How to get your yarn noticed in KnitCrate!
Recently we talked about subscription clubs on the Handmade Business Podcast and one of the things I mentioned was to look for clubs who could host your products if you don’t have the ability, or production space to run regular shipments yourself. Today on the blog I wanted to introduce you to KnitCrate who is one such subscription supplier I have known about for a number of years, as an Indiedyer in the yarn industry and have heard great things about!
Are subscription boxes a fantastic way to make money still?
I started my first subscription club back in 2010/11, if I remember correctly and even back then, I knew that subscription boxes were a hot trend among my competitors in the craft industry. Since that time the subscription box market has grown to a whopping 2.6 billion US dollars! 😲 In such a sizable industry is there still room to offer subscription-based product services and make some money? 🤔
🙌 Today on the podcast 🎥🎧 we will explore the idea of subscription-based offers in the craft industry, to seek an answer to understanding if this product service is an idea we could consider for our handmade and craft-based product businesses.
Free delivery guarantee: why sellers are angry with Etsy
In early July Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman wrote a letter to the Etsy seller community about their new free delivery guarantee trial for US customers from July 30th. Detailed in this letter was the idea of their new policy and the incentive that they would give priority search placement to those sellers who took up the free shipping guarantee for buyers who spent $35 USD or more.
As you can imagine since then there has been a huge online debate among sellers expressing their anger and concern at feeling ‘forced’ into making financial decisions about their business in order to remain on Etsy’s platform. 😞
🙌 Today on the podcast 🎧🎥 I want to talk about what the new policy means and lay out options and opportunities I see for Etsy sellers going forward.
You are KILLING your business with discount codes!
It’s not uncommon for businesses to use discount codes as a way to seek new customers or promote new products. In fact, as many of 53% of millennial shoppers look for coupon codes when shopping online according to Retail Me Not. While large commercial retail set ups can account for regular discount offers in their margins, those who have smaller businesses will struggle to stay afloat with a regular discounting strategy.
This is why it pains me 😞 to see craft businesses continually discounting to try to attract new sales, or to kick start new online shops.
🙌 Today on the podcast 🎧🎥 we are going to explore how regular discounting is killing your business and what you should be doing instead!
How to take the STING out of bad product reviews!
There you are going about your daily business and decide to check on your website, or Etsy shop, you stop dead in your tracks because something is very wrong… you have received a negative product review!
Feels like a jab to the guts and you fall KO’d into your chair... As thoughts go racing through your head you find yourself in a funk and the sting has got to you.
Today on the podcast I want to share with you the best way to mentally deal with bad product reviews and how to handle the knock to your confidence that this can bring.
Craft Event Directory: SoLo Craft Fair
Growing demand? Here's how to increase production capacity effortlessly!
As we push to increase our brand awareness, we hope that the demand for what we make will increase, but with this comes the fear that our current production capacity might not be enough. We start to worry; How will we cope with larger numbers of orders needing to be fulfilled? 😟 What if we can’t keep up? 😟
Today on the podcast 🎥🎧 I want to show you how to scale production in a way that keeps you effectively meeting demand. 😍
10 Creative Hashtags to use on Instagram RIGHT NOW!
As of June 2018 there were 1 billion users on Instagram 🤯, making is one of the biggest and fastest growing social media platforms after Facebook, according to HubSpot. To put that figure into perspective in 2013 Instagram had just 9 million users! So, the importance of having a business presence on Instagram is becoming more and more important.
But with all of those users how easy is it to get found? 😟
The answer is in two things; Firstly, content and secondly use of hashtags.
🕵️♀️ Finding the right Instagram hashtags to use can take a bit of time. 🎧🎥 Today on the podcast I’m going to share 👉 10 Instagram hashtags that I have found that might be useful for you to in order to start getting noticed!
5 ways to AVOID OVERWHELM on social media
Social media overwhelm is an ever-present threat to our mental attitude towards marketing our businesses online. Continually agonising over when to post to get the most traction, or the number of likes on your posts, or how many new followers you might get each week is exhausting and can make you feel like throwing your phone against the wall.
Tell me honestly, do you have moments where you feel like you are;
Overwhelmed with being present on social media for your business all week long?
Stressed-out out and you’re on the fast train to burn-out?
Less successful than others?
Today on the blog I’m highlighting some boundaries that I have found really help me avoid feeling overwhelmed or stressed-out. This is my secret to keeping motivated and feeling productive when handling my social media.
