We have Amy from Craft e-Revolution here again today with some important crafty business tips about keeping in touch with your customers. Thanks, Amy!
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1. Staying in touch with your customers leads to increased sales. Every time I send a newsletter, I make an online sale. Every time.
2. Having a conversation with your customers helps you to build a better business. If you engage in conversation with your loyal followers, they will help direct you. Ask them what they like, and they will tell you. When a customer says, “Ooh! You should make X thing,” and you then hear that same statement from two other customers, maybe you should listen. My best-selling soap scent came from a newsletter question: what scents do you think I should make?
3. Making your list opt-in leads to better sales. If every person in your list made the active choice to receive it, then they are a captive audience. They want to hear what’s going on in your life, what new stuff you are working on, and where you will vend. Do not miss the opportunity to sell to them.
4. Ask your list for a favor, and they will often deliver. Going along with point 3 above, if you ask your loyal list-followers to do something for you, they will often do it. They will forward your newsletter to one friend, will recommend you to their family, and will show up at your next craft fair, with friends in tow. They will review you on Yelp, follow you on Facebook and Twitter, and will participate in a contest in order to win things from you. They love you! Accept it.
5. Keeping a schedule with newsletters keeps your loyal customers engaged, and keeps you focused on your work. If you have calendar alerts help you, you can keep sales coming in and keep your customers aware of your plans. Maintaining a newsletter schedule keeps you on your toes—you can’t let things languish, or else your customers will deplete your stores and you will be scrambling. Publishing your plans helps you to stay on track.
If you haven’t started a newsletter list yet, this is something you should do right now. You have to start with one person, and you can find one. Just once, just this one time, send an email to all your friends and family, telling them you are starting a newsletter. Promise them you won’t send a mass email like that again, because you want them to sign up through the link you include. (And always use the BCC feature in your newsletter emails—you don’t want to publish their emails to each other.)
Want to start right now? I use Mad Mimi, and I think you should too. It is super easy to use, and the staff are amazing. You can sign up for free—you can have up to 100 people on your newsletter list for no charge at all.
This is the Action Girl on Biz Tuesday saying, “Get busy! Write a newsletter!”
Amy Kalinchuk is an author and publisher at Craft e-Revolution where she is currently formatting a photographed craft tutorial scheduled to come out in April. Stay tuned!
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