Be An Expert - Forward Thinking - Wholesale For Christmas

Etsy recently published this Seller Handbook guide to Wholesale Christmas Prep: https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/wholesale-christmas-preparation/159623538888. Even if you don't sell wholesale yet it's an interesting read to give you ideas for the future!

Could you dip your toe into wholesale this Christmas by asking a local gift shop if they will stock a few of your items? It could be the start of something big! If you want to look into wholesale more you can check out the Indie Retail Academy website for some more advice: https://www.indieretailacademy.com/

Even if you never want to sell wholesale, you can still take some useful tips from the Seller Handbook article to apply to your own shop:

- Change pitching stockists to pitching you mailing list - get you Christmas Gift Ideas emails ready

-Focus on packaging - think about offering gift packaging to your customers during the Christmas season

- Set up order deadlines - have a think now about what you will do if you get busy, and when people need to order by to get their item for Christmas

- Stock up to snag last minute orders - make sure you have enough 'blank' product in to keep making new things as your items sell, whether it's balls of wool or vintage spoons - make sure you have enough to see you through November!

If we get ready now then Christmas will be easy!

Be An Expert - Forward Thinking - Autumn Trends

We are marching towards the end of summer, and things will be starting to gear up for the Autumn and Winter seasons - Christmas is only 124 days away! Before Christmas we do have lots of other things to look forward to - pulling on our comfy cosy woolly jumpers, kids going back to school, watching fireworks, trick-or-treaters at Halloween, watching movies tucked up inside when it's stormy weather. Is your shop going to be ready for the change in season?

If your shop sells knitted or crochet items your hooks have probably already been flying to get ready for the cooler weather, but make sure you take a minute to check your inventory so you know how much you have to sell. For other shops - how can you aim for the Autumn? If you sell prints or mugs can you use some 'cosy nights in' phrases on them? If you sell jewellery have a think about the colours and shapes people will be wanting to wear. If you sell ceramic pots can you photograph them with pens and pencils in for a back-to-school (or back-to-uni) idea?

If you aren't able to change your actual stock, can you change the way you style it? Create an Autumnal Instagram photo or two, using Autumnal colours with a pine cone or other suitable prop. If you can get these ready now then you'll be able to hit the ground running when the time comes!

If you'd like to see what trends are on the way, then a couple of places to look are here for a brief look at expected fashions: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/autumn-2017-fashion-trends-aw17-styles-women/ or you can look at the SpringAutumnFair Instagram page to see what they are sharing from their upcoming trade show: https://www.instagram.com/springautumnfair/ 

Have fun getting ready for Autumn (and make sure you start thinking about Christmas too!).

Be An Expert - Product Promotion - Videos

Using videos to promote your products can really help your items stand out from the crowd.

Here's a recent Etsy Seller Handbook article on How To Market Your Business With Video: https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/how-to-market-your-business-with-video/137667391868

Videos on YouTube can be great to include lots of detail, and it's easy to share them from there to Facebook  (lots of potential customers out there are browsing videos on Facebook!).

However your videos don't have to be long or complicated to help your items stand out. You can try using apps like Hyperlapse (an app that speeds up your video) or Boomerang (this takes bursts of photos and stitches them together) to show glimpses of your work-in-progress or finished products. If you are sharing your finished products then show them in use or just turn them around to show the item from different angles. See more about these 2 apps here: https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-apps-boomerang-hyperlapse-layout/ 

You can use these short videos in your main Instagram (or FB) feeds. You can also use them in Instagram stories. Instagram stories is a collection of videos which you can add to throughout your day - but they disappear after 24 hours. If you are recording the video directly in Instagram make sure you download it before it disappears! Stories are good to use because the accounts you follow with recent stories will appear at the top of your instagram feed, so you are more likely to be spotted by your followers. Here's some info on Stories from the Instagram blog: http://blog.instagram.com/post/148348940287/160802-stories

Another fun idea you could try is to make a product photography turntable like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFPJqtcWNSU and use it to show your items from all sides!

You don't have to start sharing lots and lots of videos, but the occasional one will help your customers to get a better view of your items and your shop.

Be An Expert - Product Promotion - Brand Reps

Do you find it hard to take enough great photos of your products so that you can fill up the photo slots on Etsy AND share great images on social media? You might want to think about getting a Brand Representative - Brand Rep for short.

A Brand Rep is someone who you give FREE products to, in exchange for them to take stylish photos of those products for you to use on your Instagram and other social media accounts. There are also Brand Enthusiasts, who will buy products at a discount from you, again to provide you with photos - but obviously an enthusiast would have to be someone really keen on your products, as you are expecting them to part with their money as well as their time. For more information on Reps & Enthusiasts see this post here: http://cuttingforbusiness.com/2015/10/21/what-are-instagram-brand-reps-enthusiasts/

Instagram is the best place to find Brand Reps - create a 'Brand Rep Search' image with some text, making sure to include the Instagram handle for your shop (so people can find you once the image has been shared). Use the #brandrepsearch hashtag and other appropriate hashtags to get found. Ask applicants to share the image to increase your reach. Have a deadline for when to apply (keep the application open for a few weeks at least to give people time to share and apply). You can also find Brand Reps by joining Facebook Groups like 'Let's Rep Together': https://www.facebook.com/groups/letsrep/

Make sure you are clear on what country you are happy to post items to (a lot of Brand Reps are in the US), what you expect from a Brand Rep, and how long the term will be (a good initial term is 3 months). Once you've chosen a Rep or Reps make sure to have an agreement or contract in place setting out time-frames for delivery of items and how long the photos will take, what the photos will be used for, and other points. Here's an example of an artist licensing agreement: https://artlawjournal.com/download-artists-licensing-agreement-free/ or search 'Brand Rep Terms & Conditions' in google to see what terms other brands have set out for their reps. Remember these are all just for guidance, and if you want an in-depth legally-binding contract you should pay for a contract lawyer to draw one up.

Here's some more advice on working with Brand Reps: http://mumswithhustle.com/blog/lucky-7-tips-for-working-with-brand-reps/