Branding

15/04/2013 10:47:00

Branding once meant burning a bulls backside (ouch!) so peopled know whose it was. When we talk about branding today, theres still plenty of bull to go around (and a certain amount of ouch), but it isnt just something to make cows and corporations distinctive. Now, branding is applied to everything and everyone. Including you. Maybe you think brands are things with corporate offices, PR people, and over-the-top commercials. But we all have brands, whether we realize it or not, and succeeding in business (and in life) has a lot to do with how effectively our brand is defined, communicated, and understood. Just What Is a Brand? Its more than just a tagline, a logo or in Mr. Cleans case, a big bald man with an earring. A brand is an expectation, a perception, and branding is about crafting and communicating that perception. The trappings that help shape a brands image jingles, mascots, vaguely homoerotic spokesmen exist as a shorthand to bring that perception to mind. If we ask 100 people to describe Kim Kardashian, theyll give us fairly consistent adjectives (and mention a certain body part, Im guessing). The same would happen if we asked folks about Apple, Fox News, or Martha Stewart. These companies, products, and celebrities are all strong brands. Take Fox News; some love it, some not so much, but everyone knows nothing too terribly Kumbaya is ever going to come out of anyones mouth on Fox News, which is thrilling or disturbing, depending on your politics. But everyone knows what to expect from them. Your shop should have a brand, too, to let people know who you are, what you care about, why they should care about your product what they can expect. A strong brand can attract new customers and keep existing ones loyal. But first, you have to know what it is. Defining Your Brand Its tempting to just focus on choosing a name for your shop, picking colors and fonts, and stressing over your avatar and photos on your About page. But these things should be outgrowths of the essence of your brand. Just what is your brands essence, you ask? First, answer these four questions: 1. WHY do you make (or sell) your items?

Think about how your story fits into your brand. In an environment like Etsy, a big part of the appeal is the authenticity and personal aspect of what you do. The story behind your products can attract customers because it makes what theyre buying special and by extension, it makes them feel special. Read tips for telling your story in How to Make Your Items Gift-Worthy. 2. WHAT is important and consistent about your product? HOW is your product different? What is your Unique Selling Proposition? What does your product reliably and uniquely bring to the table? Your USP is a way of expressing what you offer, what you value, and what people can expect. Think about what you sell: What makes your dog sweaters different from other dog sweaters; why is your hand-dyed yarn special; how do the vintage aprons you sell kick others vintage aprons asses? Think about what you offer from your customers perspective: What is unique about you that can serve their needs?

<img class="size-full wp-image-186262 " title="Branding101" src="https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/files/2013/03/Branding101.jpg" alt="" width="570" height="582" /> via BobbieGlue, WanderingWool, OliveVintage

3. WHICH words would you use (and want other people to use) to describe your items? Say youre a dog photographer. You take pictures of pet owners dogs and so do lots of other people. What adjectives can you use to differentiate and position yourself from your competition? Try the 20/10/4 exercise: Choose 20 words to describe your brand, then whittle them down to 10, then 4. The pet portraitist whose four words are soulful, spiritual, accessible, and playful appeals in a different way than one whose are sophisticated, experienced, elegant, and chic. 4. WHO are your customers? (And, no, everybody is not an acceptable answer.) Dont fall into the trap of trying to be everything to everybody. Think about who your likely customers might be and build a brand to appeal to them. How old are they, what kinds of TV shows do they like, how much money do they make, where do they live anything that might help you zero in on prospective buyers mindsets. Do you make jewelry with skull and vampire motifs? Maybe preppy colors and peppy taglines arent the way to go. Building Your Brand Youve defined your brands essence its values, attributes, its story. Now that you know what perception you want customers to have, its time to craft a brand message by sailing the seven Cs: Be CLEAR. The simpler and clearer the message, the better chance you have of standing out and being remembered. Again, dont try to be a lot of things to a lot of people. Stand for one thing in a big way. Be COHESIVE and CONSISTENT. Make sure your brand messaging makes sense across platforms. If your Etsy store conveys glamorous and gutsy, your emails, social media marketing, flyers, and business cards should as well. COMMUNICATE your brand in all your packaging: Your shops name, logo, fonts and colors should all align with your brands core attributes. Know your COMPETITION. To position your brand within a competitive landscape, you have to know who else is out there. Positioning is not something you do to your product its something you do to customers minds (and, hopefully, their hearts and pocketbooks). Positioning is about shaping your potential buyers perception. First, ask yourself what people already think about the category of product you sell. What do they already own? What new problems can you solve? What new

ways can you make their lives better? How can you fill a hole by meeting needs other sellers arent meeting and addressing issues other sellers arent addressing? (For example, if you want to sell soda when Coca-Cola dominates the market, be the un-cola.) Know your CUSTOMERS. Business, like life, comes down to relationships. Build relationships and youll build your brand and your business. Know your customers what they like, what they want, what they need and how you can deliver all three. Encourage feedback in your About page and social media channels. I always say, the best marketing is the kind other people do for you. CAPTURE attention. Be direct, be authentic, be helpful, be funny, be bold, or be surprising. Be memorable. Whats your Etsy shop brand all about, and what are your branding tips? Share your insights in comments.

4/15/2013 10:47:00 AM How to Create a Cohesive Shop

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<img class="avatar photo avatar-default" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/000/0/5184404/iusa_75x75.5237631.jp g" alt="HeyMichelle" width="75" height="75" > Story by HeyMichelle Published on Jan 25, 2012 in Seller Handbook

Creating a cohesive shop is the most important tool for branding yourself, and one of your biggest allies in your search for repeat customers. Customers who love your style will share your shop with others and come back again and again. Further, cohesive shops are successful in search or wherever they are found. When you bring a shopper in from search, its so important that they be interested in not just that item, but in browsing through the rest of your shop this is how a great deal of sales are made. Now, instead of each item working for itself, they become a team that helps captivate a customer and encourage her to make a purchase! A cohesive shop will help promote itself- when you have a clearly defined style, bloggers and others who would like to feature your shop will be drawn to it! Sellers who are chosen as featured seller and who are contacted for media features all have cohesive shops. So, how do you create a cohesive shop? Here are our tips below: Whats your style? Define Your Style: Can you describe the style of your shop in just a few words? This is a great indicator that you have a cohesive style. If youre not there yet, try to describe in a few words what you would like your style to be.

Id describe imyourpresents style as kitten-bling, and her charming vision has made her shop a favorite destination, and drawn tons of attention:

<img class="size-full wp-image-131490 " title="imyourpresent"

src="https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/files/2012/01/imyourpresent-1.jpg" alt="" width="531" height="401" /> imyourpresent Product Assortment Create Your Boutique: Do your products make sense being sold together? Could you imagine your Etsy shop translating to a brick-andmortar store? There are always exceptions, so if you have a great idea, do it! The point is that your shop assortment should be an intentional choice. Know Thy Customer: If you have multiple product lines in your shop, consider whether they all speak to the same customer. If a shopper comes in on one item, how likely is she to want to browse the rest of your shop? Girlscantell sells a variety of gifty items coasters, journals, bottle openers, lunch boxes, dish towels. But it all makes sense because the shop is a great gift destination, and theyre all adorned with her signature style line artwork.

<img class="size-full wp-image-131498 " title="girlscantell" src="https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/files/2012/01/girlscantell-1.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="414" /> girlscantell

Photos and Shop Appearance The Big Picture: Photo backgrounds that complement each other can make your shop look cohesive. All the backgrounds dont have to be exactly the same in fact, a little variety can be nice, but they should play well together. Set the Mood: Backgrounds and photography styles can help drive your look home. If your shop is rustic, what about rustic wood backgrounds? For a clean, modern look, how about simple, white backgrounds? Morning light can look soft and cheerful; early evening light can be more mysterious and romantic. Theres no need to go overboard here clean backgrounds will look good with almost everything, and will highlight the items and let them shine. Just consider that if your backgrounds are saying something, you want them to be speaking to the style of your shop. Banner Time: Do the colors of your banner go well with the colors of your photos? Does the font style echo your aesthetic? A good banner that will probably sit well with your shop is a detail slice of one of your item photos. No banner would be better than the wrong banner though, so feel free to go bannerless for now, or purchase a banner from a great graphic designer on Etsy. ClothandPatinas shop title describes her style and product assortment as Rustic French Country Home Decor and Gifts, and her photos and banner reinforce her look with weathered textures, woods and whites, and natural light.

<img class="size-full wp-image-131515 " title="ClothandPatina banner1" src="https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/files/2012/01/ClothandPatinabanner-1.jpg" alt="" width="551" height="76" />

<img class="size-full wp-image-131526 " title="ClothandPatina shop" src="https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/files/2012/01/ClothandPatina-shop11.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="554" /> ClothandPatina Now Go Forth and Cohesify! But wont I get bored?: I think a lot of sellers have a variety of interests and styles they like and fear that having a cohesive shop will limit them. In fact, it can be wonderfully creatively freeing! Instead of crafting each item on its own, you will have fun creating and sharing your unique vision through your shop, which itself becomes a work of art.

4/15/2013 10:47:00 AM Go brand yourself: The 20/10/4 Personal Brand Words Exercise 21 MAR 5 14 Like

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This page has been share d 12 times . View these Tweet s. in Shar e 1 Shar e 15 Minutes of Dame #2 By Dixie Laite She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. Mark Twain

(You may not think that quote makes a whole lotta sense, but as a woman who has four parrots, I can say Mr. Clemens is pretty on the money. But more about my unplanned parrothood in a later column.) In my last column, Who the Hell Are You?, I suggested you do an exercise of choosing words to describe yourselfyour values, strengths and attributes. First you were to choose 20 words (with this list to use as a resource), then 10 words, then narrow the list to four. I thought it might be helpful to follow someone else going through the process, so here I am reporting for duty. Ill tell ya, it was hard choosing my first 20. So many words seemed to apply. Besides, which me was I describing? After all, theres a tough me and a vulnerable me, a stylish me and a nerdy me, and so on. But, ah, theres the rub. Were all complex people with many facets to our personalities. Weve got lots of interests and values and often they contradict each other. We also evolve, so that what was seemed an essential component to who we are at 25 may have faded by 30. This exercise is about getting to the nitty gritty of who you are today and want to aim to be tomorrow.

Its like my closet. I have a lot of clothes. If you were to look inside my closet, you wouldnt know if this wardrobe belonged to Marlene Dietrich, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Annie Oakley or Little Bo Beep. But as I get savvier

about who I am, who I want to be, about whats comfortable and what suits me, I seem to gravitate toward the same pieces over and over. (Im delighted to say theres more Charlotte Gainsbourg, less Little Bo Peep now.) My 20 Words I initially scribbled these words:

Those of you playing along at home realize this is not 20 words. Its 35 words, to be exact. So, heres how I made the first cuts To pare down the list, I look at the synonyms and choose the words that best got at what I wanted. I eliminate laugh, funny and humor, keeping wit. (Besides, who doesnt like to laugh? Sheesh.) I eliminate compassion, keeping kind. I remove love (too generic), keeping affectionate and friendly. I eliminate serenity and gracethings to which I aspire, but who am I kidding? I keep playful, articulate andsassy, qualities to which I can more realistically attest. I decide to keep glamour, style, teach, entertain, guide and mentor. I choose vintage lover since collecting femorabilia is a big part of who I am and how people see me. (It also lets me lose collector.) I crossed off persuade and choose inspire instead. Uplift is close to inspire and little underwire-y; I keep evangelize instead. Energy and strength were qualities Id really like to embody. But I since I have to weed some out (sigh), I decide strong represents a kind of energy, and a big part of the person Id like to become. Recognizing wise, smart and savvy are somewhat synonymous; I go with savvy since it has the least gravitas. I keep influential, because, well, Id really like to be. I keep animal lover, because, well, have you ever met me? So my 20 words, in no particular order, are:

But I cant relax just yet; now comes round two where I need to turn this list of 20 into 10. Maybe it gets easier? 10 Words

Picking 20 was hard, but now its no longer a matter of weeding out sortof-synonyms. In this stage, its not really word play; now I have to really think about priorities. What do I care about, what do I uniquely have to offer, and what do I want to represent? First, Ill prune some more synonyms. Between teach, guide and mentor, Ill select guide (less pedantic), and style over glamour (less laborintensive). My first long list included smart, humor, funny, playful, articulate and entertain, so I decide wit mightsum these up best. But I feel I do need another qualifier. I think my personal style might be best described as playful. Wit is an outcome while playful is an attitude, and attitudes are under our control while outcomesnot so much. Id gotten rid of smart and wise, but I feel like I need to include savvy, it being a sassier type of wisdom. Five words down, five to go! I think about some of my most fundamental qualities. Im an affectionate person; Im a relentless hugger and call everyone sweetie pie, dollface or worse. Being kind is also very important to me. But all that is largely about about being warm and accessible, so though they are fundamental descriptors, I cross off affectionate and kind, keeping friendly in my top 10. Ive long celebrated and studied vintage movies, music and clothes, and its such a big part of my brand that I include vintage maven in my new list. I keep animal lover, too. (Ask anyone on Facebook to describe me, and Im fairly certain crazy animal lady will come up.) Of the remaining words, which fundamentally express what I want to do, to be? I decide guide, inspire and entertain give the clearest picture. I feel ambivalent but I finally prune my list to:

The Final Four (Finally!)

Ugh. After all that I have to pare down the list to a measly four. Now its even less about words cancelling one another out and even more about honing a message. Its also time to think about other people as well as yourself. How do you want clients, customers, potential customers, and potential partners to think when they encounter your brand? While all the qualities on my top ten list are important, I decide to define my brand with specific qualities that:

1) make me uniquely me, and 2) could plausibly attract people to my brand, my products and services. (This is called a unique selling proposition or a USP. More on that in an upcoming column.) Once were down to four words, our embryonic USP, I think it can be helpful to turn the words into a phrase or label of some sort. And my four words? Hmmm, lets try: Inspire Vintage Maven Playful Savvy In other words my personal brand is a savvy, inspiring and playful vintage maven. This doesnt necessarily mean Im limited to talking about, knowing about, or doing work related to vintage stuff. But as a writer, pundit, speaker and as a brand, these four words can help distinguish, differentiate and define what Im about. For example, even if Im talking about global warming or Estonian Frisbee Championships, I can be expected to discuss it in a lively, intelligent, down-to-earth and goodhumored manner. And I might have a vaguely Claudette Colbert-ish vibe while doing it. Now, I could have easily picked four different words. I picked the four I did because I felt theyd be best for a particular service/product I have in mind. But alternatively I could also go with:

It all depends on what service or product I want to pursue, and to whom I want to market what I offer. Anyway, well explore my lil ol USP in a later column. Meanwhile, if you havent already, do the exercise and let me know where you end up. And if you get stuck, email me at diydamedixie@gmail.comthats what Im here for! For the next episode of 15 Minutes of Dame On April 4, well look at some of your own 20/10/4 lists and how they can evolve into branding lenses for your own businesses. Until then, Godspeed my sweet DIYers!

4/15/2013 10:47:00 AM The Four Keys to Success for New Sellers

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<img class="avatar photo avatar-default" src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/000/0/5184404/iusa_75x75.5237631.jp g" alt="HeyMichelle" width="75" height="75" > Story by HeyMichelle Published on Apr 11, 2012 in Seller Handbook

As a new seller, youre not the only one asking: how do I get people to view my items and then purchase them? Theres no secret passageway to success, but there are four fundamental keys. Key 1: Sell Great Products Sell what you love. Sell something that you love and believe in. If youre like most new sellers, you have other commitments such as work and family, and you only have a limited amount of time for your new business. Selling something you love will help keep you motivated!

<img src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.323580202.jpg" alt="Red and White Love Heart Coin purse - iPod Earbud Case" width="247" height="185" /> cheekyleopard Get inspired. Is there something that you would love to have that isnt out there yet? Read magazines and blogs, notice what people are wearing and buying. Look on Etsy. You dont want to copy someone else, but looking around may inspire ideas for something you can make thats uniquely yours. Do some research. Is there something that you feel is a great product that no one, or few people, are selling on Etsy? Selling something different will help you stand out from the crowd! Look in various categories and subcategories. Where can you make your mark? Learn more. Read our article Your Product: Sell What You Love

Key 2: Add More Items to Your Shop Get found. Buyers are most likely to find your shop from an item listing via search, or because it was featured somewhere. The more items you have, the more opportunities you have to be found!

<img src="http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.319382514.jpg" alt="" width="250" height="200" /> sushipotparts How many items? This depends on what you sell. Generally, the more expensive and time-intensive the items, the fewer a seller will stock. Look at successful shops who are selling similar items and see how many products they keep in stock to get a rough idea of a goal to work towards. Start with what you have. If you only have one item now, list it! Dont wait to build up an inventory consider adding more items and creating fresh merchandise an ongoing goal to work towards, not a prerequisite for getting started. Learn more. Read our tips for stocking your shop. Key 3: Learn to Take Great Photos Looks are everything. Well-lit, attractive photos will entice buyers from search results and will help your item be featured on Etsy and around the Internet.

<img src="http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.191027667.jpg" alt="Handmade 5-strand braid red n white leather camera strap" width="252" height="201" /> LoraynLeather Take the clickability test. Search for your item, and look at the other items on the page. Does your photo make you want to click? Which do? What can you learn from them? Bring your item to life. Your buyer cant touch or see your item. Therefore, your photos must tell them all about it. How big is it? What is the texture? If its wearable, what does it look like on? What are the important details? Showing these in the photos will give your buyer the info they need to make the purchase.

Learn more. Watch our video, Great Product Photos, for live-action tips! Key 4: Get Found in Search Search suggestions. Find out what buyers are searching for by typing what you sell in the search bar with Handmade, Vintage, or Supplies selected. The terms that appear are recent customer search terms. Improve your chances. Use all of your tag spaces with good keywords and phrases that buyers are likely to search for. Add plenty of accurate, descriptive words in your titles. Learn how. Check out our step-by-step tutorial about How to Get Found in Search. Bonus Key: Ship Internationally Sell all over the world. A good number of Etsy transactions involve a buyer and seller from different countries. You give yourself more chances to sell by selling all over the world.

<img src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.274082885.jpg" alt="Par Avion .. Air Mail .. PREMIUM .. UNused Vintage Postage Stamps .. post 5 letters" width="251" height="188" /> VerdeStudio Get found by more people. In order to appear in searches made by people in other countries, your item must ship to that country (this includes the destination Everywhere Else). Its easy. A lot of people are intimidated by international shipping. Youd be surprised by how easy it is. Simply go to your shipping carriers website, and get prices for the following: your own country, U.S., Canada, Europe (get an average for this region), Australia and New Zealand. Look at various other countries prices to get an average rate for Everywhere Else. Set up your shipping profiles accordingly. Be sure to mark it as a

good for sale, not a gift, include a customs form (available at the post office or printed with your postage), and voila! Learn more. Check out our shipping tips, which include tips for international shipping.

4/15/2013 10:47:00 AM A Simple Formula for Pricing Your Work

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<img class="avatar photo avatar-default" src="http://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5189285/iusa_75x75.7613489.jp g" alt="daniellexo" width="75" height="75" > Story by daniellexo Published on May 14, 2012 in Seller Handbook

Imagine this: a beautiful jewelry studio, a soldering station, an anvil on a nice old worn wooden stump, a handmade jewelry bench, and on top of all this lie piles of finished pieces. Behind the bench sits a jeweler who has yet to sell a single one of her creations. Whats holding this talented artisan back? From my years of listening to your stories, putting a price on your work is one of the most intimidating first steps to selling, and delays many from opening their shop. Im here to share my favorite pricing formula with you, and to break it down so you have the confidence to get out there and sell! Know the Formula Heres my favorite formula: Materials + Labor + Expenses + Profit = Wholesale x 2 = Retail I picked this up from the amazing Megan Auman. What I love about this formula is that your profit is properly accounted for! Now lets go through every part of this formula and break it down.

<img class=" " title="PinkPinkPeony" src="http://img3-ec.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.325697023.jpg" alt="" width="456" height="303" /> PinkPinkPeony Materials Make sure to cover all your material fees. Often forgotten: the little things like the cost of thread, and the bigger things like the cost of packaging. If youre going to guesstimate, err on the higher side! Labor If someone wanted to hire you and they offered you $7 an hour, what would you think of that deal? Be a good boss to yourself and do a bit of research. How much does a seamstress make in San Francisco? Find out! (Also remember, youre probably more than a seamstress you are the designer, the marketing department, the accountant, the janitor, and the administrative assistant, too.) Expenses Bubble wrap, that ebook purchased at 3 a.m., studio rent, bus passes required to make it to the studio every day, a new scale for your shipping station. How the heck can you fit all these things into the price of a single item?

<img class="size-full wp-image145854" title="expenses" src="https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/files/2012/05/expenses.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="348" /> Heres a way to do that: Jot down every expense you can think of for example, include your Etsy fees, office supplies, rent or utilities. Next, come up with the number of items youd like to sell a month. Divide that number into the total expenses. Tip: Start doing two things to help you come up with an even more exact price: Track your expenses carefully so you can come back to this as you learn more about selling! I suggest trying out Outright a free online accounting tool. Start figuring out the big investments. How many items can you get out of that sewing machine? How long will that postage printer last before it needs to be replaced? Profit

Think hard: where do you want this business to go? Do you want to quit your day job? Do you want to pay off a student loan? Accounting for profit now will help you get there. This number really depends on what you are selling, and will make up for someone like a printmaker, whose material costs are low, labor hours might be low, but should be paid for their unique talent and point of view! I leave this up to you. Im trusting you here dont disappoint me with a low ball number!

<img class="size-full wp-image-145861 " title="Picture 15" src="https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/files/2012/05/Picture-15.png" alt="" width="456" height="292" /> CricketSnappers Bringing It All Together All right, this gets us to our wholesale price. Some of you might wonder if you can use the wholesale price in your Etsy shop. Wouldnt this be a a great way to offer your work at an affordable price? No, no, no. Heres why Im going to beg you to double your wholesale price and sell your work at a true retail price:

Selling your work at a wholesale rate undervalues those who price their work at the proper retail price. When the majority of sellers in a category price their work thoughtfully, the entire category benefits. Customers will wonder, Why? Why is your work so much lower than everyone else? Is it because its not handmade? Is it because youre using cheaper materials? Your price tells a story: make that story a good one! Youre putting yourself at a disadvantage. Lets say a big catalog reaches out to you and says, Wed like to buy 100 of these items! Please let us know what your wholesale prices are. This is a big opportunity; an opportunity you cant afford to take. Did you just come up with a price that you are sure the market wont respond to? Heres the trick: if the item is priced too high for the market, its not the price you need to alter, its the design or the way you produce your work. Get creative and see how you can adjust the item to reduce your costs. Can you buy your materials discounted in bulk? Can you produce the work in multiples, reducing the labor? Dont take the easy way out by slashing your prices. Remember, the right prices will allow you to reach your small business goals.