Saturday, July 27, 2013

Marketing Mittens

When Marion asked me to start selling her mittens, I immediately thought of Etsy.  It's a huge marketplace to buy and sell handmade items.

But how do you get the word out and find customers for a brand new product?

Etsy Search Ads
I started with Etsy search ads.  For a few cents a day, you can pay to have keyword traffic for your Etsy site.  This helped people find Marion's Mittens.

eBay
eBay can be another good way to help people find your product.  I sold a pair of mittens on eBay at a discount.  The buyer loved them so much that she ordered another seven pairs from the Etsy shop at full price!

Facebook Marketing
People who purchased mittens tended to like to tell their friends.  The Facebook page is a great way to share information.  I like to share coupon codes for discounts with Facebook fans.

Word of Mouth
Several friends saw that I was selling mittens and though they'd make great Christmas gifts.  Several of my largest orders came from people I already knew!

Professionalism and Promotional Items
When the Marion's Mittens Etsy shop first launched I didn't have much in the way of branding or marketing items.  I didn't want to invest a lot until I knew how the business would grow.  Here's what I've eventually come up with, and it works great for Marion's Mittens!

custom stamp on a tag

  • Packaging - Marion's Mittens are wrapped in tissue paper and mailed out in poly bags.  This type of mailer keeps the mittens clean and dry.  Address labels complete the look on each package.
  • Tags - New this year are 3x4 manila product tags.  On one side is a stamp with the company name, email, and website.  On the other side I hand write the product details.
  • Receipts - Etsy has a great receipt that is easy to print and mail.  It adds a professional touch to the package, and I hand write a personal thank you note on each receipt.
  • Communication - I let customers know when their items have shipped.  It's also a great idea to communicate anything out of the ordinary, like if an item might ship out a day or two later than promised.

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