Craft Venture: holiday marketing on the web

Welcome to Craft Venture "" business and marketing tips for indie online business organization owners, but similar you and me! Im Brenda, possessor of Phydeaux Designs on Etsy and thousand Markets. Last week, we talked about vacation packaging and shipping, every bit part of our series on the vacation season. This week, we are talking most marketing for the holidays.

November starts this calendar week. Are you set for the holidays? Do you understand some of the bones terminology and dates? Did you read up on international aircraft and you lot're at present gear up to expand your business organization with global sales with starting time class aircraft? Is your holiday packaging set and ready?

What about customers? Peculiarly with a deadening economy, what is your marketing plan for this vacation season? How are you going to stand up out in a ocean of retailers, both online and brick and mortar?

If you've been reading Craft Venture from the start, you shouldn't be surprised that I'g not a huge fan of the "I'll promote myself similar crazy in the forums of my online marketplaces" answer. First, that kind of promotion is very difficult piece of work and you need that fourth dimension for constructive marketing that does the work for  you lot, then that yous can focus on creating and fulfilling orders. Second, in a large market, you'll be instantly buried and competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other voices vying for customers. Third, how many buyers are yous really going to find hanging out in the forums? Sure, there are buyers visiting the forums, but the odds of your millisecond promotional thread attracting the attending of more than a few people looking to shop aren't that high.

I'yard going to focus on one primal marketing thought for you in this calendar week's cavalcade:  online advert. Yous might remember reading virtually marketing right here on Craft Venture way back in June. Nosotros talked nigh how to identify who your customers are. Marketing based on your natural skills and talents. Marketing that works for you, rather than yous doing all the work. This is a great fourth dimension to review those columns, along with other online marketing resource and books from your local library (complimentary!).

Online ad is a great way to attract new shoppers. Earlier you head off, starry eyed, to Perez Hilton'southward or Dooce's websites, a reality check for y'all:  yous can't afford them. Well, possibly y'all can. If y'all have $ten,000-50,000 handy for a month of ad. Since I don't accept that kind of cash, I'll talk most more realistic options! But showtime, another reality check:  for the holidays, you have but a week or so to line up advertising, and you'll likely observe that ad infinite on many of your target sites is already sold out.

If you've never advertised online before, hither'southward what yous demand:  (a) an online store that has great photos, clear and engaging text, a great store announcement (also as a beautiful imprint, simply some folks get by without any banner at all); (b) a full store (at to the lowest degree a few pages of items) with a variety of styles and colors; (c) prices that are reasonable for buyers and for your own profit margin; and (d) an advertisement graphic.

Let's talk nigh the graphic for your ad. Look over to your right on papernstitch. Run into the blinking ads? Those are dynamic or blinking ads, saved as GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format). Meet the non-blinking, ads? Those are static ads, saved as JPEGs (Joint Photographic Experts Group). In that location are other types and formats for graphic files, just these are the ii most common for ads at our cost points.

(Are you lot already feeling a little short of breath and woozy almost GIFs versus JPEGs? Don't worry at all. I just wanted to give yous some terminology and background so that you'll know what you lot're reading about when you research possible sites for your ads.)

You can make an advert for yourself without spending a dime, using your photographic camera's photo editing software. Since I don't know what camera or photo editing software you have, I won't go into details about how to create your own ad. In general, employ your best image of your most pop or favorite particular, use a squeamish rest of negative (white) space and your detail, and add your store name or logo. Simple. You lot can play with fonts or reinforce your branding past using your logo or same font as your logo. You don't even necessarily demand text! A gorgeous, compelling image that people have to click may be enough.

Even improve, you can hire someone to create an ad or two for you! You can notice on Etsy and like websites, graphic designers who will create ads for anywhere betwixt $10 to $fifty for you lot, often with a variation or two (or three). See about buying non just one size, simply several variants of the same advert in different sizes (125 ten 125 pixels, 150 x 100 pixels, etc.). This is a great way to reduce your own stress about creating your ad graphic! My only advice is this:  sometimes y'all get what you pay for, and so make sure you see examples of the designer's work and that the quality is high. I'd hate for you place ineffective ads!

In parallel, you need websites to advertise on. Project Wonderful is a swell way to break into advertizement online. Gauge a site's monthly charge for ad space against their traffic. For a site with less than 1,000 visitors, $xl/month is rather high, given how far yous want your dollar to stretch. For a site with more than 10,000 monthly visitors, $40/month may be a great investment.

Recall most your target customer. Where does he or she spend time online? Are there detail sorts of blogs that they read? If so, visit those blogs, look for "advertisement" or "sponsors," and find out  more than virtually their charges, volume, and the types and sizes of ads accepted. Peradventure your customers frequent online forums? Many forums offer advertising. Aforementioned process:  visit the forum, search for "advertizement" or "sponsors," etc.

Hither'due south what not to exercise! If yous make beautifully tooled leather wallets, don't advertise on a vegan forum or blog. If yous sell adorable handmade newborn infant clothing, don't advertise on a web log whose target audition is boys, ages 12 to 18, playing ultraviolent videogames. You go the idea. Think most your items, your target audition, and the site's aesthetic and audience. You lot're looking for a corking fit.

Hither's your homework, because blogs, forums and other sites are rapidly selling out for November and December ad space! Write down the five websites that y'all visit every mean solar day (other than your store or online market place/venue). With pen in manus, visit each site, search for "advertising" or "sponsor," run across if they have space open for the holidays. If not, cross out their name and move to the next site. If they do, do you accept to email the site for a media kit and/or rates? Email them correct now. Here'south what you can say:

"Dear (fill in the site owner's proper name hither),

My name is Jane Smith and I own (fill up in your shop name and what yous brand in no more than one sentence here). I love your website/blog and would love more than information about holiday advertizing, including rates. I very much appreciate your time and look frontward to hearing from you. (or !)

Sincerely yours,

Jane

your signature block"

If y'all don't hear back from your queries, I wouldn't worry about it. Web log owners in particular gets hundreds of emails every mean solar day. Just move on to the next on your list. If your selected site has the rates, traffic and other particulars on their site, and the site's a good fit for your items and in your price range, follow the site's instructions for buying space!

Quick disclaimer:  not anybody wants or needs to buy advertisement space. If you take more than business concern than you can currently handle, perchance bringing in more business isn't a cracking idea. For many of us, we are looking for additional concern, so buying an ad or two tin really help get our name out there. Just make sure you accept Google analytics gear up for your store/site and so that you lot can track your ads' effectiveness. If you lot don't practise great, see if you lot can swap out your ad, which could be all the change you need. If  you lot are doing great, what is it nigh that advertizing and that site that made your ad campaign and then effective and how can you use that to your next campaign?

This is another post where there'south so much more to tell you than I have space for! If you have questions, add together them in the comments, and I'll answer them – or find answers to them – in the comments, as well. I'd honey to hear from those of you lot who are experienced advertisers. What tips and tricks would you share with us? What is key for yous? And for all of you, thinking from a buyer's perspective, what kinds of ads make you want to click?

Paradigm credit: Lime Candy Wrap Sheet past Olive Manna, Gifts Set of Notecards past Sub0Studio, May Your Season be Merry by In-Vita

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