Silk screen printed poster – Let the sun shine in by Slide Sideways on Etsy
All creative entrepreneurs experience the ebb and flow of sales. Some weeks and months are better than others.
If you hit a slow patch and your sales come to a halt, panic can take over. Instead of panicking, use this time wisely and you’ll see your sales increase before you know it.
Here are 8 productive things you can do in this downtime:
1. Find another revenue stream.
You should have more than one revenue stream in case your sales slow down, so brainstorm ways that you can add another revenue stream now. If you already sell on Etsy, you might apply to a local craft show.
If you already do both of those things, you could approach a local boutique about carrying your products. If you teach local knitting classes, you might consider teaching online classes. Do something different.
2. Stock up on products.
If you’ve ever had those moments where you don’t know if you’ll be able to produce and ship all of your orders on time, you should consider stocking up on your products. Then, when your sales pick back up, you’ll be ready for it.
3. Connect with your customers.
We get busy and we forget about stuff—including our favorite handmade businesses. So, you could take this time to remind your customers that you’re around.
This might mean sending your customers postcards with a small discount code or sending out an email newsletter with some shop updates.
4. Improve your product photos.
We can all improve our product photos, and spending your downtime on this task is a great investment in your time. When you improve your photos, your chance of increasing your sales sky rockets.
5. Improve your product descriptions.
After you’ve worked on your product photos and you think they’re magazine-worthy, you should also look over your product descriptions.
Have you answered all the questions that your potential customers might have before they purchase?
Have you described the product clearly? Have you included bits of story in your descriptions?
For instance, have you included a few sentences about the inspiration behind the product?
6. Get ahead on your blog posts.
If you’re blogging for your creative biz, you could spend some time writing and scheduling blog posts for the next couple weeks. When your sales increase, you won’t have to worry about blogging and you can focus on making and shipping your products.
7. Connect and promote your business on social media.
If you’re not having much luck with sales, you probably don’t want to spend a ton of money on advertising. Instead, you can promote your business on social media for free.
Connect with your target market on Facebook and Twitter. Ask them questions and start conversations.
8. Look for ways you can expand your product line.
For example, if you sell handmade aprons, you might consider adding a line of matching dish towels and oven mitts to give your customers more options.
Don’t allow your inner critic to take over during this downtime. You’re in control of your creative business destiny, so use your time wisely and try to stay positive.
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About April
April Bowles-Olin helps creative entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality through her website, Blacksburg Belle, where she writes about marketing, blogging, and increasing business success. She uses her background in psychology to help creatives reach their goals, take charge of their inner critic, and build businesses around their dream lifestyles.
Silk screen printed poster – Let the sun shine in by Slide Sideways in Etsy
8 Suggerimenti per usare saggiamente il tuo momento di “down”
Ogni imprenditore creativo sperimenta il flusso e riflusso delle vendite. Alcune settimane e mesi sono migliori di altri.
Se stai vivendo un rallentamento e le vendite si fermano, il panico può prendere il sopravvento. Invece di impanicarti, usa questo tempo con saggezza e vedrai le tue vendite aumentare prima ancora di rendertene conto.
Qui ci sono 8 cose produttive che puoi fare in questo periodo di “down”:
1. Trovare un’altro flusso di entrate.
Dovresti avere più di un flusso di entrate nel caso in cui le vendite diminuiscano, perciò rifletti, fai un brainstorm (butta giù un pò di idee), sui modi in cui puoi aggiungere ora un’altro flusso di entrate. Se vendi già in Etsy, potresti partecipare ad una mostra di artigianato locale.
Se fai già entrambe le cose, potresti proporre a una boutique locale di tenere i tuoi prodotti. Se dai lezioni di uncinetto nella tua città, potresti considerare di fare delle lezioni online. Fa qualcosa di diverso.
2. Fare la scorta di prodotti.
Se ti sei già trovato in uno di quei momenti in cui non sai se sarai in grado di produrre e spedire tutti I tuoi ordini in tempo, dovresti prendere in considerazione l’idea di prepararti una scorta di prodotti. Così, quando le tue vendite riprenderanno, sarai pronto.
3. Connetterti coi tuoi clienti.
Siamo sempre indaffarati e ci dimentichiamo di un sacco di cose – comprese le piccole imprese artigianali creative che adoriamo. Perciò, potresti usare questo tempo per ricordare ai tuoi clienti che ci sei.
Questo può significare spedire ai tuoi clienti delle cartoline con un piccolo codice sconto o spedire una spedire una newslettervia email con qualche aggiornamento sul tuo shop.
4. Migliorare le foto dei tuoi prodotti.
Tutti possiamo migliorare le foto dei nostri prodotti, e impiegare il tuo periodo di “down” nelle vendite in questo compito è un grande investimento del tuo tempo. Quando migliori le tue foto, la possibilità di aumentare le vendite va alle stelle.
5. Migliorare le descrizioni dei tuoi prodotti.
Dopo che hai lavorato sulle foto dei tuoi prodotti e pensi che siano diventate degne di una rivista, potresti anche dare uno sguardo alle descrizioni dei tuoi prodotti.
Hai risposto a tutte le domande che i tuoi potenziali clienti potrebbero avere prima di acquistare?
Hai descritto il prodotto chiaramente? Hai incluso un pò di “storia” nelle tue descrizioni?
Per esempio, hai inserito qualche frase sull’ispirazione che sta dietro alla creazione del prodotto?
6. Andare avanti coi tuoi articoli nel blog.
Se stai bloggando per il tuo business creativo, potresti spendere del tempo scrivendo e programmando degli articoli per le prossime settimane. Quando le tue vendite cresceranno, non dovrai preoccuparti troppo del blog e potrai focalizzarti a fare e spedire i tuoi prodotti.
7. Connettere e promuovere la tua attività sui social media.
Se non stai avendo molta fortuna con le vendite, probabilmente non vorrai spendere una valanga di soldi in pubblicità. Puoi però promuovere la tua attività nei social media gratuitamente.
Connettiti col tuo target di mercato in Facebook e Twitter. Fai delle domande e inizia delle conversazioni.
8. Cercare dei modi per espandere la tua linea di prodotti.
Per esempio, se vendi grembiuli fatti a mano, potresti considerare di aggiungere una linea di tovaglioli e guanti da cucina abbinata per dare ai tuoi clienti più opzioni.
Non permettere al tuo senso critico interiore di prendere il sopravvento nel periodo di down. Sei tu che hai il controllo sul destino della tua attività creativa, perciò us ail tuo tempo con saggezza e cerca di restare positivo.
________________________________________________________
Chi è April
April Bowles-Olin aiuta gli imprenditori creativi a far diventare i loro sogni realtà attraverso il suo sito, Blacksburg Belle, dove scrive di marketing, blogging, e di come aumentare il successo della vostra attività. Usa il suo background in psicologia per aiutare i creativi a raggiungere i loro obiettivi, a prendere atto del loro senso critico, e costruire un’attività plasmata sullo stile di vita che sognano.
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Grazie April!!! (:
Even after 30 years or more working in Sales and Marketing, I recognise a true entrepreneur when I see one! Well done for your invaluable advice.
What an utterly fabulous website – why has no one told me about you before? I have been selling for just over a year now and think all your 8 points are superb and what I do at the low times, which, lets face it, are many if your just selling on Etsy. Fab post :) I shall be back!
So kind of you… Thank you so much Carrie! Happy you reached us!
Yes, I perfectly understand. It’s also for this that April in the post talk about the importance of finding new revenue streams.
I think it’s really essential if you want to make a life from it or to make it become a part time job and so, having a good income every month.
:)
Much needed tips. Can’t thank you enough for posting this. I need things like this to remind me what I need to be doing in the hustle and bustle of daily life with an outside job and two children (three if you count the husband!)
Would you consider a post about optimizing studio/work area space, organization, etc…I currently use the dining room as my center of creativity, but this is not working out. I have no spare room to use as a studio. In serious need of ideas.
Hi Laura, thank you for your interesting comment and feedback. I can imagine how can be hard to juggle with a job, two children plus the third (your husband)! eheheheh
And thanks for suggesting a post about the optimization of the work area space. I think it’s a hot topic and yes, I’d like to cover it here on IB!
As a product photographer I can go from busy to slow in an instant. I chose to fill my free time with creating stock photography and selling it through agencies on-line. With stock photography to fill in my free moments I am able to have a double income stream and always keep busy which works out great for my business.
If anyone needs to get new product shots taken, I am quick, easy and affordable – drop me a note at brooke@brookephotostudio.com and I’d be happy to send info.
I also really like #7 as a good goal to fill in your time. Social media can get so tiresome, but I have got a lot of good business from it and some months it is even more productive then my paid advertising! A great resource that I like besides Facebook is http://www.theswitchboards.com Forum. It has a fantastic collection of women in small business.
–Brooke
Hi Brooke, thanks for your precious feedback and for offering your help at affordable prices. It could be helpful for some of us.
Did you ever considered to create some mini courses focused on teaching artistic and craft products?
Your photo are really beautiful, you seems really skilled on this and working on some online (and offline) specific courses should be an alternative revenue stream for you.
I think it could be interesting :)
Wow, right post in right time. This is what I need at the moment, EXACTLY what I need… Thank you, April and Irene!
Woooo, great Isidora. Tips arrived in time :D ehehehe
Wonderful! I especially love #6 – Get Ahead on Your Blog Posts. That’s the one thing I really try to do when I have some down time, and having a backlog of blog posts has saved my backside a few times. Thanks for those other ideas!
Angie, I must say that’s one of my favorites too. Having some posts ready for the next weeks is really refreshing (and extremely useful).
It also gives a bit of “break” from the routine of writing every day or every X days. This helps me also to find new inspiration and to work on new ideas totally focusing on them!
Great ideas! You always have such great tips on this blog. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Michelle, hearing that you find useful tips here on IB, makes my day :)
You’re welcome. And when I say “community member,” I mean it, because that’s my vision, as the Director of Social Media, for what this place is going to become over the next year. A damn large community.
[...] week or so ago, Imaginative Bloom published a great article on using your downtime wisely. This article focuses on using the time you have when sales are slower and discusses how to make [...]