Promoting Yourself....

Dessert Buffet Bracelet by MichellesCharmWorld 25.00

Morning everyone! It's time to make sure you are promoting yourself to the heavens! are you getting that word out everywhere? I always make sure I have a kit with me every single time I leave the house! It's a mini promo kit.

My Promo Kit

I am putting this photo on Flickr too, so that I can point out things in the notes. I keep it pretty compact and switch out the jewelry samples often. I have a code book/idea book so that I can keep track of the codes I give out to people that ask for my business codes. The tacks are for putting up my business cards wherever I go. It's a great way to promo on the go. I was at Potbelly subs last week and I noticed that my cards were gone, so I put up some more that I had and then added others that I had on me. I also noticed that another Etsy sellers cards were gone too (she lives in Rockford too), so I convoed her when I got home and let her know. I basically put them up wherever possible.

I was part of this business card and flier swap on Etsy once where we all swapped a certain amount of business cards and or fliers, post cards what not and then each person had to go out and paper their city with the fliers they got. Photos were required so that everyone could be sure it was done. I am planning on starting something like this again in hopes of spreading the word out of other awesome artists! So go on, get out there!

Pricing Your Items...pay yourself what you are worth!

Cake earrings by MichellesCharmWorld 10.00

Alright...hmmmm that title can't possible be right, there is no way I can pay myself a million dollars! hahahah!!! Okay all kidding aside, when we put our stuff out there, we are looking to make money right? We're looking to make back what we have in supplies and fees and time, but also a profit! It's difficult getting your pricing just right and sometimes it seems as though there are people undercutting you every step of the way, but no worries keep it at what you think and the customer that buys the cheaper item was never going to be your customer to begin with. There are so many threads like this around, that I hate doing a blog post about it, but sometimes people want to hear it from someone they 'know' and I feel like I know you all! Sometimes prices are just too high and that's because the pricing formula may not be right. I've priced some pieces that I knew were overpriced, but was just too lazy to figure it out right then and there. Of course they didn't sell. Remember that if you are interested in Wholesale selling your items, the norm is 50% of your selling price. So be very careful! I price all of my items, so that I can still put them on sale at 50% if they are not selling and make a good profit.

My pricing formula:

Supplies x 2 + 2.00 for overhead (bills and such) + 15.00 an hour + .60 (2 renewals and listing)

I round up to round off the dollar amount as I don't like listings that say 4.75 in my item shop.

Whenever I get a new supply order in, I count every single piece in the batch (even the ones I cannot or will not use) I then divide that by what it cose to purchase and ship or any other fees associated in the cost of the supply (If I went out just for that, I put in some gas money too), this gives me the per-item cost that I then use to calculate supplies pricing. The pieces I do not use head off to a box of my destash stuff and then when I go to sell my destash, it's all pure profit outside of the fees and photography time, since I built that into the cost of the supplies that I do use.

Hope this helps you guys!!

Improve it!

Yay everyone! We are 6 days into the New year and for most of us, it's finally starting to calm down in the real world enough for us to get our virtual world up and rolling again. I have been so busy with the holidays and then my 2 kids birthday right afterwards, that my sales have taken a complete tumble. I can tell that my sales suffer when I don't dedicate the time to get the word out. Just take a peek at my sold section and you will see just what I mean. I have gaps in between some sales too! It's time to buckle down. So my question to you, is in these 6 days so far, what have you done to improve your shop? If the answer is nothing, it's time to get out there and do something!! I changed up my featured items and began using different backrounds again. I was feeling that the white was really making it too sterile and my items are more fun! I have changed up my Avatar, to something that is on my first page, so that it is easy for someone to find if they spotted me in the forums.

Love My Wellies Necklace by MCW 12.00

I have also begun a new 12 month subscription program to my shop. I offer a different item every month for my customers when they purchase the listing. It's an amazing way for people to get a taste of your shop and you also build in a repeat customer base. Why? They may be tempted to buy more when they are in there getting their monthly item. I have already sold a 12 month program and a 6 month program since implementing this! I am hoping that it will grow!

Your Niche?

Room Service Cart Necklace by MCW 25.00

Have you found your niche in this wonderful crafting world? You know, who you are marketing to? Who your products are geared towards? Once you figure this out, you will have an EXCELLENT idea on where to begin advertising your products. Me? I know from experience that any kind of craft show with the word Country in it or spelled Kraft is just not for me, no matter how cheap the booth fee is. Remember selecting a craft show goes far beyond the rental fee. I know that an elementary school show is not a good idea for me, since so many people outside of my niche market have assumed my items are for children. After doing a survey at shows (visually) to see who was buying my stuff and their age range, I started sending out a survey at the bottom of my e-newsletter to find out the statistics of my average buyer. I found out what the age range was and then did my own research to find out where they typically hung out, shopped for, what trends they followed etc. This helped me 100% in finding out where to put my fliers and such out.

Talk To Me Phone Necklace by MCW 12.00

Hidden tip? Don't count out the retirement homes. Give them a call and see what they have goign on! They will allow you to set up a booth if you call and ask. Sometimes they already have craft shows set up and sometimes you can set a small up. I know a Party Lite Lady, Avon Lady and a handful of crafters that usually do the home party ciruit with me, so I can depend on them in a crunch! This group of people ALWAYS buys for their friends and family. I usually put a sign up of customer photos on an easel and any latest reviews on my items so that they get an idea of who buys my stuff.

Vintage Button Bracelet by MCW 40.00

Branch it out! I have several different lines that I work in, I even do Bridal Jewelry! (I know I know surprising right??) I only do this stuff in real life and sometimes if my shop is slow and my real life orders are slow, I enter into craft shows that showcase my other lines (Bridal and Buttons) or I slim down to fit into the categories offered in a craft show. (Just teddy bear and bow earrings for the Teddy Bear Convention). My main focus is MichellesCharmWorld Funky and Chunky Creations, so I always market that, and that's what is my true passion! Just know who you are selling to and you can do it so much better! Try different marketplaces too! There are soo many out there it's not just Ebay and Etsy anymore! I'm a new member of Lollishops

it's a new selling venue targeted towards the super girly! I really liked that idea and figured I would give it a try. Remember we only learn from that which we try! My review on this place comes up at the beginning of the new year!


Let me reccomend to you: CRAFT INC a book about Turning Your Creative Hobby Into a Business. I went through it with one of those highlighter post it pens! I keep it with me usually at all times in my diaper bag! It's a good reference book and great book to read more than once.

Renewing!

Teddy Bear Bow Locket By MCW 12.00

Renewing is a vicious cycle that eats into your profit margin, so make sure you are keeping an eye on just what you are renewing all the time. I always build in 2 renewals of an item into the price of that piece. I then keep a spreadsheet with the item name, date listed and price I keep 2 blank colums where I add in the date of each renewal. If a piece sells before I get a chance to renew it both times, I toss that .20 or .40 into my advertising budget for the next month. .40 can go a long way on project wonderful ads and the like! I do not like to renew my items that are priced 8.00 and under. It just eats and eats away at these items profit totals! This is a short and sweet post because I don't want you devaluing your lower priced items!

Featured items in MCW

Pancake Breakfast 16.00

12 Months of MCW Gifts 95.00

Front Page making Tea Ring Set 12.00

When things get too lost in the mix, but are too inexpensive to renew or you have used up the allowance for renewals in your budget, FEATURE them. Change up the photos a bit, dust them off . Try and change your featured items on Etsy at least every week. It gives people a chance to see what's in the back without having to go through all the pages. I change mine up usually about once a week and sometimes every other day. If you have a blog try featuring them there too!