More than lemonade, part 2

This time I even brought cookies. So, where do I advertise? First, I think about what I'm creating and who will buy it. My target market doesn't generally share demographics, so much as the memories that places evoke. That means young brides and grooms as well as adoptive families and people who just love travel and adventure.

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I don't want my ads where people are selling the same thing. My map necklaces are my best seller. So, after a long search, I found a cooking and travel website that accepts only 4 ads. All of them were for travel tours and cooking schools.

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I thought, people that like to travel and attend cooking schools abroad, might like a memory of their vacation. How about a vintage map necklace? Voila! I placed an ad, waited my turn and they ran it for 2 months. The response was amazing. I'll probably go back to that site again next year.

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I also have a small niche of bicycle jewelry. For months I searched for affordable ads on a bike related site. Affordable? Most were not. Then I stumbled upon a bicycle blog. He's snarky and insightful and has had over 100,000 hits to his blog. He graciously took my ad, and except for the 2 commercial mainstream skyscraper ads, I have little competition. You can't beat that.

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If you are just starting out and have little to spend, I highly recommend playbills from your local college or high school. People tend to keep them awhile and love to purchase from someone local. I never invite anyone to my home, I just say I'm not zoned for that. I'll usually meet them at the post office. I don't want to sit and have coffee with them either.

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What I didn't say yesterday was that I twice placed one of those small sidebar ads. I even paid extra for one of the top three spots both times. My google analytics were enough to make you cry. In the entire month I had 70 and 103 hits from those sites. And not once was the 10% off coupon I offered used, Not once. Lesson learned.

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I know there are thousands of talented blog writers who can tell you how to run a better business, where to advertise, how to market your work and where to sell it. After all, it is the telling that is how they make their living. Some of them are really smart and do it well, most do not. I believe at some point you have had to sell a tangible thing to understand the complexity of selling art and craft.

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They are your dollars and your business, choose wisely. Being an artist in business is not an easy path, and I want you to keep what you earn. Need some help trying to figure out what might be right for you? Just ask, no I don't charge. I make my living as a jewelry artist not as a disseminater of business acumen.

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I could go on and on, but I know your ice is melting and your loved ones need kissing,

xoSherry