Building and Marketing Your Website

© by Sherry Wells; all rights reserved

We all want instant success. At least I do. Most of the time, I want it yesterday.

Starting your own jewelry business doesn't work that way. Our industry, the jewelry business, is a highly competitive market to start with; this means we're probably going to have to work a little harder.

Princess bracelet by Sherry Wells

I've read comments by folks wanting to know, "Why won't people pay the prices I want/deserve for my handcrafted jewelry?"

And I say, "Ya, why not?"

Well, I think that's to be expected. Now that doesn't mean we have to like it, it just means we have to work smarter.

I started out making women's designer necklaces. It ended up that I was the only one who liked them. I knew I wanted to be in the jewelry business and I knew I wanted my business to be successful. I realized it wasn't going to happen by selling my designer necklaces.

I did some research to see what was selling. For me, it was children's jewelry. So, if that's what folks wanted, that's what I would make.

Now, I hope you don't think I've sold myself out. As it turned out, I have acquired a few customers who love my designs. I have the best of both worlds. Still, I'm not getting rich quick!

Find what works for you. Don't be afraid to try different things. At first I felt it meant I was a failure if what I did wasn't working. Forget that! Failing would be not trying something different.

Now things might work differently for you, but I found I had to (and still have to) try different venues, change things up a bit. I tried parties, but that wasn't for me; I am a terrible party planner. The one party I did have, only two people came. We still had a great time, but no more parties for me.

Then I tried craft fairs: Again, not for me. This seems to work well for many folks and you can make some good money at it. It is a lot of work though. It's important to be prepared. Do your research and choose the ones that work best for you. Don't reinvent the wheel. Learn from others and from their experiences. Read Rena's book and learn from her.

Fiberoptic bracelet by Sherry Wells

Next I started selling to local businesses in my town. This has been a great avenue for me and I have met some wonderful people. I get to be a little creative. My customers have learned to trust my style and taste, and even said, "Just go ahead and make it. I know I'll like it." Wow, what a compliment!

Before going to my local businesses, I started an eBay Store. Now I'm getting closer to what works for me. eBay is a wonderful way to get your "stuff" out there. Their following is huge. I did have to try a few things before I found what worked for me there. But again, children's jewelry has been my success. Now, the eBay fees are rather high, but it's a great way to get exposure quickly.

I have found a couple of sites other than eBay that I think are worth trying. Etsy.com is one. The fees are very reasonable, only .20 to post an item and less than 4% if the item sells. And that's for a 2-month listing. It is made specifically to sell your handmade items. It is not an auction style setting, so if you like the "Buy it Now" feature on eBay, this would work for you.

Another is Blujay.com. This site is completely free. Again, it's not an auction style, but you can sell almost anything there. I have just started to use it, so I haven't sold anything yet, but I really like the feel of it. The people selling on this site seem very professional and helpful.

Now I realize, these sites aren't going to draw the traffic eBay does, but as more people use these sites, more traffic will come.

I believe there are others sites similar to the ones I've just mentioned. However, I don't have any experience with them.

Now I've started my own website at Sher's Wares, thus this article. It too, is a lot of work, but somehow I find it more rewarding than eBay or the like. Unfortunately, it doesn't bring in the sales eBay does. Yet!

Online marketing is a whole lot more than putting up a website and waiting for people to come. Currently I am studying search engines, meta tags, keywords, advertising, marketing, traffic and more. I have learned so much and yet haven't scratched the surface. My goal is to find ways to get my site out there, at little or no expense. And there are ways.

Name bracelet by Sherry Wells

Networking is also important for internet marketing. There are many sites that have free link exchanges. WAHM (work at home mom) sites are wonderful for that and they fit nicely into my niche.

They have websites similar to mine, and they have family-friendly sites. This is very important to me. I have joined with several of them. I have banner rotation ads on my site, a page with many of their links, and I've even been invited to join their top 100 sites list.

Forums can also be helpful.

Giving something away free is always a great why to draw traffic. We all love free things. Believe it or not, we can "give" something away without it costing us money. Free consultation, free information, free training, free link exchange. These are just a few. And for me, sharing information that helps others can be rewarding. Rena's site is a perfect example. I'm working on a blog with information on increasing website traffic without spending a dime. It's not going to get you traffic instantly. I'm a little tired of all those empty promises, but I do share what I have learned and have fun doing it.

Another giveaway is "Free shipping". Yes it will cost you a little money, depending on the size of your product, but we're fortunate jewelry usually doesn't weigh much and you can offer something that customers will remember. I know when I find a site with free shipping I keep that in mind for future purchases.

In conclusion, I want to encourage you all to "Stay committed".

We can't do it alone. Read motivating books, listen to other people's stories, talk with friends and family - but only the ones that encourage you! Meet folks with similar interests online. With the amazing internet, we can have friends around the world.

Another thing that works for me is to have more than one project going at a time. For example, I have my blog to work on when I get a little discouraged with my website sales; and I do get discouraged. I just keep on keeping on, looking forward to the rewards.

Use slow times to learn, or do the things that get put off because they're not the fun things. I believe the day will come when we're so busy selling our wares that we say, "Just a little break, please!"

My desire for you is success! Don't give up, even when it's hard, depressing, discouraging. During these times get online and learn something new about your business. Marketing, web graphics, writing techniques. Maybe change up your web page a little, or start a blog and share your experiences with others.

If what you're doing doesn't seem to be working, don't be afraid to try something new. That doesn't mean stop what you're doing, just add to it.

Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home page.