talking about big numbers.
So how do you stand out?
Step one: You have to do something that stands out. Quite honestly there are very few artist in the jewelry section that create work that looks any different from the work of hundreds of other store owners. Not to pick on jewelry shop owners the same situation exists in most categories on Etsy or for that matter eBay or any of the other sales venue. No question about it, it’s really hard to create anything that would be stand out when you have this much competition.
Step two: Specialize in whatever your passion is. I think most creatives are ADD to some extent and it’s hard to focus on just one thing. This is the reason why you’ll go in some shops and you’ll see jewelry along with paintings and dolls all by the same artist. Consumers want consistency. Even if you go to Wal-Mart the store is divided into sections. You won’t find beer on the same isle as tires, they know it’s bad to mix drinking and driving (sorry couldn’t resist). So let’s go back to the Etsy bracelet number of 104,303, if you narrow that search to lampwork bracelet the number drops to 8,830. Now which buyer do you think is more likely to buy, the person searching for jewelry or the person that is searching for lampwork bracelet. What kind of confidence do you think the buyer gets when they go to a shop only selling lampwork jewelry as apposed to one selling lampwork jewelry, soap and stationary in the same shop?
Step 3: Promote, you can’t just hang a shingle at Etsy and expect to make tons of sales. If you’re going to sell then you need to promote from outside of Etsy or have someone else do it for you. I’d be lying to you if I told you promotion was easy but the first place I’d tell you to start is by promoting yourself. The reason most people are looking for something handmade is because they want to feel a personal connection to a real human. This is why Twitter, blogs Facebook and YouTube are so important, they help you create an online personality. Quite honestly it’s easier to go to Wal-Mart than to purchase from your shop. If your shop is devoid of a personal connection then why should they go to the extra trouble?
Never forget – People buy the artist as much as they buy the art. More today than ever people are starving to own something that has a human touch. Be human, let your store and you online presence reflect that. You can’t hide behind a computer any more and hope to be a successful crafter.
by CraftyCoach - Norm Lanier on November 5, 2008
I want you to stop for a moment and ponder why you sell your crafts.
I’m sure many of the answers have some common threads, to make money, to make room for more creations, to share with others. But what I would suggest is that the real reason most crafters sell their wares is because it simply feels good. When someone pulls money out of their pocket and exchanges it for something you’ve made it’s like getting a gold star from your kindergarten teacher. I think most of us start by selling to family and friends but there is always that little voice that says “They just bought from you because they felt obligated”. So you take the next step and start selling online or at shows. When you sell your craft to strangers that’s the ultimate approval that your work was worth what you were asking.
So here’s the dark side of that rush, you start to make bad decisions to get that next selling fix. Do you go to craft shows with the hope of just breaking even? Do you know how much the materials in your product cost? Are you pricing all your products with almost no profit just because you want to sell? I have people on a regular basis ask me to review their Etsy store and sometimes I find items for $5 or less. My thought when I see an item like this is what could this crafter make for the same amount of time and material cost that would generate a larger profit. If you’re going to make art to sell shouldn’t you make items people will buy? Is that a silly question? Think about it, how many zillion ideas are bouncing around in your head of projects you’d like to make? How about taking all those ideas you want to make and asking which would return the biggest profit for your time. Lets face it everybody only has so much time, why not maximize your profit for your time.
by CraftyCoach - Norm Lanier on November 4, 2008
I had a conversation with someone on Twitter asking for advice on craft sales. I went to their site and looked at their products. I thought the site was very nice and the products looked nice but I thought the colors were unattractive. Now please don’t misunderstand, this was just my opinion and I don’t claim to know their niche. I wrote back to this crafter and I asked him if he had ever done a test where he made to versions of the same product but in different colors to see which sold best. He responded by telling me how much his customers loved the colors and that they were all natural, etc… So I wrote back and said “But haven’t you ever been undecided on which color to go with and that if he did a test your customers would tell you which they preferred. To this he responded that he didn’t understand my question because his product had been in several magazines and he really wasn’t expecting this type of advice in response.
Are you getting tired yet, there’s more?
So I wrote back that he was missing my point all I was saying is that he should test. I said try it once, if I’m wrong they will both sell the same, if I’m right his customers would tell you what they like best. I didn’t get any other responses.
So this conversation brings up two points:
1. Don’t you think it’s really arrogant to assume you always know exactly what your customers want? That even if it improved your bottom-line you wouldn’t do a simple test because you know best. Seriously do you think Proctor and Gamble comes up with one package design, ships millions of items daily and doesn’t do A/B testing to see if a variation would sell better. It’s a never-ending cycle I can assure you.
2. If your not open minded enough to consider a response to your question ……. don’t ask, it’s a waste of everybody’s time.
That being said, the back and forth banter had a silver lining because it inspired me to write this article. I hope it will inspire you to do some simple testing of your own. Remember you can test all kinds of variables, price, size, fragrances, etc. Use your imagination, test and reap the benefits both financially and with happier customers. Isn’t that’s what it’s all about?
by CraftyCoach - Norm Lanier on November 1, 2008
I got a question from one of my followers on Twitter who asked what was the best type of sale to have? The answer is to give high value away that cost very little. Here’s what I mean, many crafters will have a sale where they offer a 10% off, dollar off, free add-on like free shipping. I would argue that there is a much better option.
Let’s say you are having a sale and you have a work that cost $100. Now if you have a sale that is 15% off, the percieved value to the customer is $15 and it cost you $15. If you have a discount of $15 off any item over….. the percieved discount to the customer is $15 and cost to you is $15. Now let’s say that you offer free shipping, the percieved value is the cost of shipping and it cost you that same amount. In all of these scenarios perception equals cost.
There’s one more option which I believe is the best way to go. Let’s say that you offer an item worth $15 free with any item over … The perceived value of the customer is $15 but your actual cost could be significantly less. The other big advantage of this method is now the customer has two of your items to show off to friends instead of just one.
Offering specials can be a great way to motivate customers to buy, think about how you can offer maximum value at minimal cost.