The Basics of Marketing: How Do You Know if You’re Clueless?

Do you know what you don’t know?

The Discovery

I typically never go to networking type meetings, but I was at a women’s business networking group a few weeks ago with a friend who is much more of a joiner than I am, and I was surprised that about 5 out of the 20 or so women had bead and handmade jewelry related businesses.

I made a shocking discovery at that meeting. It was hard for me to believe at first, but many of the women in the group were basically clueless about basic marketing concepts, and especially internet marketing basics.

Having little experience with offline networking, I imagined that people who were savvy enough to want to network would at least know some marketing basics.

Are You Clueless Too?

So here’s the point. Maybe you are in that clueless category and don’t even know it. I don’t want to be harsh, but I call it like I see it. And hey, everyone has to start somewhere. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know until someone enlightens you.

I must admit that about a year or two ago I was in that clueless category too. As artists and craftspeople, sometimes we just want to make things in our studio and not really interact with the world in any way. At least I feel that way. I started learning about marketing because it’s necessary, not because I love selling or advertising, or even because I find it at all interesting on its own.

The Dream of All Jewelry Designers, Artists and Craftspeople

I bet you’re a lot like me.  If I could create all day and have an enthusiastic salesperson/girl or boy friday do everything else I’d be as happy as a clam.

The Naked Truth

The world doesn’t work that way though. You can be the most brilliant craftsperson in the world and make the most beautiful things that the world has ever seen but it wouldn’t matter. The marketers make the money. That’s just the way it is.

The first step, as they say, is acknowledging you have a problem. This first article in the series is all about knowing what you don’t know.

Can you answer these Basic Marketing Questions?

Marketing Questions:

The top 3 questions are the most basic. 

• Who am I targeting (or who is my audience or ideal customer?)
• What do they need?
• What is the problem I am solving for them?
• What are features and benefits? What are mine?
• Do I have a marketing strategy?
• What is my marketing strategy?
• Do I have goals?  What are they?  Are they specific and measurable?
• How can I get people excited about my product?
• How is my product different from others?
• How is my marketing different from others?

Research Questions:

• How do I find out what people want and need?
• How do I find out whether people will pay for what they want?
• Who is the competition?
• How well is the competition doing?
• How am I different from the competition?

Basic Internet Marketing Questions:

In no particular order of importance:

• What is search engine marketing?
• What is web traffic?
• What are the best ways to get web traffic?
• What is Google Adwords?
• What are keywords?
• What is a "list"?
• What is search engine optimization?
• What are backlinks?
• What is an autoresponder?

These are some of the most basic questions there are for anyone with a business. If you are planning on selling your jewelry entirely offline, with no website or web presence whatsoever, maybe you won’t need any internet marketing. I suggest though, that you should at least have an email mailing list so that you can follow up with regular customers. I’ll discuss this further in a future post.

I don’t want to scare you, but if you can’t answer most of these questions, you’re in the "clueless" category.  Don’t worry though, there is lots of information out there for the learning.  Much of it is free

Action Steps for Today:  

• Relax.
• Let some of the question percolate in your mind for a bit.  At least now you know what you don’t know.  
• Write a comment below.  Let me know what you’re thinking.

Here’s a quick heads up for all you Etsy jewelry sellers. For the next week or so only (?) you can take a look at who is making lots of sales, top sales, and sales versus listings at Etsytools

Maybe all etsy sellers know about this already. I just came across it though and I’m sad that it’ll be gone! (The blog owners are getting frustrated with some negative feedback they’re getting so they’re closing down. You can read their last post here.

I would have loved looking at this when I was selling my jewelry online. Seeing what the most successful are doing is a great way to get some insight into how to market, what people are buying, etc.

I’ve been out of the Etsy loop for awhile- I set up shop about a year or two ago but I haven’t been doing anything there lately. That’s a story for another email.

If you’re unfamiliar with Etsy, don’t check them out. You will lose countless hours of your life browsing the beautiful pictures you’ll find there.

Etsy is a huge treasure trove of anything handmade. (Just want to clarify that I have no affiliation with Etsy. I’ve had some feedback that maybe I’m plugging sites for monetary gain? Not so).

Items are sold directly from the artist and if you are looking to sell some of your own stuff, or even de-stash some of your supplies, you might want to set up shop on Etsy. Only 20 cents per listing for 4 months. MUCH cheaper than fee-bay.

Back to the point – selling on Etsy – you’ll find the stats charts at Etsy tools fascinating. Check it out before they pull it down.

If you know of a similar stats tracking tool for Etsy (or Yessy, Ruby Lane, or any of the other 3rd party crafts/ art selling websites where artists can promote and sell their work), please let me know! I’d love to share it with everyone!

Talk soon, Christine
Jewelry Making Play, Every Day!
New!!! The HTMJ Bloooooog!

P.S. New question at Ask and Answer- and it’s a biggie! I might have to answer it in parts. Wanna read it? It’s a business related one:Pricing Jewelry and Other Business Questions

(This post was written as an email for my mailing list at my main jewelry making website) I don’t often post my emails here, but this one was a time sensitive one. If you want to see what else you’ve been missing out on, you can subscribe to the Making Jewelry mailing list here.)

I love the one about putting your business cards in library books. I picture jewelry designers everywhere scurrying through libraries willy-nilly, surreptitiously poking their business cards into books right under the noses of the library police.

Spread the love. Share your own ideas in the comments!

Secrets of a Handcrafted Jewelry Shopping Service – EBook Review

Wouldn’t you like to learn how to skyrocket your home jewelry business success? What Jewelry Artist wouldn’t! I found a really mind opening E-book by Rena Klingenberg, Home Jewelry Business Expert and really-nice-lady.

What makes her book so earthshaking?

Rena has devised a really fascinating and low-key way to sell handmade jewelry that does the following:

• It saves you from booth selling and all the costs and equipment entailed in that method selling
• Her method allows you to keep 100% of RETAIL sales (rather than the 70% or 50% that you get from wholesaling or consignment.
• You don’t have to give a percentage or give jewelry to a home party hostess so you don’t lose anything there.
• Everything is casual and low-key (great for the more reserved Jewelry Artist. I know there are lots of us out there!)
• AND her system details how you can make some real money selling One-of-a-Kind pieces and sets to the wealthier customer.

Okay, enough with the gushing.

I love e-books. I sort of feel like they are a guilty pleasure because I can buy them online and get them immediately. If you’ve never bought an E-book before, you really must try it. I recently bought Rena Klingenberg’s book entitled, “Secrets of a Handcrafted Jewelry Shopping Service “.

For those who don’t know, Rena Klingenberg has been writing home-jewelry business success articles for some time, and has been a guest author on The Jewelry Sweet Spot as well.

I initially didn’t think that her book would interest me. For some reason I thought it was about shopping for jewelry for people and never connected the fact that it would be my own jewelry I would be selling.

Rena book really gives you new insight into an alternative method of turning your passion into a profitable business. It offers a step by step system for creating a home jewelry business success based on a “personal shopper” model.

If you love one-on-one contact with clients, making one-of-a-kind and commission pieces…

The author let’s you in on the primary way she earns money in her handcrafted jewelry business.

Rena’s gift and jewelry consultant angle on selling is an ingenious one for jewelry designers who enjoy one-on-one contact with clients, make one-of-a-kind and commission pieces, who are good at matching jewelry to clients wardrobes, and are looking for a low overhead method of marketing their jewelry and still command retail prices. This business model is underused by the handmade jewelry industry and should you chose to adopt it, you will probably have no competition.

Great advice for anyone who wishes to sell their jewelry part-time in a casual way… Read more…

copyright by Rena Klingenberg

If you sell your handcrafted jewelry at shows, fairs, or festivals, it may be a target for thieves. You should know how prevent shoplifters from stealing your jewelry right out of your booth.

I don’t mean to imply that shoplifting is rampant at every show, or that you can’t trust your customers. But it’s an unfortunate fact that jewelry is an increasingly frequent target for theft. It’s attractive, relatively small, easy to slip away with, and has a high perceived value.

After an onyx and opalite bracelet was shoplifted from my booth, I decided to learn how I could prevent my jewelry from “evaporating” at shows.

I discovered that you can greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of shoplifting in your jewelry booth – simply by being aware of how jewelry thieves operate, and learning a few simple prevention measures.

Tactics of Experienced Jewelry Shoplifters

Awareness of how thieves operate can help you keep your jewelry safe. Here are common shoplifting ploys used by thieves at art and craft shows:

1) Some thieves work in pairs. One thief poses as an interested customer, distracting you by pretending they want to purchase jewelry, while the other thief unobtrusively slips some jewelry into a pocket, tote bag, shopping bag, or purse.

2) A shoplifter working alone pretends to browse your displays, and the moment you’re distracted, he or she easily brushes jewelry that’s displayed near the table-edge right into an open bag, purse, or baggy pocket that’s just below the table level.

3) A thief sets a personal item (such as a purse, shopping bag, or jacket) on your jewelry table while pretending to shop. When the thief picks up her personal item, she neatly lifts some of your jewelry along with it.

4) Experienced jewelry thieves know the most vulnerable times for an artist at a show, and wait for an opportune moment to take advantage of your situation during these critical times: Read more…