Business Building - Finding Your Target Market

Hello, today is the next instalment of our Business Building topic, and today we're going to talk about your Target Market!

Do you know who your customers are? If you are going to build a successful shop it's essential that you know who you are trying to sell to and what kind of things they want to buy.

Broad Idea:

You may have quite a broad idea at the moment, for example, you might know your target market is women aged 18 - 50 who like jewellery. This is a great start, but it's not enough to help you find them to advertise to them and develop the products that they really want.

Specific Customer:

You should end up with a more specific customer profile - e.g. a 40-50 year old woman, who appreciates handmade items but also shops at high street stores like Next, their favourite magazine is woman & home, they prefer subtle colours rather than bold, they eat out several times a week, and only look at Instagram and Facebook a couple of times a week.

How This Can Help You:

Creating a specific customer profile DOES NOT mean you are shutting everyone else out. You aren't narrowing your market to only sell to this one type of woman. But having a specific profile helps you to think about what places to promote your items - for example if your target market doesn't go on Instagram much, then it might be worth advertising more locally or in magazines.

You can have more than one customer profile - write down several if you sell to a variety of age ranges or sell a range of different products.

How To Find Out What Your Customer Likes:

If you are worried because you have no idea what magazines your customer reads or whether they use Instagram, then it's time to do some research!

1. Start by looking at your shop stats. Click on the 'customers' tab of your stats and look at where your customers live, what device they are using (if more are using mobile devices then it's more likely they also use social media apps too, if your customers mostly use desktop they might not use social media as much), and look at the 'other searches'. Looking at what other phrases your customers are searching for will help you understand what their other interests are, and maybe help you come up with more product ideas!

2. Jump onto social media. Look at the profiles of your followers - what kind of pictures are they sharing, does it say what their interests are in their profile, what other accounts are they following? You might, for example, find that a lot of them are following a certain celebrity - could you see if you could send a freebie to the celeb who might wear / use the item on their social media? If you are looking on Facebook you can see who has 'liked' your page by going to 'settings' and then 'people and other pages'. Click on one of the names to go to their profile, and under their cover photo there should be a button that says 'more' - click on this and then 'groups' - now you can see what Facebook groups they belong to and decide whether it's worth you trying to join and network in some of those groups!

3. Ask questions. On your social media don't just show off your new items, ask questions too - e.g. mention what you are having for dinner and ask what other people are going to be eating, ask customers what their favourite holiday destinations are etc. It all helps you to build a picture of what they are like.

4. Check out your conversations and reviews. If customers are asking questions through conversations does it help you get ideas on who they are buying for and what would be the perfect product for them? In reviews do customers mention loving the item themselves or did they give it as a gift - and if it was a gift do they mention how they gave it as 'part' of a gift (you might be able to make other things to go with it if so)?

5. Sell at a real-life fair / market. If you are selling at the upcoming Dorset Team Spring Fair then make sure you listen to what people say about your items. Are they drawn to certain ones - if so make sure your photos for these are great online and consider making some more similar items. Do they ask if you have something which they can't see - this might help you come up with a new product, or it might just help you add to the interest lists for your target market.

More Information:

You can see more about targeting your market on these two Etsy articles: https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/the-essentials-of-marketing-your/22452932254 and https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/5-savvy-market-research-methods/22450352625

Put it into practice:

Collate the information you've gathered and make a plan for how you can use this to promote your items. You don't have to do everything at once! Pick one social media to start with, and think carefully about how to use hashtags or what colours / props to use in photos so that they will appeal to your customers. Then move onto another social media or advertise in a magazine or on a blog that you think your customers read. It isn't going to be an exact science but if you keep working on it you will find the right people and make more sales!

Remember you can come and ask questions in the team forum (https://www.etsy.com/uk/teams/14319/dorset-etsy-team), or join our Twitter chats on Tuesday nights (7.30pm - 8.30pm #DorsetTeam) if you need more help!

Social Media Special - Instagram

Hello! It's time for another Social Media Special!

Today we are going to take a look at Instagram...

Do you use Instagram? Do you know that we have a Dorset Team Instagram Account where we share team member's Instagram pictures? You can see it here: https://www.instagram.com/dorsetteam/

For those of you who are new to Instagram....

Instagram Basics:

• Instagram is for sharing photos or short videos. You can write captions too - to tell a story or talk about the photo / video
• People will discover the photos you share by following you, or by looking at hashtags within captions or comments
• Viewers can 'like' photos by clicking the heart icon below your photo, or they can comment by clicking the speech bubble, share with someone else by clicking the paper aeroplane icon, or save it to their 'collection' by clicking the flag (only they can see their collections)
• You can link to other social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, to make it easy to share your photo on them too
• It's possible to tag Instagram accounts in the photo, so you could encourage your customers to tag your account if they share a photo of your product
• You could also have a hashtag that customers and you can use to share photos of your items. Make sure no one is using the hashtag already - and try not to make it too long, so it's not hard for customers to remember it and type it in
• You can send people a private message if you follow them
• There are also Instagram stories - a bit like snapchat (if you've heard of that) - these are videos (which can consist of photos too), which are portrait-style and will only appear in your 'story' for 24 hours after you've uploaded them. Viewers can access these by clicking on the little circles at the top of their Instagram feed, or by clicking on your profile photo
• Instagram also has 2 apps - 'Boomerang' and 'Hyperlapse' to help you create short videos to post to your profile or your story
• Instagram is rolling out the ability to tag products in your Instagram, so people can see how much the items costs, with a link to buy it. You need to have a Facebook shop for this to work

You can see a guide to getting started on Instagram here: https://help.instagram.com/454502981253053/

Other things to note:

When you normally open Instagram, you see your 'feed' - the photos that have been shared by the accounts you follow. Photos don't appear chronologically in this feed - they will be sorted by an algorithm that looks at a variety of things, for example how often you've 'liked' photos by that account. However Instagram have announced they are trying out a 'new posts' feature which should give more control on how to view your feed.

There is currently no ability to schedule Instagram photos straight in the app, but you can do it now through some scheduling sites like Hootsuite.

You can't re-share photos directly through Instagram, but you can get apps which make it easier to do this e.g. 'Repost' or 'Regram'. The opinion on the etiquette of sharing photos seems to differ  - but generally you can re-post a photo without fear of being told off if it's been tagged to include you, or if the person says in the description of the photo or their profile that they don't mind it being shared. If in doubt you can comment on the photo or  message them to ask!

If you feel overwhelmed...

If all that information scares you, don't worry! We will be looking at certain things, like Instagram Stories, in more depth in the future! For now just jump in and get started. Create an account if you haven't already, and share a photo. It can be of you / your workspace / a work in progress / a finished product / a photo of where you live... etc! Make sure you follow the Dorset Team Instagram Account and don't forget to use the #DorsetTeam hashtag so your photo might get featured on the Dorset Team account!

Next month for the Social Media Special we will be taking a look at the basics of Facebook and how it can help your business. If you missed last month's look at Twitter you can see it here: http://dorsetteam.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/social-media-special-twitter.html

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 - Back To Basics - Teamwork

For our final Back To Basics post let's look at teamwork and the many ways it can help you with your business!

Dorset Team: Obviously the Dorset Team is a great resource to help you with your shop. Check out the team forum and post your own queries if you have them here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/teams/14319/dorset-etsy-team you can also join the Facebook group for team members here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1514236692123255/, look at old and current posts on the blog here: http://dorsetteam.blogspot.co.uk/, join in the Twitter chat on Tuesdays from 7.30pm - 8.30pm using the #DorsetTeam hashtag, or use that hashtag at any time to reach out to our social media team and other members who might answer your questions, or re-tweet / re-gram your posts!

Other Online Assistance: You an join multiple Facebook Groups as well as the Dorset Team one for Etsy help if you want to, here's one for example, called the 'Etsy EK Sellers Help Group': https://www.facebook.com/groups/1099520500108154/ or the 'Handmade Hour' on twitter is another good place to network with like-minded sellers: https://twitter.com/HandmadeHour. You can join a few things and work out what works best for you to feel like you are supported and part of a team - find your tribe!

Business Helpers / Employees: When you have a rush of orders make sure you ask friends and family if they are able to help you out. Sometimes you can ask for help even if you aren't busy - send a message saying - 'I need help thinking of new product ideas' or 'anyone want to come and help me re-vamp my crafting room' you never know who will be able to help if you don't ask. One day you might need to hire an employee (or more!). Here's an article on taking your first steps towards hiring: https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/how-to-take-first-steps-toward-hiring/22819321220 and here's one about PAYE: https://www.gov.uk/topic/business-tax/paye - sole traders can hire employees but you'll probably need to tell HMRC you are doing so, and you'll definitely need to make sure you are following regulations like paying them the minimum wage!

Collaborations: Another way to network and work with another Etsy shop owner is to have a collaboration. Find someone who makes something you like, but which you could put your own twist on, then ask them if they'd like to work with you! Here's an Etsy article on collaborations: https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/expand-your-product-line-with-a/22850675416

Remember there are thousands of shop owners just like you. We are all part of one great big team, and if we work together to raise each other's profiles then it will help the handmade / vintage market to grow and grow!

Be an Expert: Last U.K posting dates for Christmas!

Photo Credit: Dorset Team member Sophia's personalised Christmas sacks 

Christmas is fast approaching so if you run your own Etsy shop planning and timing is crucial!

One question we get a lot in the run up to Christmas as shop owners is 'When is the last day that I can order and still get my gift by Christmas'. Each year Royal Mail put out a recommended last postage date for Christmas. This is really useful to use as a guide. You then need to plan what date you want to work to (do you want to work right up to Christmas or are you heading away so need a cut off date before then), how long will it take you to make things and does that leave you enough turn around time (It is no good someone ordering the day before the deadline and it takes you 1 week to make each item!) and how much stock do you currently have made up.

For 1st class items being sent to the U.K the last postage 21st December.

Find out more here: https://blog.etsy.com/uk/2015/11/10/last-uk-christmas-posting-dates/