Marketing Idea -Corporate Business Gifts, Incentives & more

3 Marketing Ideas for your Jewelry Business
A niche market for repeat business-the corporate world

1. This is probably one of my more unusual marketing ideas but I'm sure there are opportunities out there!Last year, I was approached by a start up venture that wanted to include a pair of my 14k GF earrings in their direct mailing with the "motto"...."We think our customers are precious just like gold." This was a paid wholesale order and the bonus was the company included my url on their direct mailing piece in case someone wanted to "order more" and yes, I did make more sales off the referrals. Do you have jewelry or other items that could be used to market another's business? Pitch them!
   
2. Market your jewelry to business for corporate gifts and "major events" to recognize employees like years of service.
3. Do you know of a company that offers incentives based on performance? Approach them with a jewelry design that can have "charms, beads, etc" added on to through the year for various achievements (sales goals, etc). I would like to say this is my idea but I would be fibbing! Check out this success story by Lynn Kvigne on Rena Klingenberg's, Home Business Jewelry Success Tips, blog (which you should be subscribed to if you're serious about making money with your handcrafted jewelry!).

I know many of you reading are having a light bulb moment thinking of "business types" you could pitch with an idea like this. For those who think this doesn't apply to them, how about these "business types"--

• Realtor's-many successful realtor's are composed of teams. Learn who is top dog and pitch them (make sure to include something for men & women!).
• Pharmacy & medical sales-these folks are driven by their numbers. Go to the company's website and call HR to see who would best be able to make an decision. Learn a bit about the company and pitch that person.
• Spas & salons-think about how many women attend a spa or salon everyday??? A staggering amount I guarantee you! Pitch the business owner in these two ways and remember to instill the value of treating clients and employees well!
  

1. Most salons/spas have pamper packages. Pitch the owner to include a FREE jewelry gift for clients who purchase any package over $100.
2. Most employees at salons/spas "rent their space", ask the owner if they offer incentives each month/quarterly to "push products and/or services". Inquire how your jewelry could be used as an incentive for employees to take a proactive step in boosting sales by upselling clients on products and services. This is a win-win situation!

Now, grab the big yellow phone book and look at different business types that you could pitch. Make a list and "customize" your pitch. I would love to hear your success stories. Make a comment !

3 Things to Ensure Your Web site has a Professional Look & Feel

If you are currently using an e-commerce site (aka web site) to sell your jewelry, make sure that you do these 3 things to ensure your potential customers stay long enough to look!

1. Your web pages should load quickly.

• Selling jewelry means you want to show off your gorgeous creations but that also means using web ready images (72 dpi) so your page loads quickly!
• If your e-commerce site has been developed by a vendor, ask for CSS coding of repeating items (header, footer, etc) to ensure quick loading time as well.
• People have the "drive-thru" mentality while shopping/surfing on the web which means that you have seconds to capture their attention. The majority of people will leave your site if it takes too long to load so don't get talked into using flash on the home page!

2. Your web pages should all have a similar look and feel.

• As a visitor changes pages within your web site, your template should remain consistent (colors, location of links etc) so they know that they are still on your site and have not been transferred somewhere else on the virtual web!

3. It should be easy to navigate around your web site.

• DON'T make the mistake of making people have to search to the end of the page or content to link to other areas of your site. If you use graphics for a link, make sure there are text links as well (do NOT assume they will know to click the picture for more information).
  

2009 Saul Bell Award-Enter your Jewelry Design

Rio Grande's Saul Bell Award deadline is just around the corner (Sept 19, 2008). Entering a well known design competition and being a finalist is an awesome way to get some major PR time.

This design competition has several categories including an emerging artist for those under 18:

Gold/Platinum
The predominant metal is gold, platinum or a combination of both. May be cast, fabricated, forged, assembled, or any combination of techniques. Must be your original design.

Precious Metal Clay®
The predominant material is either silver or gold Precious Metal Clay® (PMC), PMC+® or PMC3®. Must be your original design.

Beads
The predominant design elements are beads, pearls, or other strung ornaments. Beads may be any material. Must be your original design or assembly.

Silver
The predominant metal is silver. May be cast, fabricated, forged, assembled or any combination of techniques. Must be your original design.

Hollowware
A vessel that is spun, drawn, forged and/or raised. May incorporate decorative cast or fabricated components into the design. The medium is predominantly silver and/or gold.

Enamel
The predominant surface material must be enamel. Use glass-based enamels and fire on any type of metal. Must be your original design and construction.

You can get an application here....

The Shops At Funky Finds

PSST......want in on a little secret? The fab site , Funky Finds, that promotes independent crafters and artists (like you and me) world wide has now added an e-commerce venue aka The Shops!

There are 4 types of shops available starting at under $10/month. That's about the cost of 2 fancy coffees from Starbucks so what are you waiting for. All you need to get started is a Paypal account and photos of your jewelry (and/or other products).

So, what are you waiting for? Get on over to The Shops @ Funky Finds and check it out!

Jewelry Business Slow ? Have a SALE to bring in cash!

Typically, summer means lean times in the jewelry business but it doesn't have to be! Have a SALE to bring in much needed cash to breathe life into your business; have fun and be creative and people will respond to it even more!

One of my favorite ways to increase jewelry sales is to offer my "regular customers and newsletter subscribers" monthly "specials". Note, I said "special" NOT "sale"! Often, I will create a limited edition design and let them get first crack at it. These "sneak previews" make them feel special (and they are!) and give me valuable feedback as well!

Here are 7 tips from Alicia M Forest on having a sale in your business to bring in cash NOW!

Enjoy!

----Randi

P.S.
Do you have marketing strategy that you would like to share that brings in consistent sales in your jewelry business? Please leave a comment!

Strapped For Cash? 7 Ways to Have a Sale Today
by Alicia M Forest, MBA
Multiple Streams Queen & Coach

Want to encourage people on your email list to buy one (or more) of your products or programs sooner than later? Have a sale! The following are 7 ways that you can provide value to your potential clients/customers and still bring in a profit for you at the same time.

1. Half-Off Sale:

Offer your product or program for 50% off its usual price. That may seem like a big discount - and it is - which means that many more people are likely to buy it.

Or go one step further and offer all your products or programs at 50% off (except any one-on-one work with you, of course!). I've been thinking about buying a few products over the past year from one site, and when they had a 50% off sale recently, I jumped at the chance to buy not just one, but three products for half-price.

2. Close-Out Sale:

Do you have a product or a program that you are no longer going to offer, perhaps to make room for some other offerings? Or are you coming out with a new version of one of your offerings? Have a close-out sale by offering a deep discount.

TIP: As an added bonus, you could then offer those people who bought your offering at the close-out price that same amount in a discount if they buy the new version.

3. Re-Gift Sale:

Remember the Seinfeld episode about re-gifting? Do something similar for the stock of any of your products that have been returned. "Re-gift" them to a new buyer for a discount.

4. VIP Sale:

Offer a coupon or promo code ONLY to your email list, or to your clients, or to those people who have bought from you before, that is good towards the purchase of any one or all of your offerings. You can set this up in your shopping cart system very easily, so there's no other extra work on your part.

5. Free Shipping Sale:

Offer free shipping on any of your physical products for a limited time, or offer free shipping on all orders over a certain amount.

Personally, if I'm looking to purchase something online, I will hunt through a half dozen or so websites to find the one that offers free shipping and make my purchase through them (price of item being equal).

6. Bonus Sale:

Add a valuable bonus or two to your offering for a limited time. It can be something you've created or something from one of your colleagues that your niche would benefit from.

Leverage this kind of sale by doing a "bonus sale swap" with a colleague, where they would offer a bonus from you and vice versa. Your own sale will bring you cash, and your bonus offering for your colleague's sale will bring you more subscribers to your list, which will ultimately bring you more cash.

7. Just Because Sale:

This is a favorite of mine - having a sale just because - it's your birthday, you want to show your gratitude to your list, it's the 1, 5, or 10 year anniversary of when you went into business for yourself, or for any other reason you can think of.

Having a sale WILL increase your sales, but there are some cautions to take when doing so. Only have a sale occasionally, and when you do, have a compelling reason for doing so. Otherwise, if it seems you're always having a sale, you're planting a seed in your potential buyer's mind that your offerings may not be worth their usual price.

So, which kind of sale are you going to have to put some extra cash in your pocket?

© 2008 Alicia M Forest and ClientAbundance.com

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach^(TM) teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your business, visit www.ClientAbundance.com

Jewelry Box and Display Resource Alert

One of the great things about the web is that new potential partners/vendors can find you! I recently got an e-mail from Alice Turner from Prestige Pak about exchanging links. How could I refuse when the link exchange involves wholesale jewelry boxes and displays!

If you are looking for a new package resource for your handcrafted jewelry, check out Prestige Pak for your jewelry boxes and displays!

Randi
P.S.
Let me know what you think and share your favorite packaging resource for others to check out!

Happy 4th of July & Save Some $$$ on Beading Supplies

My kids are super excited as the 4th of July fireworks and mini-carnival will be held from 7-10pm tonight. I see a little cotton candy in my future! Yum. Yum.

I hope that you have a happy and safe 4th!

Randi

P.S.
If you need to stock up on semi-precious round beads, I just got an e-mail that Fusion Beads is having a 20% off sale on all their semi-precious rounds (3mm, 4mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm). I have ordered from them before (labradorite and garnet) and was impressed with their prices and FREE domestic shipping. The sale ends July 6th!

Even if you do NOT need beads right now, bookmark the site as a jewelry resource (you can never have enough of those IMHO)!