Shop Diagnostics is a series where we share tips coming from creative entrepreneurs who can run shops in light of adjustments brought on by military life YET APPLICABLE to all those interested in improving their shop's presence online and worldwide.
This is PART 2 of a 3 PART SERIES written by Koryn of The Taffy Box:
Market your shop to your target audience: Promote Promote Promote!
I would have to say that social networking, blogging, and doing giveaways on mommy blogs/sites have been my most successful marketing avenues to grow my business. Remember, it is all about exposure.
Giveaways-/ Reviews : Go to Google and look for mommy blogs or blogs that discuss the types of items that you sell. Many bloggers love to host giveaways or reviews to draw in readers. Get in on the fun with them! It may cost you donating one product for a review and giveaway but that is pennies compared to the exposure it may give you! Contact a blogger today about doing a giveaway with you! Offering a giveaway to a charity has even more perks as it gives you a tax write off if they are a tax deductible organization. Keep receipts! Offer a gift certificate for a raffle prize or silent auction. Be sure to include business cards that can be given out. Vista Print offers free business cards and marketing tools! MomPack also offers opportunity to cross promote with other moms in business. Check them out! They're free!
Post and re-post! I post every single day. I post new items, old items, sold items, etc. Even if you posted just one item per day that would cost you $6 per month. That is a small fee to get yourself out there on the Etsy first search pages.
Blog - Blog about something. Anything! If you have a blog, put your Etsy mini html code on the sidebar. If your blog has to do with your craft, then tagging posts with words that will draw viewers to your pages will expose your Etsy shop to them as well. Be sure to add to the sidebar so your shop can gain more exposure! I am working on a parenting blog called Rescue Parenting along with my husband (this is a new work in progess!). You can blog about the craft itself, or something that will draw the same type of audience who might shop in your store. Be creative with it! That Blog Place and The Cutest Blog On The Block both offer free blog backgrounds to make your blog even more fun! It is free and offers the opportunity to gain even more exposure. I like Blogger best but you can check out Wordpress or Tumblr as well. They each have different perks.
Free Ads- If you are a jewelry artist, contact online magazines such as the Jewelry Observer,and ask them if they would help promote you for free. Here is a feature they did for me:
If you make knitted items, or something unique or vintage, find a venue that might promote for you if you will in turn, advertise for free at your blog site! Easy and free!
Cross promote - For instance, I make dog tags. I found a great maker of dog collars when I needed one for my own pet and found it on Etsy (Lucky Fiona). The two of us cross promoted on each others listings and led traffic to one another without competing for the same sales. By the way, she is a great example of branding. To remember her name, my silly chemo-brain DOES remember that darned little lucky horse shoe charm she attached to my dog's new collar and I automatically think of her! Think outside the box. Maybe you make greeting cards and you find someone who who is a good photographer - see if you can work together to cross promote. Don't forget to cross advertise on one another's blogs! Share your etsy minis with one another to promote on blog side bars. Do a guest feature on your blog of another Homefronter and she'll do the same and that way you double your readership! Team membership such as Homefront is great for this.
Thank you Koryn! If you have tips to share, contact us via the Contact tab at the top of the blog.
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