Forget craft fairs, here's 10 better ways to promote your hand-making business
Craft shows - are they worth your time? Say you don't do that next craft fair. You've got some free time. What could you do more worthwhile instead? Here's 10 things you can do for FREE to promote your handmade items on the web...
1. Set up a blog
All hand-makers should have a blog before any other website
In 8 hours you could set it up and write your first half dozen posts! Is your current website really just a static brochure? Then a starting blogging should be your first priority. Why? Because you can keep your blog up to date, it is more link worthy, the search engines love 'em and you can strike a more personal and compelling tone. 2. Write a press release
But be sure to come up with a killer angle
You can google free advice about how and what to write. Use a free news distribution service to promote it, like PR Web. That's the easy bit. You'll achieve more by contacting you local newspaper, trade magazines and consumer titles. You should also promote your story to relevant online communities and blogs (yes, those again!). The key thing with PR is coming up with a newsworthy angle. Spend twice as much time on the angle as on writing. A killer angle will pay huge dividends.
3. Publish a Squidoo lens - duh!
Build a free single page 'lens' about your hand-making
www.Squidoo.com is where you can build a free single page 'lens'. It's free and easy, with bloging-style push-button publishing. Your lens will be linked into Squidoo's community and network, and the search engines will likely pick it up. For best results, you'll need to do some background self promotion on the community and web. To aid this, your lens must not be too self-serving. Don't go for the direct "This is me, I make jewellery" approach. Nobody cares! Broaden it out, make it useful and give some love to other hand-makers too. 4. Re-shoot your photography
Then open a flickr or other photo-sharing account
Re-shoot your photography. Good images sell stuff better. Take lots of time to perfect your shots. Take lots and lots of images. Experimentation is the key. Once you've got some great images, open an account at a photo-sharing community like Flickr. Get all those images on your website too. Images show up in the google image search and that's another great source of internet traffic. 5. Advertise your website in your emails
Add your website's URL to your email signature
Adding your url to your email signature promotes your website (or blog!) with every email. And, you'd be amazed just how many your send and where they end up. Also, start using "me@mywebsite.co.uk" as your primary email for everything but your day job (if you have one). 6. Set-up an email newsletter
Or subscriber-based notifier service
Newsletters and notifier services are a great way to keep propsects 'alive'. If they came and bought, it's a great way to stick in their minds. If they didn't buy, a good newsletter could groom them as a future prospect. It's a lessor close. At least some value comes from their visit.
There are web services that make managing the subscribers and sending the email easier. LiveWire Campaign offers a free service to low volume users.
There are web services that make managing the subscribers and sending the email easier. LiveWire Campaign offers a free service to low volume users.
7. Write some useful content
Transform your website from simple brochure to useful resource
Search engines love words and adore content - good content. Google wasn't really designed to search product catalogues. PhDs designed it with research in mind.
What's useful content? Not self-promotion! Guides are a good start. This page at pressies4princesses.co.uk brings in thousands of visitors a month: Common Mistakes When Buying Gifts For Her.
What's useful content? Not self-promotion! Guides are a good start. This page at pressies4princesses.co.uk brings in thousands of visitors a month: Common Mistakes When Buying Gifts For Her.
8. Get social
Social sites aren't just for flirting
Social networking is the new phenomenon on the web. Facebook, for example, is now the 6th busiest domain on the web, according to Alexa.com. Networking doesn't just mean hanging out. Getting into the blogosphere could be far more worthwhile. Find blogs, read them, comment, contribute. Who knows, they might just pop over, check you out and send some traffic your way! 9. Set up a competition or giveaway
Be prepared give away something of value. The juicier your prize, the more coverage you'll get. And, that will pay for the added cost. Promote your competition using some of the other tips here: blogs, social networks, PR, Squidoo even. And, there are thousands of websites that will list your competition for free.
10. Build your online portfolio
On portfolio hosting communities
Portfolio hosting communities like www.deviantArt.com support artisan crafts too. Their authority in the search engines may mean your profile appears higher up relevant search terms than your own website. Either way, more people will get to see your work - for free! About this lens
The lens is an extract from hand-making business blog www.pretty-somethings.co.ukFind more Squidoo lenses on handmaking business by me.
More business advice especially for hand-makers
From my blog
Make money from your handicraft. Turn your passion into a profitable business with advice from me - the managing partner of handmade jewellery and women's gift retailer , pressies4princesses.co.uk.
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Feedback on these tips would also be great.
