wirejewelry's Tip #3 for a Successful 2009!

Today is success tip number 3! We’re really clipping along now and I really hope that the previous tips I’ve shared with you have given you some ideas that you’ve been able to implement immediately. Everything that I’ve shared or that I will share is relatively low cost and many of these things are being done by various Jewelry Making Companies. The key is in the execution of the ideas and tips. That’s what will set you apart far from all the other companies – continuous execution of these tips.

Okay, so in the previous two tips we’ve talked about the value of your customers as well as how to create a benefit laden customer referral program to reward your customers for their referrals. Today we’re going to be focusing on how to recruit new customers.

Many of the ideas I’ll share today regarding the recruitment of new customers are things that I’d venture to guess you’re already in the habit of doing. Again, the real secret isn’t in the technique, rather in the execution of these proven success methods.

We’re going to be focusing on three main ideas for gaining new customers.

The First tip is to announce yourself anywhere and everywhere you go! Business cards are a great tool, because you can leave them with whomever you come in contact with. Hand them out everywhere you go during the day. Try to frequent all of the nearby craft shows and be sure to attend any of the local “craft parties” that you hear about. The bottom line is that you need to let everyone know that you make and sell jewelry. There shouldn’t be anyone that you know, that doesn’t realize you’re in the jewelry making business.

You can put your cards up on the bulletin boards at stores and gas stations, leave them behind whenever you go into a business and make sure to include a business care with every order that you sell. This will keep your company name fresh in the mind of your customer, but it will also allow them to share your information with their friends and family.

The second idea is a very important idea when trying to build brand awareness. And the greatest thing about it is its ABSOLUTELY FREE! This is one thing that is overlooked by nearly every business out there today, the idea of free press. You can gain many customers in your local area just by contacting a few of the main newspapers. What you’ll need to do is find out the contact information of one of the editors of the newspaper. You can contact them to find out the details of submitting an article to the paper or for them to interview you for a story.

(Here’s a valuable tip – News stations are ALWAYS looking for a good story! All you have to do is give them one.) You can tell them your story about yourself and how you came to be in the jewelry business. Tell them about your unique creations and how much you love creating handmade jewelry. Make sure to design a special sale or offer where first time buyers can receive a discount for their first order.

There is also the idea of press releases and article submission on the internet. This is something that I’ve found to be very successful; however, we’ll be focusing on this aspect of marketing in a later email, so I’m not going to go into any specifics today.

The final idea I want to share for today’s tip is the idea of organizing a Home Jewelry Party or an Open House. This is a fantastic way to show off all of your jewelry to many people at once! You can list this open house in your local newspapers, at community bulletin boards, in churches, online event sites, and by simply handing out flyers in your neighborhood. You can create a 1/3 or 1/2 page flyer talking about the event and distribute them to a few hundred homes in your area. If you do this, make sure to include some sort of benefit. You can offer them a free gift if they bring a friend, or maybe free apple cider and doughnuts….Just make sure to offer something that will entice them to visit.

Now, once you have your home jewelry party you can lay out a nice tablecloth over a large table and decorate it with some decorations. Then you can lay out all of the jewelry pieces that you’ve created. And don’t forget to include your business cards on that table! If you have a website, you can also put a laptop on the table and have it opened up to your site. That way people can purchase directly from your site!

Those are just a few ideas of how to gain new customers without a huge marketing budget. Remember that it takes 5-7 contacts with a person before they buy, so don’t be discouraged if they don’t buy something right away. Continue to execute these fundamental marketing methods and eventually you’ll gain their business!

This tip was a bit lengthy, but I think we’ve covered some very valuable information to help you dominate your home jewelry making industry. Stay tuned – because next time we’ll be discussing some more ideas on how to market to new customers.

Until Next Time,

Brandon Hutchins
wirejewelry.com