Thoughts on My Target Market

Meadowlark by humblebeads 

I'm in the middle of a transistion in my business from all beads to creating a line of jewelry.  A million years ago, okay maybe more like 10 years, I used to sell jewelry all the time.  As you can imagine it's easier to sell beads than jewelry for me, after all I've made it my business to know how to sell beads like a pro. Does that mean it's harder to sell jewelry?  No, it's actually easier to sell jewelry but in a different way - believe it or not more people wear jewelry than make it!  But I do need to find my target market and put my creations in front of the right people.  Which is not an easy task.  And honestly selling jewelry online is harder than in person.  So I'm finding a balance, signing up for shows and making a plan to launch a wholesale line of jewelry to offer to stores while discovering the best way to market online.

Wildflower Fields by humblebeads 

I've been reading a lot of business books lately.  My Kindle Buy Now button is a dangerous weapon in my hands! A few good reads:

Grow Your Handmade Business
The Savvy Crafter's Guide to Success
Sell Your Jewelry

Sandy Shores by humblebeads 

So while I'm working on sketches, designs and plans, I'm also figuring out the marketing side of selling my line of jewelry.  And before I can market, I need to know who am I marketing to and how do I reach her.  Take a minute to read this great article on Targeting Customers from Halstead Beads.  

So who is my target customer?

She is who'd like to be in about 5 years.  I've met her at artist's fairs, art events, artist's guild meetings, I even went to college with her - she was the one who returned to school after her kids were out of the house.  I see her in my best friend.  My target customer is someone I'd love to have lunch with or share a glass of wine while we talked about our creative pursuits.  She is thoughtful and wise, she loves nature and poetry. 

She's 45-60.  Married or with a long-term partner.  She has children who are almost done with high school or have left home already.  She has a career, disposable income and is savvy with money.   She owns a home and has nested it like the pages out of Better Homes & Gardens.  She is a few shades of Martha Stewart, she's creative and likes to entertain her family and friends. She travels several times a year.  Some travels are to visit family and friends.  Some trips are to enjoy nature and time to recharge. 

J. Jill, Anthropologie and West Elm catalogs are a few of her favorites to shop through.  She likes to mix comfort and classic style with a creative edge in her wardrobe.  She likes surprising details.  She shops for organic produce from the Farmer's Market.  She likes to garden.  She also appreciates a little decadence like artisan soaps, handmade journals, drinking a cup of tea from a handcrafted ceramic cup and a little  homemade sweet, which she probably picks up at the Farmer's Market, along with her fresh flowers for the week

She is community minded and volunteers with a local organization. She has a wide social circle and a close knit family.  She shops at artist's markets for handmade gifts for the holidays.  She spends as much time wrapping those gifts as she did picking them out.  

 

She attends gallery openings, collects art and she has memberships to several cultural institutions in town.  She may or may not consider herself an artist, but she has an artful eye and appreciates art history and contemporary crafts.  

 

A night out might include a concert at a local venue or a fundraising event for an art center.  She would wear an amazing piece of jewelry, a show-stopper, to this event as it expresses that she is creative and enjoys the arts in all their forms.  To work she wears something from her collection of favorites from artists that she has shopped with through the years.  She returns to the same shows and artists every year to see what's new and adds to her collection.  She shops online with these artists when she needs a gift or when she wants to treat herself.    

Wow, that tells me a lot about her and how I can help her.  She shops for herself and for gifts.  She likes creative packaging.  She likes knowing the story and inspiration behind a piece of jewelry.  

Now it's obvious she shops at shows, art markets and boutiques - but where does she go online - that's my big mystery at the moment and what I need to work on next!

Oh and in case you are wondering, these are all outfits I envision her wearing with my jewelry.  And me too - why not? I did say I was aspiring to be her in just a few short years!

Beach Comber by humblebeads 

Fan Girl!

Okay, I'm all about facebook fan pages today.

I've had one for quite a while for the Art Bead Scene and the Bead Cruise.  I'm still trying to figure out what makes a good facebook page, how to get folks to interact and what is it exactly fans want.  All good things to work on.

I'm running a little game on the Art Bead Scene fan page today, stop by and play along.  A little blue bird will be flying off to someone tomorrow as the prize!

I have been slacking on making a fan page for my Humblebeads biz.  Well, check that one off the ol' to-do list. 

Do you have a favorite facebook fan page or one for your own business?  What kind of things do you like to see on a fan page?  Anything that annoys you?  I'd love to hear about it.

Gift Guide Research

As you might already know Etsy's gift guide is a great collection of favorite picks from the Etsy Administration. Did you know they recently added a Hot List of different trends to their gift guides? The Hot List categories were picked by what items are most frequently searched and purchased on Etsy.

Does your work fit into one of the categories? Make sure you add the appropriate tag then. When I saw the woodland category I realized I had quite a few items in my shop that would fit but didn't have that tag.

A little snooping around in the gift guides can give you some ideas of what people shop for the holidays. Why not create your own gift guide on your blog featuring some of your favorite sellers or a gift guide of your own products in helpful shopping categories?

Twitter Tips for Artists & Designers

What is twitter? Micro-blogging in 140 characters or less, answering the question, "What are you doing right now?" http://www.twitter.com/

Why twitter? For the same reason we do anything online: for entertainment, information and connection to a global community.

As a small business I twitter for a few reasons. I use twitter to keep up on industry news, inspiration and ideas for running my business. A few of my favorites:

Etsy: http://twitter.com/Etsy
Interweave Press: http://twitter.com/InterweaveNews
Whip Up: http://twitter.com/whipup
Croq Zine: http://twitter.com/croqzine
Softflex Company: http://twitter.com/SoftFlexCompany
The Blog Squad: http://twitter.com/BlogSquad
Rings & Things: http://twitter.com/Rings_Things
Timothy Adam Designs: http://twitter.com/timothyadam
Crafty Chica: http://twitter.com/CraftyChica
Margot Potter: http://twitter.com/MargotPotter

I also use twitter to connect with customers who are following me, my friends and even a few family members.

I check out twitter every day at lunch for "lunch and links." I skim through what everyone has posted and click on the links that catch my eye. Even though I follow over 100 people, there are rarely more than 25 twittering on a regular basis. If someone is twittering too much for me, I simply unfollow.

When I blog or have some news to share I go to ping.fm to make a post to both twitter and facebook at the same time. It takes a minute to set up and has been a handy time saver.

What to twitter?
Your latest blog entry
Good news & important updates
Interesting events in your life
Occasional sales and specials
Listing of new items (although I'd rather click on a link to your blog that talks about your latest item and your inspiration behind it.)
Links from other places that have caught your eye
Good deals you've found or shops you love
a few random tidbits that let us know the person behind the computer screen
You can also use twitter to get feedback on ideas and your latest creations
Ask questions - I like to twitter back now and then.

Please, I really don't want to read about errands, household chores or what you had for lunch unless you are related to me! Of course if you can write about those in an entertaining and funny way I may make an exception. Food items are okay if they are seasonal, quirky or could inspire a recipe search. No "I just had a bowl of oatmeal." A better tweet would be, "hmm, just pulled the pumpkin bread out of the oven!"

Should you Twitter? Maybe! All you can do is give a try and see if you enjoy it. If you are twittering to promote your business, remember with social networking getting your name out there is the goal. Don't be pushy, don't contact people directly asking them to visit your shop. And for goodness sake, don't turn off followers by being aggressive with the listings from your shop. You are building up awareness of your brand and making connections.

Etsy had a great article about Twitter yesterday, which yes, I found out about through Twitter!
Timothy Adams also has some good tips for branding your business with Twitter.

If you Twitter, do you have a favorite crafty, bead or business that you follow that you could recommend?

500!!!

A Walk in the Clouds Bead Set

Sorry for my sad little post yesterday. I'm feeling better today, thank you for all your sweet messages.

So 500 what? Etsy sales!!! I hit the big 5-0-0 this morning. The lucky customer is actually going on the Bead Cruise with us next year, so that was sweet. I'm going to throw in a little surprise for her.

So, what is the secret to my Etsy success?

1. Read all the tips and hints offered on the Storque and attend the shop critiques to learn how to improve.

2. Learn to take better photos.

3. List everyday, more than once a day if you can.

4. Have a line of work that you create over and over along with one-of-a-kind pieces that keep customers coming back to see what's new.

5. Advertise and market outside of etsy. Take advantage of flickr, blogging, twitter, facebook, myspace, etc.

6. Join a street team for cross-promotion.

There is more, but that's the top 6. Learning to run an online business is a constant challenge and takes an investment of time.

Make your own mini-commercial

If you stopped by last night you saw the version of this slide show with music. Can't say I was loving the music, since it keep playing every time you came to the blog. I don't like music playing unless the viewer can stop and start it themselves. I might use a music one on facebook or youtube, but not my blog.

But that said, omgoodness how easy is this tool! You can make your own little commercial within minutes using flickr and slide.

1. Go to flickr, organize your photos into a new set or use an existing set.

2. Go to slide.com, click on slideshow.

3. On the left-hand side there is a list of places you can add your images from, click on flickr.

4. Pick which set or sets you'd like to add to your slideshow. Don't do a slideshow with a 100 photos, we internet folk get bored easily. Use your best only please!

5. You can edit your photos, change the text, rearrange them. Play with the features. I liked the simple fade option. (You'll find it under the view more options on the box that says, "customize your design.")

6. Save it. Here you can choose to have it sent automatically to your social network sites or blog. But be warned, if you have more than one blog it sends it to the first one you have listed, opps! I'm not sure if there is a way to change this. You can also copy the code and paste it to your blog, which is what I did here.

I'm in so much trouble. I have all sorts of ideas for using my photos!

working away

Oh boy, my Etsy shop and I have a hot affair going on. Don't tell humblebeads.com. There might be some jealousy. Why do I love selling on Etsy so much?

1. I get so tired of making the same beads day after day. Etsy gives me a chance to sell those little creative bursts of energy that are my experiments.

2. I love a good party, and isn't Etsy just a fun party? There is no end to the social networking on that site. I love meeting new artists and being inspired.

3. It's a great test market. I can try out things that are limited editions before I add them to my website.

4. It opens up the door for new customers that I couldn't reach, this is especially true for my beads with all of the talented jewelry designers on Etsy.

5. I've been able to sell my jewelry online. I've never had much luck selling jewelry from my website. But earrings and pendants have been heading off to customers all over the country! Which a great because I have a HUGE pile of jewelry just awaiting the next show in October.

6. And the top reason I love selling on Etsy. They give you the sellers' manual, you just need to follow along.

I've been on Etsy for 2 months and have sold 65 items. Maybe that's the real reason I love Etsy.

Finding Arts & Crafts Shows

First things first, all shows are a gamble. You may do great a show one year and have slow sales at the same show the next year. You just never know, what you can do though is make informed decisions about what shows seem like the best fit for your jewelry.

Before you go running off to find shows, take a moment to think about your customers. Are they busy mom's on the go, fashionistas, alternative artsy indie girls or no-nonsense business women? Each one of these women go to different types of shows. You'll need to put on your detective hat to find the right fit.

I can only offer you my experience and what I know. My customers are women in their 30's - 50's. They are usually married, work and have disposable income. They love handmade items and the arts in general. They support their local art museums and organizations. They collect handcrafted items. They aren't worried about trends, but see jewelry as an expression of their individuality. They love to give gifts that are meaningful and well thought-out.

My best shows are art fairs and shows that are hosted by arts organizations. I wouldn't do well at a country-craft type show. My customers aren't there. I do better in urban areas in larger cities.

Where to find shows?
*Ask other artists/crafters.
*Go to shows and see what events your favorite artists are doing.
*Get connected with the local art groups in your area.
*Find out if your state has an arts commission or council, here is a list of them.
*Network with guilds/societies in your area. We have a fiber arts guild & a bead society. Both put on shows for their members and announce upcoming shows in the community.
*CraftLister is a list of craft & art fairs.
*Looking for big shows? Sign up for Zapplication, most of the larger shows use this service.

In general, it's better to attend a show before you sign up for it, especially ones that charge higher fees. Stay away from 1st year shows, it's such a gamble. Exceptions would be organizations that you want to support.

Preparing for Arts & Craft Shows

I've been selling at Arts & Crafts shows for 14 years. I've never done a national art fair, but I've done way more than my share of local arts fairs, market days, school and church arts & crafts shows, artist's markets, farmer's markets, bizarre bazaars, etc.

Some things I've learned along the way...

1. Do NOT design the week before the show. Now is not the time to try new designs or spend hours "playing" with the beads. You need to have your product line developed by now and spend your time wisely making multiples of the ones you feel will sell the best. Hate making more than one of something? Have a basic design and change out the colors.


2. Diversify your price range. First, have a few 'show-stoppers' in your booth. These are the items that you can see a mile away. They should have your blood, sweat and tears poured into them and cost a few hundred dollars. People will ohhh and ahhh and want to try it on. You never know, you might just sell it. I can remember how excited I was when I sold my first $300 necklace! Most will look around at what is in their price range. So have a good amount of items in that middle price range. Now, I like to have 40-50% of my inventory in the impulse buy range. For me these are items under $30. Small pendant necklaces and earrings fit the bill.


3. Don't guess prices at the last minute. For pete's sake, what business does this? This is really bad to do if you are worried about selling at a show. What happens if you underprice yourself and Ms. Fabulous Gallery Owner spots your work and asks if you wholesale? Be prepared. I love Eni Oken's price calculator. Have a formula and stick to it.

4. Get the word out. Don't count on show producers to do all the advertising. Let your customers know when you are selling at a show. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, etc. about your upcoming event. If it's a large show, it doesn't hurt to let the promoters know that you are available to talk to the press if they need someone to interview. Have a press release and print ready images available on your website. I made the cover of our local weekender guide by talking to the promoter before the show.

5. My best, most important piece of advice - go to bed early the night before the show. I know, there is never enough time and you could make 10 more things if you only get two hours of sleep. You will do better at the show if you are rested. Period. So plan ahead, try to have everything done by 5pm the day before a show. Spend some time not thinking about the show, go out to dinner, watch a movie, hang out with the fam'. Be prepared on show day to sell, not curl up in a ball to take a nap at the back of your booth!

*yes, I am guilty of all above mentioned sins, but have turned from my evil ways. mostly.

Featured Artist

Read all about it! Crafty Synergy features Humblebeads. Heather spills the beans about her secret dreams, how she started out as an indie business and offers her number one tip for new business owners. Extra, Extra!