YEAR ONE
A blog is the place to break your craft’s business’ online virginity. Write about your start-up.
Blogging gives you perspective and gains you sympathisers
Keep it simple, keep it short, honest, picture led and weekly .
Do not expect sales. But picture your product regularly, give price and dimensions each time.
Follow other craftspeople and comment on their posts. Thats how you get some of their followers.
Only blog if you find writing easy, if it’s a struggle skip this step. Poor writers aren’t read
Probably the simplest first time host for your blog is Google’s Blogger.
Later you will link your blog into your website.
Twitter is a strange creature,
but it makes immediate connections and acts as a valuable online pointer
It’s not just about those 140 characters, it ‘s about links & pictures.
Your task is to amuse yourself and other people.
It’s the casual gathering round the water cooler, it’s an audience.
If you use it just for marketing, people will unfollow.
Don’t fill it with endless @ messages as that puts off new visitors.
Use @business name
YEAR TWO
Now you have a clearer idea of your product and pricing,
and a trickle of followers from your blog and Twitter,
so you need somewhere online to direct people to buy
Look at a handful of sites.
Look at the fees, who is selling well, does it feel appropriate ?
Pick one with fees per sale, not upfront and without a lengthy buyers’ registration
Don’t fall for the “You have been selected” routine.
Read forums associated with your target to get a truer picture.
If you opt for a giant like Etsy you will be swamped by competition,
But it has strong support forums which you will learn a lot from
Buying into a marketplace gains you a shop NOT a shop front
customers will only come from your efforts to direct them there
Now a Facebook Page to further expand your online audience.
This is a Facebook Page with your business name.
This is where to chat, inform and amuse.
You will get regulars who will help spread the word.
Link your Facebook Page new product pieces directly to your online shop
YEAR THREE
You now know your business well .
You have built an online audience through your blog,Twitter & Facebook Page
You have made your mistakes in your market place
so you are at last equipped to create your own website which will give you
Complete control and no same site competition
Web designers pull towards their usual way of doing sites, be sure you get what you want.
Search other sites for elements you like, but don’t be too flash. People need calm to stay and choose
You must have direct shopping on your site using Paypal or similar.
Your SHOP must be at the heart of everything
Part of the design brief needs to be to teach you how to directly run the site.
If you go for an off the peg, easy build, low cost site then look at Create as its established and UK based
SO HERE IS THE PLAN
Handmade Lives 