Captain's Log: Interview with Caitlin Bacher of Little Farm Media

Happy Monday! 

It's Valentine's week! A sweet holiday for handmade items! This week, I am continuing our series of interviews with creative business supporters. If you missed the first two: Popupsters & The Academy of Handmade, grab your coffee, take some time and read them, these are good people to know :) 

As small business owners, we can't thrive (or survive) without some support. Often times, we are working alone, trying to figure out each step of business by doing research or asking another small business owner questions or joining a business group (like SFEtsy!) but sometimes, we need just a little bit more. 

Personally, when I hear the words "social media" I get a little overwhelmed and sometimes annoyed (I don't want to be that person posting all the time). After spending my days making things, filling orders, packing, shipping, photographing and writing descriptions, I can tell you the last thing on my list is getting online and chatting with people over "social media." However, I know it's an important part of marketing my business. 

Enter: Social Media Guru, Caitlin Bacher. Together, Caitlin and I lead the SF Chapter of The Academy of Handmade. We sat down to chat about her business, Little Farm Media and how she is helping creative entrepreneurs move past that "overwhelming" feeling attached to social media and help them use online social tools to drive traffic to their online stores. 

Enjoy this interview and feel free to reach out to Caitlin for help with your own social media questions. 

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Caitlin Bacher and I run the show at Little Farm Media. I offer social media consultations for creative entrepreneurs and blog a ton. Plus, I co-lead the San Francisco chapter of Academy of Handmade. When I’m not working it at work, I can be found wearing sweat pants, playing Scrabble with my husband, or chasing after my (ahem) spirited three year old.

2. How did you first get involved in with makers and the handmade community?

I noticed that there wasn’t any social media advice specifically created for the handmade + maker biz community. There are plenty of vague articles telling you to "Be Authentic" and "Share Your Story". What does that even mean? People need concrete examples, not regurgitated quotes. 

3. What do you find most exciting about working with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans?

I have an instant connection with anyone who is out there trying to do what they love and make money doing it. I understand how hard it can be to try and figure everything out on your own. Communities like SF Etsy and Academy of Handmade are absolutely critical for your success. 

4. What do you find most challenging about working with makers, entrepreneurs, and artisans?

Many artsy people feel very awkward about promoting themselves. Coming off too sales-y is their number one concern. I really respect that. The best part of my job is helping them find a way they can promote their work with confidence and ease.

5.  How did you learn about SFEtsy?

I don’t remember exactly how, but I think the first place I connected with SF Etsy was on Twitter. SF Etsy does an amazeballs job of creating community on ALL their social media platforms (editor's note: thanks to Lisa Spinella!) . They are so inclusive and generous, which makes everyone feel welcome. 

6. What is one of your primary goals for your business in 2015?

I want to be able to provide more services at affordable rates. Figuring out a way to do this in a way that provides real value to my clients has been no easy task. I think I’ve nailed it with my One-On-One Brainstorming Session. It’s a super affordable way to get social media advice that is personalized for your biz. You won’t find anything else like it. 

7. What’s the one online tool you’ve discovered that can help makers propel their business?

Here’s the thing. I know people that run a successful biz using Instagram, Facebook, or whatever. That doesn’t mean that if you join Instagram or create a Business Facebook page you will become a millionaire. People find success on whatever platform they are using because they do their research. Each platform requires a different strategy. It’s not what you use, it’s how you use it.

8. Do you have any words of wisdom to help makers sell more in person at popup events?

Do not rely exclusively on the organizers to promote your event. You are the boss of your biz and it’s your job to bring in people who will buy your stuff. Period. Tease your social media audience with what you’re doing to get ready for the show and build some excitement. Give them a reason to come.

P.S. Join Little Farm Media for a Pinterest Marketing Workshop on February 21 in Emeryville that will give you actionable advice you can use immediately. The cost of your ticket will pay for donuts, the space rental, and a latte for myself. RSVP right here because space is super limited. Bring your laptop.

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit Our Team Page about joining SFEtsy!

5 THINGS EVERY MAKER SHOULD DO

The secret to smoother sailing for your business.

Getting sales is powerful. Just knowing somebody wants what you created can instantly turn a bad day into one of the best days ever!

But, without the proper foundation, you’ll probably end up in a headspin not knowing what steps to take to either get more sales or meet your current demand. 

To avoid a meltdown, I’ve created a to-do list for your maker business. 

 

1. Talk With Customers

Today, consumers face an abundance of choice. To get traction in this crowded marketplace, you MUST understand your customer. The good news is that people love to give their opinion. But, not everything they say needs to be taken into consideration. The secret is asking open-ended questions so that you get to the insightful bits.

So, get in the habit of reaching out to your customers (yes stockists are customers too) to gather feedback. As an example, you could ask how they might describe your product to someone else. Or, whether they bought it for themselves or as a gift and what the occasion was.  This information will not only give you a better understanding of who your customer is, but also how they search for similar products. Then, you can tailor your keywords and product descriptions to get better results.

2. Design Your Brand Experience

Brand is the mental image someone has of your offering. That image is formed over time as consumers are exposed to your business, either directly or via an intermediary, like the press. Brand is a powerful differentiator and a key component of consumer marketing.

The easiest way to consider your brand is to personify it. In other words, specify the body of your brand (product, packaging, logo etc.), the backstory (name, narrative, mission, etc.), and the personality (communication style, voice, values, etc.). Then, outline your brand and determine the ideal customer experience across every touch point a consumer could have with your business – i.e. your social media accounts, email interactions, online shops, fulfillment, store presence, etc.

Your goal is to ensure that anyone exposed to your brand walks away with a clear and memorable image of your offering.

3. Figure Out Your Cost Structure

Simply put cost structure equals your expenses, and it’s fundamental to your business. Your cost structure will inform your pricing, your sales targets, and your return.

Costs are broken into two groups: variable and fixed costs. Variable costs are the per unit costs associated with making your product - such as material, labor, and packaging. Everything else (marketing, administration, etc.) would go in the fixed costs bucket because these expenses don’t fluctuate with your output.

With your cost structure at your fingertips, you’ll be able to determine how many units you would need to sell to turn a profit and whether that’s even sensible.

4. Plan Your Pricing

Pricing is challenging for everyone. Even über successful MBA-laden corporations like Apple have encountered pricing mistakes. But, that doesn’t mean you should go willy-nilly on your prices.

First, you need to make sure your prices have sufficient margin to cover ALL your expenses. You should also think about how your prices correspond to the perceived value of your product and how the price of each product relates to others in your assortment. Finally, you should compare prices with your competitors.

The idea is to view your pricing from all angles to avoid any surprises down the road. Sadly, I see many makers undercutting themselves to the point at which they are losing money on wholesale orders. That’s certainly not gratifying, nor sustainable. 

5. Leverage Analytics

Online retailing has opened up a whole new world of consumer data, and it can be quite overwhelming. Luckily, you don’t need to go that deep to find valuable insights. At this stage, you’ll want to track where your traffic is coming from, which items are getting the most engagement, and which key terms consumers are using to find your products.

This information is useful in determining your next steps for outreach. For example, if your customers tend to find you through certain channels, you might concentrate your efforts on those ones. Likewise, you can test the effectiveness of changes by comparing previous results with your current performance.


Brandy Davis-Balsamo is a business consultant who specializes in marketing/merchandising strategy. She works with SFEtsy member and local bag maker, furuKawa | Direct: www.furukawa-sf.com, Etsy Shop: KFBags

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit Our Team Page about joining SFEtsy!

#SFEtsy April 24th - Promoting on Etsy

This week we will be continuing our marketing and advertising theme, this time looking at a topic which should be relevant to everyone - Etsy!

We'll be talking about different ways to get your items found on Etsy and comparing our stories about which methods are most successful. We'll also discuss how the recent changes have affected what works and what doesn't.

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Savvy Enterepreneur: Using StumbleUpon to Drive Traffic

I’ve recently become convinced that StumbleUpon can really help drive traffic to your website if you use it somewhat regularly. I’ve been spending some time playing around and reading tips on the best way to utilize it and being the generous geek that I am I thought I’d share a few tips for those of you totally new to it all.

StumbleUpon is often described as a bookmarking site, but in my opinion it works much better as a discovery vehicle and a traffic source. It is a social network, so this means you need to interact and yes follow, not just promote. However it takes much less diligence than Facebook and Twitter to start seeing results.

Getting Started

First things first, set up an account, fill in your profile and interests and start following people - your friends, people you interact with on Twitter and Facebook, bloggers you read, etc. I also highly recommend downloading the toolbar for your browser it will make things much easier.

Once you’ve got your profile all set and are following a few people, start stumbling. This means letting StumbleUpon suggest websites, images, and video based on your interests and what the people you follow like. This is the discovery part. You will undoubtedly find some new things that interest your, articles worth reading, and just generally entertaining stuff.  The more you use it and rate things, the more you’ll find things that actually interest you.

A web page only gets into the system if a user likes it. The more a page gets liked the more it gets shown to other users. If a page gets disliked or no response it will eventually drop out of the system.

Distinguishing Yourself

If you are a helpful user you make the system better and people will take a look at what you recommend. It’s really that simple. So every time you find something on the web you appreciate, like it via your stumble bar. It’s also helpful to write a quick review and/or add tags. This will not only help you find the things you liked again, but will help other users get what they’re looking for.

Make sure to define your interests, not only will this help you find the types of things you’re looking for it will also help you establish yourself as a source for information around that topic.

Also join groups, search out new users and interact. It is a community and the more you give the more you get back.

Generating Traffic

First a word of caution, just liking your own pages can get you removed from the site and it’s simply not being a helpful user. However you certainly can like your pages, especially new blog posts, give them a quick review and get them into the system.

If you submit something new you’ll get a window that pops up congratulating you on a new discovery, take the time to fill in the tags and review, it will help your content get seen by those who are truly interested in it.

The thing about StumbleUpon is that while you can suddenly get 1,000s of new eyes on your website, most of the traffic jumps off just as quickly. So you must still have great content, striking images, or useful videos. Content that has the potential to go viral is great to submit and also helps pull users further into your website.

So take some time each week to use StumbleUpon to find new things, explore the community and submit one or two of your own pages. You will get little boosts in traffic and if your content is useful and engaging they will come back and they will share.

Now go stumble and by all means follow me!

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve [at] lightboxsf [dot] com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

DIY Marketing at TechShop SF

Successful marketing is about communicating with your customers in a way that makes you memorable. We all know the handmade/craft/artisan market is crowded one, so you need to put effort in to stand out. 

In this 2-hour workshop, our very own SF Etsy team members, Genevieve Robertson of Lightbox SF and Shana Astrachan of Shana Astrachan Jewelry will inspire you with creative marketing tips that will your business cards worthy of framing, keep customers talking about you, and make you so memorable they keep coming back.

The best part is they'll show you how to do this on the cheap doing much of it yourself with inexpensive tools and of course the resources of TechShop and other great local businesses.

They'll discuss basic marketing materials you all should have and how to make everyone want to walk away yours, creative packaging ideas that will extend your brand image, and display tips to make your products stand out in craft fairs and retail shops.

What better way to kick of 2012 than by learning how to stand out and save money at the same time? Reserve your spot now!

Wednesday, January 18, 7-9pm
Saturday, January 28th, 2-4pm

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Savvy Entrepreneur: You Can Judge A Gift By Its Box

We’re officially in December, which means the holiday shopping season is in full swing. Many of you have already had Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and the holiday show season officially starts this weekend. I seem to be getting a new invite everyday.

Many people will be seeing your products for the first time in the coming weeks, both online and in real life. They are shopping for someone they care about and have most likely chosen to shop handmade because they understand the care that goes into each piece, not to mention it feels good to support artisans.

Make sure that your care and attention to detail carries through to your packaging. Nothing is more disappointing than buying a beautiful pair of handmade earrings or a painstakingly crocheted hat only to walk away with it in a simple paper bag or receive it in a beat up padded mailer.

This is your chance to make it the truly amazing and special gift that it is. Take the time to wrap it in tissue paper that matches your shop colors. Seal the paper with a logo sticker or even a simple circle of accenting color. Use the right size box that is sturdy enough to not get banged up or crushed. Make the box unique by putting a stamp, bow, or even a personalized gift tag on the outside. Include two business cards, one with the receipt for the gift giver and one inside the box for the receiver.

During a show this can seem like a lot of work with someone standing and waiting for you and others quickly lining up to ask questions or make a purchase. But trust me when I say that if they can see the care you’re putting in, they’ll wait.

If you do most of your sales online include at least one shot of what your packaging looks like. It may be that one detail that makes someone choose you over a competitor. I know I’ve been swayed by thoughtful packaging.

Receiving and opening that box should be as much a treat as what is inside. It’s a sure way to make everyone feel special and for you to be remembered.

If your product or shop style doesn’t really work with a traditional gift box don’t be afraid to be creative with your packaging, just keep in mind that you are selling an experience. From beginning to end the experience should fit. The way you present your product, interact with your customers, and package the sale should be as special and memorable as the product itself.

I’d love to hear some of the unique details you already include in your packaging.

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve [at] lightboxsf [dot] com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Savvy Entrepreneur: Finding Your True Fans

The most important advice I ever give is this: If you don’t know who you’re selling to you can’t build a successful business. You must be able to identify your target market.

You will spend time and money marketing your business, but you won’t connect with anyone because you’re not speaking directly to anyone. The more specific you can be in who you’re talking to the more likely they are to hear your message.

So how do you get to know this elusive ideal client? You start by writing a description based on what you know. Who already buys your product? Who gives you the most glowing reviews? If you’ve never sold, start with who you think will love what you offer. List as much info about them as you can: gender, age, where they live, pets they own, style of dress, food they eat, where they shop, hobbies, etc.

Now think beyond just a basic description. Who is this customer buying for? How do they decide what they buy? Where do they find new information and recommendations? How do they see themselves, trendy, sophisticated, outsider? Do they really have the money to afford what you’re selling?

You are not your ideal customer. You may have many traits in common, but you have the skills and passion to make the product. You are not the buyer.

Once you’ve got a basic description you need to do two things. Observe and hang out.

Test your theory about who’s buying your products. Ask them questions about who they’re buying it for, how they found you or what drew them into your booth. Collect information to make that description even more detailed. Notice who’s drawn in but doesn’t buy. Can you figure out why?

You also need to be where your ideal customer is. This means you need to get written up in the blogs and magazines they read. Are they obsessed with vintage, always reading about home décor, or constantly looking for new craft projects? You might even try guest writing for some of the top blogs. You need to be at the events your ideal customer frequents or in their favorite stores. Think of where they socialize and put up flyers. If you sell jewelry to 20-30 something women who have an independent style and love going to see local bands you’ll do much better selling at NoisePop than at the Sausalito Spring Street Faire. You might even try going to more local music shows wearing your most attention getting piece with a stack of business cards in your purse.

It’s an ongoing process but the more you know about your target market the easier it is to reach them in a way they’ll pay attention to.

How many key details do you know about your ideal customer?

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve [at] lightboxsf [dot] com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Savvy Entrepreneur: Writing An About Page

Over the holidays many new people are going to be visiting your Etsy shop looking for gifts for friends and family. They’re busy and overloaded with items so you want to put your best foot forward and make a connection with whoever you can. Besides having great photos and product descriptions, your about page needs to shine. Remember they might be shopping for someone else, but they’re also taking note of what they like for themselves.

The most clicked on page on any website, even your Etsy site, is the about or profile page. Buyers want to know who they’re buying from and how you’re different. Your about statement isn’t your biography or resume, it’s just a few paragraphs that let your customers know what inspires you to do what you do and gives them a way to relate to you.

Do A Little Research

Before you dive into writing or revamping your own read as many about pages as you can stand. Make note of sentences, phrases and words that really speak to you. Why? Notice what points you connect with and what parts make you gloss over. Use this knowledge to make your own profile fun and engaging.

The key points you may want to include are, who you are, what you do, where you come from (this may be literal or the path that led you to your current business), your inspirations, and what you do that’s different. You don’t need to hit on every single point and you may throw one or two more topics in there if you’re relevant, but those are a great place to start.

Sitting Down To Write

Start with a point of reflection that customers can relate to, a personal story that is a sort of turning point or aha moment in your life. Once you’ve brought them in tell them what it is you’re really offering and how it will make a difference in their life. Remember you may sell handbags, but what you’re really offering is convenience and functionality.

Then move into telling us why you do what you do and what specific talents you have that make your product different. Bonus points if you can fit in some version of this phrase, “Because __________ is important to me, you get a ____________ that ______________.”

If you’re really struggling with what to say ask friends and family to describe what you do as though they were introducing you to a potential client. They’ll most likely have a perspective that’s useful to you.

Most of all remember you can always go back and change it when you think of a better way to say it, but you need to get it down on paper before you can do any editing.

What are some of your favorite about or profile pages?

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve [at] lightboxsf [dot] com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

It's Time To Plan Your Holiday Marketing

We have officially hit Indian summer here in San Francisco and all I honestly want to do is soak up the sun with a beer in hand. So the shift to thinking about holiday marketing is a bit hard, but must be done.

What I want to inspire you to do today is to make a marketing plan for the holidays. Mapping everything out will help insure you don't get caught running out of product, will help you maximize all you marketing possibilities and take advantage of publicity opportunities. Consider each of the areas below in planning for the coming months.

Product Lines

If you have plans to offer any promotions or participate in trunk shows or fairs this season now is the time to stock up on inventory. You want plentiful looking displays to entice customers. You also don't want to run out of your best selling item just as your new retail account places an order. Take honest stock of what you have and what you'll need then place your materials orders now.

Publicity

At the beginning of August I wrote a post on Lightbox SF blog saying that you were already behind the gun for getting holiday publicity and generally that's true. However with the shorter lead time of blogs, there's still plenty of outlets to contact in hopes of getting into a gift guide or two, but you need to jump on it. Look to your favorite blogs first, have they made a call for products or did they do a round up in the past? Make sure your press kit is up to date and send along any appropriate samples. October is certainly not too early to get things in the mail.

Special Advertisements

This is the one time of year that spending a little on advertising can really be worth it, especially for marketplace promotions or shopping guides. But do take the time to do the research, how big an audience do they reach, is it really your target market, do they have any testimonials from past advertisers? Look to local papers who might feature a local or handmade shopping guide. Blogs that do a lot of product reviews often offer special holiday advertising also. It never hurts to look into it. Planning now will also help you keep on budget and not miss out on great opportunities because the money wasn't in the bank.

Marketing Materials

Do you have enough business cards and/or postcards for the holiday fairs you're participating in? Do you have enough boxes, stickers, envelopes or whatever you use to package and ship orders? You might even think of doing something a little different for the season to stand out. Holiday packaging and gift wrapping are nice marketing touches that customers remember. It can be as simple as themed tissue paper or ribbon with your standard packaging. This is also the time to think about refreshing or upgrading your display. A new banner or Christmas lights can go a long way to getting people into your booth and picking up merchandise.

Communications and Announcements

Use your mailing list, blog, Twitter and Facebook to keep your loyal customers up to date on everything you're doing this season, events, promotions, and new products. Encourage early ordering by offering a discount, provide dates, times, and links for all the trunks shows and craft fairs you'll be selling at, and remind them of all the online and brick and mortar locations where they can purchase your stuff. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to buy.

Use Your Calendar

Get everything on one calendar. Fill out whatever sort of calendar works best for you (online, planner, drawing your own grid) with all your holiday events, deadlines and promotions. Work backwards from event dates to schedule all the prep you need to do, that includes posting to Twitter and Facebook, sending out invites, and creating inventory. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time for shipping delays, possible mix ups, and the general chaos that accompanies this time of year.

If all that seems like an overwhelming amount of planning, trust me when I say taking the time to make a plan now will save you from most of the last minute chaos that the holiday season seems to bring. Start with the big events, the stuff already set in stone and plan backwards. Look to what you did last year if possible and plan for all the details you wish you'd been able to take care of.

Jordan of Handmade Success also has this great free planner to help you map it all out. You just need to sign up for her newsletter.

Now get planning!

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve [at] lightboxsf [dot] com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Your Ideal Customer

In many of my past articles I've talked about looking at the customers you already have to define your target market. As I've been coaching some key clients lately and doing a bit more reading of philosophies on target markets I've had a bit of a shift in thought.

Instead of looking to who you're already reaching, I challenge you to define who your ideal customer is. Not only the key characteristics of who they are and how they buy, but why they buy from you and why you want to sell to them.

Why, you ask?

Because I've come to believe that defining your target market is really not all that different than choosing the career you want to have. I coach clients to follow their passions and dreams, not look for the easy win. I coach them to imagine the biggest dreams possible and then figure out how to reach them, not settle for what comes your way.

Using that same philosophy to define your ideal client means you'll be serving someone you understand. You'll be able to create exactly what they need. They won't be able to help but buy it. They'll feel like they found the perfect item or solution and tell all their friends.

But even beyond just simply buying, you'll be able to communicate in a way that resonates. You'll connect over a shared experience or concern. You'll be more than just a jeweler, knitter or illustrator, you'll be that amazing person who sells the most amazing ____. It's called creating a niche.

Why force yourself to appeal to people you don't understand? This may mean alienating some previous customers. This may also mean it takes you a little longer to reach those who you really want to, but in the end you will understand them so well that serving them, producing new products will be as easy as dreaming.

So here's your challenge. Dream up your ideal customer. Who are they? Why are they attracted to what you make? Why must they have it? Why will the buy more and tell all their friends? Now look at what you're already doing. How can you change the wording on your website or tweak the presentation of your product to speak directly to this ideal customer?

Now go do it!

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Connecting With Customers - What Marketing is Really About

For many marketing still has the slimy connotation of trickery, of being talked into something. In a way I get this especially given that many see advertising as synonymous with marketing. You might have seen the recent YouTube video where the ball girl makes an amazing catch and the later disclosure that it was produced by an advertising agency for Gatorade. Stunts like that definitely leave us a little jaded.

While the obvious argument is that not all advertising needs to be such a set-up, I would also argue that marketing is very different than advertising on many levels. I define advertising as talking at your customers and marketing as talking with your customers or connecting with them.

There's nothing underhanded in marketing. You're defining a customer base, identifying their needs and communicating how you can satisfy them. You are letting them know that you have something they already wanted and were looking for.

To do this successfully you need to know who your customer base is, where they're searching and you need to communicate the value that you offer. Marketing is explaining why they would want to choose your product over a competitor's. I see the ruffled feathers again, you're thinking sales, talking them into buying your product. Stop!

If you can clearly state the benefits of your product or service and how it's different, not necessarily better, than the competition, not only does the decision become clear, you leave it completely in the hands of the customer. If you've communicated well and they don't choose you, it only means they weren't the right customer in the first place.

Marketing is telling the best possible story to the most interested person. To market well you need to find your unique story, your target market and then connect with them by sharing that story.

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Customers - You Can Learn So Much From Them

Shelly and I have been taking on a lot of new clients lately, yeah for us, and it's made me shift my focus a little on what it is people are really looking for when they come to us. This is great because it's allowed us to focus more and also kickstart the development of a few products that have been gathering dust.

I bring this up for two reasons, first I think we can all learn from our customers when we listen to them, but this shift has also given me some insight into how and why people buy.

Learn From Your Customers

I want to encourage you to really look at what your customers are buying, what sort of feedback they give, and what they're general comments are. This insight will not only allow you to continue to produce meaningful products that sell, but will help to define your target audience.

Knowing who you're selling to allows you to find new needs you can fill, reach more of your audience, and more successfully market your business. If you realize that everyone who's buying your jewelry is over the age of 40, looks at your $60 necklaces as impulse buys, and lives in Marin County you'll know you're wasting your time trying to get into a hipster Mission boutique. Yeah to knowing where to focus your energy.

Additionally if you start getting feedback that buying your notebooks makes customers feel good because they're buying sustainably and they get tons of compliments about their great taste, you can use that in your marketing to attract even more customers who want to feel that way.

Ask for feedback, interact and be sure to note both what's working and what isn't. You may find that your favorite items just don't sell, but that little trinket you created to use up some scrap is your biggest seller. Use that knowledge to help you decide how to best put your creative energy to use.

Observations on Buying Habits

I can't profess to tell you that I know the secrets of why and how people buy. If I did I would be laying on my private beach in Mexico drinking a beer and eating guacamole instead of writing this blog post. Just saying. However, I have noticed a few things in the last year in trying to second guess my clients and give them what they want.

People really like something tangible they also like added value. Many of you are selling a product and are already working in the tangible, but I challenge you to also create a tangible benefit. Besides your product what do customers get from choosing you? Are you solving a problem? Do you fill a need? Do you confirm their image as cutting edge, a foodie, or socially conscious? The benefit you find is your added value and the answer to the question, "Why buy from you and not your competition?"

Those of you selling a service know this is sometimes a harder problem to solve. If you're offering consulting or coaching the results vary based on the individual and how much energy they put in, but if you can structure your services in such a way that you can offer tangible results if steps are followed the value of your service becomes more clear. And don't forget the added value part. You also have a distinction from your competition, key into the customers that want that benefit.

To put it simply you need to be as clear about what people are getting for their money as you can. Be sure to let them know about the additional warm fuzzy feelings, boost to cred, and self-care that come along with the purchase.

30-Minute Consults

If you're struggling with how to figure this out for yourself, Shelly and I can help. A lot of what we do is provide the outside perspective to look at your business and really key in on those added values and target market.

On Saturday, April 30th we're offering 30-minute free consultations between the hours of noon and 2pm. Book your session to get some initial insight and feedback as well as discuss how we might be able to help you further. Just send me an email and we'll book your time now.

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

How To: Create Buzz with Snail Mail & Cross-Marketing

If you know a little bit about me beyond the walls of SFEtsy, you know that I'm a Graphic/Web Designer that creates e-marketing campaigns for a large retailer here in San Fran. From online promos, online newsletters, Facebook content, to tiny little Facebook promos... I help to create that promo that follows you around on the internet. And although I tooootally believe and love online marketing...there is something to be said about Snail Mail that...well...just pulls at the heart strings.
That tangible gift you lovingly sent via USPS...it will be kept, it won't go into the SPAM filter, and your customer will really smile when they receive it....maybe even hug it!

If we all know that a little extra somethin' somethin' in an Etsy purchasers package makes their review of your site that much sweeter... how else can we use snail mail to inspire our customers?

Here's a fun thing I did that might inspire you to send out samples or a fun giveaway.

A friend of mine had made some beautiful postcards...and knowing that they were Free...I snatched them up. There I was...with a stack of postcards and a bit of time on my hands. So I had an idea... what if...I sent out a Facebook Message to my friends/customers and said... "send me your address and I'll send you something personalized and fun!"...
the addresses came pouring in! Free Stuff?! Noooo...for me?! Really?! Oooooo Ahhhh...
Before I knew it I had 30 names and addresses! :)

I took the cards and made 2 minute illustrations on the back of them...addressed them and shipped them out! Soon, I had comments from my customers that they - "I love your work, can I get my drawing as a painting?" and ..."this postcard is great!" "who made that?!". And...there you go! Cross-marketing!
without even really trying...and only a few bucks... I created extra excitement around my work and also marketed a friend at the same time.

Here are some more of the silly illustrations I did:







I encourage all of us to work together and cross-market our work...creating buzz for not just ourselves but also our community of Etsy Members will strengthen the community and also get others excited about what you are doing with your own art.

What Cross-Marketing have you done...what ideas might you have that could work for other members?

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

SEO for Crafters - Part 2

In part 2 of SEO for Crafters I’ll show you what you can do with those keywords you’ve spent so much time researching.

How many keywords did you come up with? It’s honestly only reasonable to be able to optimize for 5-10 words or phrases. But don’t worry if you came up with a list of 50 or more, your work wasn’t in vain. If the words and phrases on your list are related you can pull from them now and again to keep things fresh. You may also decide to optimize specific pages for different words.

To optimize your website or blog for a word or phrase means to use it in key places that allow search engines to find that word on your site. You probably have a friend who uses the same expression over and over again like “cool beans,” or “totally, man.” When you hear that expression you can’t help but think of them. Optimizing has a similar effect. You will strategically use words and phrases repeatedly in your text and titles. The more you do this the more search engines will associate your website with those words. The search engines are looking in five main areas: titles, descriptions, main copy, links, and urls, to find those keywords.

Titles and Descriptions

Search engines place higher importance on words that are formatted as headings and titles, so use your keywords in titles and headings for your pages. To have the full impact you can’t just bold the text or make it bigger you need to format it as a heading or title.

If you use a platform for your website that does behind the scenes coding for you, you probably have optional fields for descriptions, both for pages and posts. I recommend filling them in. The descriptions should read like normal text as they will be seen on the search page below the link to your site. If you have a compelling, to-the-point description it will help entice people to choose your link over others.

Main Copy

The main text of your website is also ranked, but not as high as titles. First and foremost use natural language, you want people to be engaged with your text so they read it all, come back for more and even share it. But do keep that list of keywords in mind and pepper the words you’re focusing on throughout the text. This may mean that your website in general is optimized for one phrase while specific articles are optimized for different, but related phrases.

Links

Links are important for many reasons, but in this context you want to link specific words in your main text to a related article on another website. So from this point on no more “click here”, instead use keywords to describe what you’re linking to. For example at the bottom of this post there’s a link to a cheat sheet for all this keyword information, I use the words, “using keywords in SEO” as a link not “illustrated cheat sheet” because they’re more specific and descriptive.

URL

You should have control over the urls for your pages and individual posts. Make use of keywords here too. Don’t ever settle for the default random number that’s generated with some blogging platforms. If your platform generates a url from your title that’s great because you’re already using keywords, however you might want to tweak it to either make it shorter or really focus on the right words.

All of this boils down to is having a few words or phrases that are descriptive of what your website is about and using them in a natural, organic way in the titles and text of your site.

To help you with this week’s tips here’s an illustrated cheat sheet for using keywords in SEO.

Next week we’ll focus on authority, the final part to SEO for Crafters.

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Marketing Your Art By Telling Your Story

In preparation for our upcoming workshop Shelly and I have been spending a lot of time talking about what branding means and how to define it for yourself. Our discussions have brought up some really interesting ways to approach one of the biggest questions a creative entrepreneur has to answer. So I thought I’d share a few thoughts to get your mind working and give you an idea of what our upcoming “Marketing Your Art By Telling Your Story” workshop will be like.

I used to think branding was just about logos and colors. While this is definitely a part of the mix, I now know that branding is also about an experience. So that’s one way to approach defining your brand. What sort of experience do you want your customer to have? Are you about luxury, convenience, or solving a problem?

Brand can also be about lifestyle. This is where knowing your target market comes in. Your messaging, packaging and interactions with the customers need to support their lifestyle. Are you targeting busy, working moms or active, outdoorsy college students? Not only are their needs different so is what they’re attracted to.

While creatives and artists are often very closely associated with their brands, creating a brand identity can also be about creating the best version of yourself. Your target market will often view this as the idealized version of who they want to be. Everything that you do surrounding your product or service can make them feel as though they are achieving that ideal.

There’s a lot to think about when creating a brand identity. Some of it is about external factors and perfect personas, but a lot of it is about your unique qualities and passions. By using what is uniquely your story you can stand out in the marketplace. In our workshop, “Marketing Your Art By Telling Your Story” we’ll help you find that unique story and show you how to use it to create a personalized marketing strategy.

Both Shelly and I will lead this 3-hour workshop and we’ve limited the attendance to 15 people so that everyone will get plenty of individual attention. You’ll gain a greater clarity on your brand identity as well as developing action items for a purposeful marketing strategy.

When: Thursday, March 24th 6-9pm
Where: a.Muse Gallery, 614 Alabama St.

Sign up now to be one of the lucky 15 people to attend this workshop!

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Building Your Support Team

The theme of networking, making connections, and amassing groups of great supportive people around you has been coming up a lot lately for both Shelly and I. In the last two months I've been asked to join 3 entrepreneurial support groups, have made some amazing connections with like minded folks and witnessed the power of community manifest itself in a few kick-ass projects.

It started with a presentation at Noise Pop by WilloToons, Don't DIY Alone. That got me thinking about how many collaborations I'm already a part of and how much I enjoy working that way. Then I started noticing posts by some of my favorite bloggers talking about how to use connections and building community. For the last week and a half I've been following The Right-Brain Business Plan video summit and I'm amazed by the community that has sprung up around Jennifer Lee and her book. It's not just people who bought the book and love what she's doing, it's peers who want to help spread the word and be a part of this awesome conversation.

It's a somewhat stereotypical trait of both entrepreneurs and artists to be the lone wolf struggling quietly by yourself, but I see that image changing for the better. Surrounding yourself with like-minded, supportive people can help you in so many ways.

I'll go back to those entrepreneurial groups. It's amazing how motivated you can feel after hearing all the amazing things others are doing all on their own. It's also a great way to get advice from people who "get it." And sometimes just being able to dump all the frustrations, fears, and overwhelm into a group that has been there keeps you going forward.

Collaborations are a great way to get your creativity flowing. There are so many projects out there to jump into for a fun jump start. But also think of what you could do if you asked a few creative friends to help you build a website, organize a craft fair, or post on each other's blogs. We should all be making use of the talent that surrounds us.

Use Twitter and Facebook to connect to others doing similar things. Comment on blogs to build relationships. Call up your friends and go to events where you can meet amazing people in person. Ask other entrepreneurs to form a group that meets once a month for drinks or coffee. But whatever you do, don't go it alone.

What communities, collaborations or groups are you a part of? How have they helped you?

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Linking Social Media to Save Time

Most of you know that social media is a great way to promote yourself and make connections. If you don’t believe me I wrote a whole piece devoted to convincing the non-believers they should be using social media.

Even though Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are great tools for connecting and sharing, they take time. Not only is it hard to remember to share your blog posts on each platform, it’s time consuming to log in and out of the various networks. That’s where taking the time to link the various platforms can save you some serious time down the road.

Linking

There are a lot of applications that let you simultaneously post to various social media platforms at the same time. For instance you could log into Facebook, update your status and that same post would be sent to Twitter and LinkedIn. Additionally you can link your blog to Facebook and LinkedIn so that each time you publish a post it automatically gets shared.

There are pluses and minuses to linking individual accounts. If you have the same connections and audience on both Facebook and Twitter, your followers are going to get bored seeing the same things in both feeds. However if you’ve cultivated different followings this can be a great way to spread the word with little effort. I do urge you to think about your audiences carefully before you decide to link. If all this sounds like the best news you’ve ever heard, here’s some info on how to make it happen.

Twitter

Through Twitter all you can do is put your Twitter feed on your website via a badge. If you’re interested in doing this here’s a tutorial that walks you through it.

Facebook

Linking Twitter and your blog to Facebook is relatively easy. For a Facebook to Twitter link install this app and allow it access. Just a couple clicks and passwords and you’re set up.

Blog posts go through the notes app. To get to the right page to set it up is a bit of a treasure hunt so I’ll outline it for both your personal page and your business page.

Personal page – From your profile page, not your home page, you should see the notes link on the left under your photo. Click it and you’ll most likely get a page with excerpts of your notes. Click on any of the “view full note” links. Now in the left column, toward the bottom, you should see a link for edit import settings. This is where you import your blog. You’ll need the web address for your RSS feed. Go to your blog’s help section to locate it if you don’t know what it is. Facebook says you can import with just the blog url, but I have yet to see that work. If you can’t find your notes page at all, this should help.

Business page – The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to go to your business page and click on edit page. On the left side you should see a link for apps, click it and then you should see under added apps, notes. If you see “link to this tab”, click it, this will enable the application. Then go back and click “go to app”. If you don’t see “link to this tab” it’s already been added and you can go directly to “go to app.” Now in the left column, toward the bottom, you should see a link for edit import settings. This is where you import your blog. You’ll need the web address for your RSS feed. Go to your blog’s help section to locate it if you don’t know. Facebook says you can import with just the blog url, but I have yet to see that work.

LinkedIn

This is probably the simplest connection to make. Under the settings menu you will see Twitter settings, go there to link your account and decide how much gets shown.

Then to link your blog to LinkedIn you go to edit your profile and scroll down till you see an applications section. There’s a link to add applications. There are a few choices here given what platform your blog is on, but BlogLink by TypePad seems to work pretty universally and if you’ve already put your web address in your profile you don’t need to do anything but add the app.

Now you should be linked all over the place. Your blog posts should get automatically posted and when you change your status to announce your next sale, it goes automatically to Twitter.

What apps do you use with Facebook and Twitter that help you keep in touch and save time?

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Is Your Website Marketing For You?

This is the last in my series on “Are You Ready To Market Yourself?” and this week I’ll focus on building marketing into your website. Once you get customers to your website you need to keep their attention and turn them into loyal consumers. Does your site do that?

Tell Your Story

I can’t stress how important this is. You are unique and the story of why or how you do what you do is worth sharing. It’s what will set you apart from your competition. So make sure you’re telling it on your website, especially in you about page. In the first piece of this series I linked to a great article on writing your about page. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you go and read it.

But who you are should also come through in the language you use in your product descriptions and how you explain your shop policies. Let it all be personal and let it paint a picture of you. If customers get to feel like they know you just from visiting a few pages on your website then you’re doing it right.

Share Your Successes

Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn, after all this is your website. Put links to any press you’ve gotten or Esty treasuries you’ve been in. Make pdfs of the magazine pages or take screenshots of blog coverage. Any little mention is worth sharing.

Testimonials are another great way to get customers to trust you. If they can read the words of “someone like them” it’s that much easier to make the leap to purchase. Most people like to be followers rather than leaders, testimonials let them know they’re not the first, but that they’re also joining a very satisfied group of people.

If They Want To Talk About You Let Them

I also highly recommend setting up a page for the press, not to be confused with a page that shares the press you got. I call ours “Newsroom” and it’s where I post press releases that I send out to the media. You can also set up image galleries for writers to request specific images to use. If a writer stumbles across your blog make it easy for them to find all the information they need, your store, something about you, events that you’re participating in, etc. This can be in various places around your website, but if you pull it all together for a writer you make their job that much easier and they’ll love you for it.

Be Social

We are curious and social creatures by nature, we want to connect and know more. Make it easy for people to find you on various social networks. If you use Facebook to share sales and giveaways let customers know that and make it easy to like your page. Something like “To be first in line for monthly discounts make sure to like me on Facebook” works really well. Same goes for Twitter make it easy to follow you and give visitors an idea of what types of things you tweet about.

If you send out a newsletter make sure the sign up field is above the fold of your webpage and tell customers what they’re in for. If you make it seem exclusive or give the preferential treatment, people are more likely to sign up. Give away an ebook, share newsletter only tutorials, or give subscribers advance notice of sales or trunk shows.

If there are any other social networks you belong to share those too. It might be your Flickr stream that entices an undecided buyer because they saw that you went to the same town in Mexico that they did earlier in the year. Or perhaps your bookmarking of articles on fringe artwork in Delicious allows a writer to see your paintings from a whole new perspective.

In short let your website be your flashing beacon of everything you are and offer and let it shine with your personality.

In case you missed the previous articles in this series, here’s the links:

Are You Ready To Market Yourself?

Branding: It's All About Experience and Benefit

What Does Your Website Say About You?

Customer Service - Do You Know What Your Customers Experience?

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Customer Service - Do You Know What Your Customers Experience?

In my third follow up to “Are You Ready To Market Yourself?” I want to talk about customer experience. In the original piece I listed things to think about that pertain directly to your website, but in looking back on it now I should have mentioned customer service in general. I realize very few of us are in the position to have a store front where we’re dealing with customers directly, but there are so many facets of what we do that are still customer service. Every time you respond to an email, answer the phone or mail out a purchase you are providing customer service. How does it measure up to the image that you want to create?

So going back to the original question of whether or not you’re ready to market yourself, I’ll take it one step further and ask, What would happen if your business doubled overnight? Will the systems you’ve created hold up? Do you need to worry about your website crashing or running slowly? Will you be able to handle all the sales and inquires in a timely manner?

While a doubling of sales overnight is an unlikely scenario, looking at your business from an outside perspective will help you see where holes and soft spots are. My fiancé is in the mobile game business and when they get close to launching a new product, they hire people to play the games with the intention of breaking it. They are looking for a link that doesn’t work or that crazy series of actions that shuts things down. What would these testers find on your site or in your customer experience?

Website

I will go here first because it’s often our first point of contact with our customers. Last week’s article gave you a lot to think about regarding the look and design of your site. So let’s take it a step further and really look at how the customer engages with your website. Is it primarily set up as an online store? If so, is the checkout process easy and secure? Are descriptions of the items easy to find, up to date, and useful?

Maybe your website is more personal and focuses on your blog and you process. Is that clear from the start? Is there an easy link for people to find what your selling whether it be products or services? Do they have to fill out a form to ask you a question or can they just click a button and type away?

It should be as easy as possible to find the information that you want them to find. Actively direct customers to your store or to sign up for your email list, whatever your main objective is. Assume two-thirds of your visitors will never get to the bottom of your first page and most will only scroll down an inch or two.

Email

What happens before and after the purchase is just as important as the checkout process. Maybe someone is interested in custom work and they send an email inquiring. Do you have a standard reply that answers all of the basic questions? Does it set you up to continue the conversation? Do you check email often enough to respond with 24 hours or less?

This last one is probably the most important. People are generally impulse shoppers and if they don’t get the information they need to decide to purchase within a day they usually move on.

If you are clear in all of your communications and give as much information as you can up front you will make the experience easy and pleasant for your customer and they will be more likely to part with their hard earned money.

Phone

If you give them the option you will undoubtedly get people who will just pick up the phone instead of emailing. You do not need to feel tied to your phone, but you should have an outgoing message that makes it clear they’ve reached the right person, that sounds professional, and even gives them an idea of when you will get back to them. It is perfectly ok to say something like, “I am unable to return phone calls until after 6 so please leave me a number where you can be reached in the evening and the best time to call.”

I won’t harp on phone skills, but will say be professional, make sure there are no obvious distractions when you call back, and be prepared to get all the information you need to go to the next step.

Packaging

A friend of mine ordered her wedding dress from a major retailer online. It was already stressful to her that she wasn’t able to try it on first, but she loved the photos and was pretty sure this was the right dress. However when it arrived it was crumpled in a bag and poorly folded into the cardboard box. She almost didn’t try it on because she was so disappointed in how it arrived.

I tell you this because it matters.The packaging is part of the experience and it’s more than just ensuring that what’s inside is protected. Does your customer feel like they’re unwrapping something very special when their order arrives? Is the packaging distinct enough that they know exactly what it is before they even look at the label? Think of the Tiffany’s blue box, it almost doesn’t matter what’s inside. You don’t need to spend a ton of money on the packaging, but make sure there is some obvious care and the personality of your brand shines through.

Complaints

I hate that I have to bring it up, but it’s the ugly part of doing business. Someone is always going to be unsatisfied and complain. They may do this by phone, scathing email, or vicious comments on your website. However, if it is a public complaint your other customers will notice how you handle it more than they’ll notice what was said.

You do not necessarily need to buy into the adage, “The customer is always right,” but it will serve you well to find out what they want and do your best to give it to them. Often all a customer needs is for you to notice that they didn’t get what they wanted, sometimes an apology is in order, sometimes a replacement, and sometimes just kind words. Be as gracious and humble as you can and you may even convert them into a loyal customer because they know you will take care of them.

Boy Scout’s Motto

I have my own addition to it, but it serves me well, “Always be prepared for the worst case scenario.” If you take the time to imagine the worst and know how you’ll respond, you will come out of any situation looking gracious and professional not harried and overwhelmed. Go through the buying experience from a customer’s point of view, ask your friends to test certain features or read through your prepared responses. If you find yourself getting the same questions over and over again, set up a Frequently Asked Questions page. It will make you and your customer’s happier.

What systems have you implemented to make your customers feel special?

Here are links to the other articles in this series:

Are You Ready To Market Yourself?

Branding: It's All About Experience and Benefit

What Does Your Website Say About You?

Is Your Website Marketing For You?

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve@lightboxsf.com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!