On and Offline Partnerships-Having your Jewelry in More Than One Venue

People won't buy your handcrafted jewelry if they can't see it . Duh! So simple right.Have you considered other partnerships that do not necessarily cost anything up front to get you the exposure you deserve? It can be a wholesale arrangement (when a piece sells you give them a cut up to 50%).

Although, I run a "virtual" jewelry boutique, I have also partnered with other online shopping sites like Mintd, Bagadoodle, and Artisans Market. I'm currently working on two other online partnerships to showcase my jewelry. At my partner sites, I sell jewelry that meets the "feel" of that particular site; all of these sites, take a small % of the profits but it is still cheaper than advertising. Once they are a customer, I can encourage them to sign up for the Diva Newsletter to keep in front of them.

Offline, I have also partnered with other business's from art galleries to salons. One of my most profitable ventures was with a "travelling" art show for corporate events in the DFW.

My point is by partnering with other business's on or offline you will not only get your artist name, business but your handcrafted jewelry in front of more people which ultimately will help you be more successful.

Do you have any partnerships/venue's on or offline that you have had success with? Drop a comment and share your success!

Display Tips for Jewelry Shows

This weekend, my family and I stopped by the St. Ann's Annual Carnival/Festival. This year, there were 2 large tents with vendors. I was amazed at the "quality" difference at the various booths with very comparable merchandise.

It is important when you do any jewelry show (festival, retail, wholesale or private trunk show) that your "booth" or "table" does NOT have a flea market(messy and unorganized) look; it will hurt your sales because people will assume it's cheap/junk and either not bother to look or think the jewelry is overpriced.

There are several different ways you can approach how you display your handcrafted jewelry art so it looks professional:

• Color group your jewelry (neutral, dark, color) so it looks like a cohesive collection
• Group your jewelry by style /technique (classic, funky, modern or wire wrap, chainmaille, simple beading)
  
• Group your jewelry by "design" (earrings, necklaces, bracelets)

Use your creative juices to come up with "creative display props" that will fit how you've approached your display. Hobby Lobby ,Garden Ridge and even the Dollar Store are fantastic places to scout out inexpensive display props. One of my favorite displays is a wooden cigar box that I decoupaged with "antique looking" scrapbook papers; I fill it with earrings in little Ziploc bags with my business card and keep it by the "checkout" area for impulse buyers. More often than not, while I'm ringing up their sale they rummage through my mini trunk and "add" to their original purchase.

Get your jewelry up and off the table. Your customers shouldn't have to bend over to examine any piece.

Lighting, lighting, lighting. Make sure your jewelry is well lit. At outdoor festivals or when no electricity is available, maximize the natural light that is available by using "lighter colored displays".

PPP. Practice. Practice. Practice. Set up your jewelry display at home before you go to a show. Yes, I know it is a lot of work but stand back take a look. Can you see all the jewelry? If not, can you vary the height of your displays so you can. Is the display balanced? If one area is "heavier with more jewelry", consider how you can spread that out so the customer's eye doesn't stop...you want them to be able to see all the jewelry clearly and to be drawn across the display.

Label. IMHO, it is important to label items clearly with information and pricing. I include the materials the design is made from, the "inspiration/story" behind the design, care and of course the price. Many customers thank me because they love a stone but can't remember the name and want to be able to tell others.

Keep in touch. Have promotional items like biz card, flyer's, biz info , etc on hand to share with anyone who stops at your booth. Also, always ask if they would like to be kept updated about new designs, sales or your trunk show schedule. Would you believe one of my best customers originally wasn't a paying customer? Julie met me at an outdoor festival and kept my card even though she didn't buy anything. At my next trunk show , she bought a $15 ring and got so many compliments that she arranged a private trunk show at her office for me. I've also been requested to hold other trunk shows and made custom jewelry as a result of her referrals!! Just keep that in mind....:)

If you also have some display tips you would like to share, please leave a comment so we all can learn!

Is Your Packaging/Presentation Drawing The Customer In?

Early on in my biz I held a trunk show at an upscale women's business luncheon, I had several women ask how much they had to spend to get one of the pink vellum purse's that was displayed. Yes, that's right the pink vellum purse that was worth 50 cents had that much pull. This is my standard packaging ( I carry the vellum purses in two sizes) so they would get one with any purchase but that's when it struck me how important packaging /presentation is!! One of many light bulb moments for me!;)

Over the course of my business, I have experimented and noted which package and displays did better at the different shows. Yes, I have noticed a difference between the retail, wholesale and private trunk shows. More often than not it's the "creative" less expensive route that has generated the most buzz for me at any of these shows.What has your experience been?

Whatever packaging/presentation you choose, it must fit the look and feel of your jewelry designs and business logo/colors, etc...

I currently get most of my packaging from Nashville Wraps because I can try out new packaging in small quantities and their customer service to date has been excellent. I use custom stickers so hot stamping is not an issue for me. I also sometimes purchase packaging/display items from Rio Grande as well.

Do you have a favorite packaging resource that you would like to share ? Please leave a comment so others can check it out. Thanks!

A Meeting of Creative Minds-The Switchboards

Do you feel like your spinning your wheels in your handcrafted jewelry biz ? Does your artist self struggle with your business self ? Marketing over your head ?

I have found the forums on The Switchboards to be an invaluable resource in building my business, e-commerce site, marketing and promo ideas, etc...It is a meeting place for like minded creative business women to connect, share and learn.

Just in the last week, I have several things added to my " to do " list as a result of being inspired by these other creative minds...

1. Revamping my current down loadable press kit
2. Marketing to national magazine editors
3. Defining my signature brand
4. Working on Spring 2008 collection
5. Revamping the layout (not template) of my current website
----think of ease of navigation and creating groupings (collections) for a more coherent presentation

That's just my top 5...not in set order...but just what I thought I could do to improve my brand and jewelry biz!

This is a fantastic resource that you should bookmark...and watch our business grow as you learn from a very talented group of creative and successful businesswomen!

The Finishing Touch...don't let them forget!

Use stamped tags with your signature, company name or logo to the custom handcrafted jewelry you make.

WHY?

• Branding-customers may forget where they purchased or if it was a gift are curious about what other designs are carried
• Finishing Touch-details are important and it shows customers that you as an artist and business person think highly of your jewelry to put your name on it

Check out Rio Grande's quality tags in sterling silver or 14k GF (14/20). You can order the the tags in a variety of shapes : oval, round, rectangle and hearts. Have a custom stamp created and you can produce tags as you need them.

Your customers will not only perceive your jewelry to be of higher quality (because you put your business name /mark on it) and they will remember your brand (be able to determine where the jewelry was bought).

If you are not using custom tags & stamps in your jewelry, what are you doing to brand your designs?

*If you use another wholesale supplier that other jewelry artists might be interested in, please leave a comment with the supplier's information.

Offer More Than Just Your Signature Jewelry Brand

With the busy holiday season coming up, I always like to design and carry some fashion conscious inventory that will serve to draw new customers and serve up a dose of "the moment style" for my fashion-forward clients.

Of course, I've worked hard to define my brand that identifies me and my jewelry line as the Designing-Diva. The signature that my customers have come to love is a jewelry collection that is unique .....a woman can express her personal style and taste without having to worry about it being another cookie cutter accessory.

But I can support my brand and signature with some more fashion forward designs that still have my "stamp" on them. These designs will support and complement my signature designs and not compete with my signature. During the holidays, these lesser value fashion-forward designs do well because so many people are looking for unique affordable gifts but still want to pack a punch ( the packaging...designer artisan jewelry gets them all the time).

How do you know what is fashion forward? Easy...check out the malls, open a fashion magazine, etc...Take what you see and translate it into something that complements your signature/brand that will draw in new fashion conscious customers and offer a great unique affordable gift for your current and new customers alike!

Reasonable Online Advertising for Indie Jewelry Designers

I just love this online magazine, N.E.E.T. (click on the photo go to the publication), and advertised in the Sept 07 issue. Would you believe you can advertise for a full page for only $45 ?

N.E.E.T. began in December 2005 as a quarterly, online publication, laid out in a magazine format - as a showcase for grassroots creativity. It would be impossible without the wonderful contributions of all those involved and many thanks goes to a wide network of global talent, with the Internet playing a vital part in research and communication.

Whenever I advertise online, I offer a coupon code. Why? First, I can track all the links using my web stats from "online advertising". Second, if someone checks out using a coupon code I know exactly where they found me. Third, I can determine if that advertising venue is effective for me by comparing how many people clicked vs converted (used a coupon code).

If you are e-commerce based and not watching your web stats, you are missing out on a lot of vital information. As a small business owner, I can't afford to "waste" any of my advertising and marketing dollars!

The next issue is for December 07 and we all know how huge the holidays can be for our business so if you would like to advertise or submit a product for consideration, hurry on over to N.E.E.T. magazine!