A business podcast just for crochet business owners where we learn how to grow your crochet business and set it up for success!
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INSIDE THIS EPISODE
Welcome [0:00- 0:51]
I am doing an online event where people can bid on products. Should I make my starting price slightly under or price it at what I want to sell it for and see if people will bid higher? [0:52-3:07]
I sell finished pieces, but I want to start a blog. Are blogs for finished piece sellers worth it? [3:08- 12:15]
What goes on Business Cards? [12:16- 16:50]
How to explain machine knit products at markets? [16:51-21:51]
How to use Pinterest if you are a finished piece seller? [21:52-25:56]
RESOURCES MENTIONED
TRANSCRIPT
I am going to dive into our questions, all 5 of them! Hopefully we have time to get them all answered!
I wrote them down in my planner, on the notes page so that I could look at them without my phone because I am using my phone for the live today.
Let’s jump into the first question:
I am doing an online event where people can bid on products. Should I make my starting price slightly under or price it at what I want to sell it for and see if people will bid higher?
I have never done an event like this before, so I can’t offer personal experience. I would say the day of the event if you are able to look at other vendors prices that might be helpful.
I don’t think you can mess it up either way you go, the market is still going to decide the prices for you.
Say you set it at $10 and someone buys it at $10 but doesn’t bid higher then that. But if you were to set it at $15 that same person might not have bid on it, or someone else will see it for $15 and think oh that is really nice! So you really never know until you get in there and start trying it!
I would maybe do some A/B testing. List one or two of your products lower than what you want and see how that goes and then list other ones at the price that you want. It will be trial and error, and that is how I live my entire life 😉
I sell finished pieces, but I want to start a blog. Are blogs for finished piece sellers worth it?
First of YES! A blog is a great idea! That is where I make most of my money is through my blog.
You can create a blog for any ideal customer. Mine is for crocheters, specifically crocheters who want to sell their finished pieces- but you can have a blog catered to any type of person in the world!
If you are trying to use your blog to promote your finished pieces, I would make sure all the products in your shop serve one ideal customer.
Here are some ideas you can use for your blog posts (or to send out as emails! Blog post ideas can also be reused for emails!)
Gift lists- you give a list of all the baby shower gifts ideas and on that list would be a couple of your baby products that you make and sell.
Christmas gift lists- put together a top 10 list of gifts and include a few of your own products!
Any type of gift lists can work, just cater it toward your ideal customer. Always be sure to link your own items in each list and tell them why they need it in their lives!
You can write blog posts on how to wash the things that you sell.
How to modify the things that you sell, like if you sell a beanie that has a removable pom. You can show how they can buy multiple poms and switch them out so it can match different outfits.
Talk about things your business is based around and sprinkle in your products in the post.
Once you start getting enough traffic you can start monetizing so you can get paid when people visit your blog. It won’t cost them anything to come to your blog, so even if you don’t make a sale from that reader you will get money from them visiting!
You have to be consistent and stick with it to grow your blog. It is a long game!
What goes on Business Cards?
You want to put your business name REALLY big and then you want to put your name some where on the card.
You want it to have your Etsy URL, your social media handles.
You could create a QR code to link to whatever is the most important to your business (Etsy, Social media, blog etc.) Getting QR codes is easy! Google “QR generator” find a free one and input your link and it will generate a QR code and you will save it!
You can also put your email address.
Things you don’t really need on there, is your phone number and home address.
She also asked how many cards should I order?
That is totally up to you. I bought 1,000 because I got a bigger discount when I buy more. I also send a business card in every order that I get so I am sending them out pretty rapidly. If you are just starting out I would say order 100 to start out.
You don’t need a logo to make a business card. You can go to places like vista print and use one of their templates and input your info. Just make sure the style is on brand with your business.
Don’t over think it, you can’t mess it up! You can always change it down the road.
How to explain machine knit products at markets?
I believe in transparency, and that is how I run my business. Now it’s not the only way to run a business, some people only give out information people feel they need and keep other info to themselves.
I am not a secret keeper, so I am very transparent!
When I get asked about knitting machine items, and people say “did you make this?” I would say yes! I did make it, just like a sewing machine makes clothes.
You can say yes I have a knitting machine and it is amazing! I crank a handle and it makes a tube that I can turn into whatever I want.
You teach people how to feel about you with words and mannerisms that you use on a daily basis. So if they ask “did you make this?” and you say “well kind of… I have a knitting machine and I just spin a handle and it makes it for me.” That response doesn’t sound confident, and kinda make you sound ashamed that you use a knitting machine.
If you respond like “Yes I did! I actually have a machine that I hand crank to create a knit tube that I can make into pumpkins, hats, or scarfs! I can make so many different things! It’s amazing what you can make from a tube!” sounds confident!
You don’t want to lie to people or mislead them.
How to use Pinterest if you are a finished piece seller?
The thing about Pinterest is it a long term platform, so if you make one off items in your shop Pinterest probably isn’t worth your time and energy.
Usually when you pin something 45 days later is when it starts getting traction. You pin before you need it to get traction to succeed on Pinterest.
In my Wild Grace shop where I have long term products I could post a pin to the individual listings in my shop and to the sections in my shop.
Pinterest is definitely a long game strategy.
That is it for this Tuesday Talk! Taylor has our next one in our Ash & Tay Facebook Group so be sure to hang out with her there!