Need some more customers? Who doesn't? Today I'm going to share an idea that I've been working on lately to promote my store.
What is it? Cross promoting!
What is cross promoting? Cross promoting is when you collaborate with another seller to promote each others work. Here are a few tips to get you started.
1) Find someone who sells something that fits with your product so you can reach your target audience. Example: I'm working with a feminine product seller to help promote my
PMS Relief soap.
2) Research the other seller. I have absolutely nothing against new shops but if you want the promotion to work, you need someone who is selling. If they're not making sales, your samples are just sitting in their house.
3) Contact the seller. Be polite. Explain the benefits of the cross promotion for both the other seller and yourself. Don't be pushy. If they don't want to work with you, don't be offended. Just find someone else.
4) Work out the details. Discuss with the other seller how many items you want to swap and when. Trade addresses.
5) Get to work on your samples/promo items. Make something that will stand out. Something that the customer can use is always best. People are more likely to buy if they can try out the product first. If your product isn't something that can be made into samples, try a promotional item like a lipgloss or pen with your logo on it. Preferably something that fits the theme of your shop and will remind them of you when they use it.
6) Be considerate of the other seller. Don't send big samples that are going to cause the other seller to lose profits to pay the extra shipping charges. Keep them small.
7) Hand the other sellers items out with your orders! This should be obvious. Please hold up to your end of the bargain.
8) Watch the sales roll in! Well, I hope anyway:)
I'm thinking for the future I might add a coupon to the samples with a special code so I know where my customers are coming from. This will help me track which promotions are working best.
If you give this a try let me know how it works for you!
Now I've gotta get back to work! I promise to try to update more often!
Here's what they used to look like:
I'm not quite sure what to do with them now. Do I label them Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie or some other clever name that fits the color? Or do I sell them at a discount cuz they don't look so pretty?
These cookies are what I found in my mailbox yesterday. Aren't you jealous? hehe:) They were made by Heidi of Heidi's Cookie Shop. She's one of my fellow etsy soapmakers who recently decided to open a cookie shop. I'm glad she did! These are her Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies. As I opened the package, the smell was enough to make me want to eat them all right then. They were moist and chewy and delicious! Notice I said "were". The cookies didn't last very long once my husband and daughter discovered them. Looks like I'll need to buy more! Keep up the great work Heidi, and good luck with the new shop!
