As part of the Jamtin revamp, I’ve been spending quite a lot of time reading online articles on running your business – in particular handmade businesses, and online businesses. I’ll try and share as many of the articles I find useful via our Twitter account as I go along (so please do follow us if you’re interested), and will be doing a weekly post on our blog offering what I hope is some useful advice. As always, we welcome any feedback or questions that we could perhaps research and try and answer in this space. We’re not experts, but we do like to learn and share what we’re learning as we go!
Selling 101
Sell a unique product
This sounds pretty obvious, but it does need to be noted right up front. You don’t need to recreate the wheel with every product you make, but do make sure you put your own unique touch on each item, as this is very much a key part of what will differentiate your product from the next. I believe this is particularly true if you are hoping to use the immense power of the internet to showcase and sell your handmade products. As powerful as the internet can be for you to use, it is also used by millions of others doing the same…. Either way – if you’re selling products at your local crafters market or online, making your product somewhat unique is going to be to your advantage.
Convince the buyer to purchase your product by describing it well
1) Attract the customers attention, 2) describe the product in detail so that the customer knows exactly what he or she is purchasing. Remember online the customer doesn’t have the opportunity to touch and feel the product – something many of us do subconsciously when deciding whether or not to buy something. By describing your product well enough, your customer can feel as if they have felt and seen the product in real life, and that they are fully aware of what they are purchasing. Make them feel comfortable making the purchase. 3) It’s also not going to hurt to give the customers some reasons why their lives won’t be the same without your product!
Sell your products in an attractive environment
Whether you sell your products in a retail shop, online, from your blog or a stall at your local market – invite your customers into your space by making it as attractive as possible.
We like to think Jamtin is a pretty attractive environment that we’ve created for our users. We always like hearing feedback though on how we can make improvements – please feel free to leave comments for us below to let us know…
Display your product professionally
Make sure that all photographs that you take of your products are taken with a good camera and in good light. The background that you shoot on should also be as plain (and light) as possible. There’s nothing worse than a busy background to distract your eye from the actual product, or a photograph where the product is in a bad shadow. A good photograph of your product can really be the difference between a sale or not.
It’s not just the initial photo that display’s your product. A wonderful way to promote your brand is to ensure the packaging that your product is received in is also done beautifully. This doesn’t have to add a large expense to your product, but can really go a long way in creating a great customer experience.
Jamtin listers have space for 2 ‘listing’ photos and then depending on which level you chose, a choice of either 16 or 32 photos ( – displaying 8 or 16 products). See for yourself – go to our homepage where individual products are showcased and see which products you are first drawn to, and then take note of the quality of the photos that are used.
Keep interacting with your customers
Any good business is maintained through keeping relationships with your fans and customers. Keep talking to them, reply to queries as soon as possible, keep them updated with shipping times, rather communicate any delays or problems with your customers – most are understanding if something does go wrong – but would rather know than be kept out the loop. Keep talking!
Use Social Media as a successful marketing tool
Sign up for your Facebook page now if you don’t have one already for your business. Get onto Twitter, start reading and interacting on people’s blogs. It’s all about filling up the pipeline – the more you put in, the more will come out the other end in the form of sales. And don’t forget Social Media is exactly that… Social… don’t expect anything profound to happen just because you have these platforms (though signing up for them is of course a step in the right direction). You need to be making friends here, talking to different people etc.
Once you’re on Facebook and Twitter, don’t forget to let us know – we’d love to be a part of your online community and you in ours!
Share customer feedback
I think many of us find this difficult to do, but it’s an important aspect of promoting your business. Find ways that you are comfortable with – ask customers to click on the ‘submit review’ link on your Jamtin listing, other options are to invite customers to give their feedback on your Facebook page. If you’re sending newsletters out include a quote from a happy customer. It’s important for your clients and potential clients to feel the confidence that others already have in your products.
Original source for this post is from Oh My Handmade, a truly delicious site.
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