Along the same lines as
Blogging Tools, I found myself getting into tools/sites that I use for sales so I broke that off into this post:
Even as I am starting to branch out into physical booth for sales (and possibly
consignment??) I still like to have
Etsy as a landing page & sample of work available by me.
Along the same lines, I like to keep a dedicated Pinterest board to my
previous work,
especially when it comes to one-of-a-kind pieces to be referenced by
customers or used as inspiration for future work. This has also been
handy in knowing what needs to be duplicated for popularity's sake. I also use
Pinterest to brainstorm my craft show set up, new patterns to try, and any
marketing or advice I might come across that I find worth referencing.
Square Up
Square has been a great tool for accepting credit payments in person plus generating a neat, digital sales receipt for anyone requesting one.
So far the only draw back has been that my particular smartphone (LG Spectrum 1st gen.) is not fully supported so I always have to type in the card numbers which results in a higher fee. I still did fairly well at the
Make It Indie fair in November but it sure has me thinking about that next phone upgrade this spring....
*Edit: Now that I have a Samsung Galaxy S5, the Square card reader works like a charm!*
To promote art/craft shows I am participating in, to send customers for product + experience feedback as well as interaction, share new items listed in the shop, latest blog post link, and anything I find interesting that I think my followers may also enjoy. I like to keep my Facebook light-hearted but centered around the knitting/crocheting/crafting theme.
Maybe not so surprisingly, I have noticed that some have even used my Facebook page as a way to contact me via message instead of my email. This is how I was invited to join the
Merchant's Landing Arts & Craft Show!
 |
| Free "scrap" bracelets |
Freebies
Speaking of physical shows, I've also found that a little
freebie is a great draw to your table. I like to crochet long leftover scraps of cotton yarn into bracelets which I offer for free to whomever. I find it is a great way to strike up a conversation with anyone "brave enough" to pick out a free bracelet. :)
Once I started selling PDF patterns, I needed a compressor for the large image-heavy files that are my pattern's signature. And not only do I want to make friends wait hours to download a large file, but Etsy does not allow pattern files greater than 20mb. So needing a solution, I found
Chrome's free PDF compressor + was instantly impressed with not only it's ability to crunch the size of my recent pattern from 38mb to 1.35! But it even preserved the quality of the crisp images! Sold!
Wholesale
So far I haven't branched out into wholesaling (purchasing or selling) but it has crossed my mind several times. Does anyone have any wholesale experience?
Spread the Word
And as always,
word of mouth through supportive friends and family members has helped generate a fair handful of sales this past holiday season. Plus a few times when asked what do I do for a living (a question that always makes me cringe), I mention that I am a
knit/crochet instructor as well as an
Etsy shop owner. I like to
show pictures of what I make via my smartphone (images taken directly with my phone as well as pulling up my Etsy shop on my phone) and hand them a business card, encouraging them to explore my shop more when they are home. I don't know how well it works, but I figure it can't hurt, right?
I'd love to hear what tools you use for "pedaling your wares" :) If you already have a post about it, would you mind pasting a link to it in the comments section? I'd love to read it!
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