For some handmade artists once they set up a web site or shop on Etsy.com or Artfire.com the sales rolling in. For others it takes a little bit of elbow grease and possibly some marketing dollars to get the sales they need to make setting up shop worth while.
That is where online marketing comes in. In this day an age if you are not marketing on the internet you are missing out on tons of potential buyers. Marketing online, if done properly can give your business the boost it needs to create the income you want.
Now there are basically 2 types of online marketing: Free and Fee Based.
Free Online Marketing Methods Online marketing that does not cost you money is great. But know what doesn’t cost you money will cost you your time. The most popular online marketing methods that do not cost you include joining a social network, placing free classifieds, link exchanges, article marketing, blogging, podcasting and viral videos. All of these require a great amount of time and consistency. Some of these methods even take prep time. The rewards that come from these methods are not seen for many weeks and/or many months. So if you decide to utilize free marketing methods just know you must be diligent and patient.
Fee Based Online Marketing Methods Popular online marketing methods that cost money include virtual craft shows, email marketing, PPC – Pay Per Click Campaigns. If you are not careful you can blow your marketing budget and see very little results. When selecting marketing methods that require a fee you must be very selective. Not all online marketing opportunities are created equal and not all are going to be right for you and your crafts that you are selling.
Now before you start marketing, the first thing you need to do is to add a traffic tracking service to your site. Perhaps the most popular one and the one that I prefer and recommend is Google Analytics. It is 100% free; they give very accurate and detail statistical information on your traffic. You will need this information to determine where your traffic is coming from and which of your marketing methods are bringing you the most traffic.
If you are a handmade artist and you would like to know more about selling your crafts online, then I invite you to join our online social network Crafts, Crafts & more crafts. We are a great community of handmade artisans and crafters who are focused on selling crafts online and actually creating a solid source of income. We offer support and tips for selling and marketing crafts online.
HandmadeCraftShow.com is a virtual craft show for handmade artists who create handmade crafts